Read the excerpt below from a statement by Charles Sims, a leader of the Deacons for Defense and Justice, and answer the following question:
"We didn't go out looking for trouble, but we made up our minds that we were going to protect our communities and the civil rights workers. The local authorities only started to respect the nonviolent demonstrators when they realized that behind those nonviolent marches stood people who were willing to exercise their right to self-defense."
Based on the excerpt, which of the following statements best describes how the philosophy of armed self-defense related to the nonviolent direct action campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement?
- AArmed self-defense was adopted because activists viewed nonviolent direct action as a form of passive surrender to white supremacy.
- Armed self-defense functioned as a tactical deterrent that protected nonviolent demonstrators and communities from racial violence.Answer
- CArmed self-defense was a strategy to launch offensive armed uprisings to overthrow local municipal governments.
- DArmed self-defense was developed as a way to reject US citizenship and promote immediate emigration to Africa.
Answer
Armed self-defense functioned as a tactical deterrent that protected nonviolent demonstrators and communities from racial violence.
The correct option is correct because the excerpt shows that the Deacons for Defense and Justice acted as a shield for nonviolent protestors. Armed self-defense and nonviolent direct action often coexisted; self-defense groups protected activists from vigilante violence, thereby enabling nonviolent campaigns to carry out their work in highly dangerous regions.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The coexistence and strategic interplay of nonviolent direct action and armed self-defense during the Civil Rights Movement.
Estimated Time:1m 30s