text: Non-violent resistance. I believe the protesters used to go into places, simply sit down, and refuse to budge. I've seen news coverage of the police lifting them and carrying them out bodily, still sitting.\n\nThink of the Freedom Riders (They peacefully integrated segregated busses, until they were forcibly removed), or the lunch counter sit ins.\n\nMarches. This showed the strength-in-numbers of the people who supported the cause, and rallied others to the cause. It also called public attention to the injustices.\n\nSpeeches. Dr King was an impassioned, eloquent speaker.\n\nI was a young child when all this was going on, but it had a profound effect on me. The emotional impact was HUGE.\n\nHow can you beat up somebody who simply wants to SIT ON A BUS??\n\nHow can you hate someone who wants only to SIT AT A LUNCH COUNTER??\n\nLOOK at that HUGE number of people marching in the street! They look like ANYBODY - some well dressed (like for church, or a business office, some in jeans or shorts and a t-shirt, they are old, young, women with babies, little kids, teenagers...). WHY would ANYBODY call them names, or hit them with billy-clubs, or beat them and kick them??\n\nAnd, even after the beatings and abuse, they CAME BACK, and did it AGAIN, and even MORE people joined them! \n\nSome of my first-grade teachers told us about going "Down South" for some of these demonstations. I was too young to really understand what they were talking about, but was left with the impression that this cause was vitally important, and very *exciting* and that people were doing something good about something very bad.\n\nListen to a tape of Dr King's "I Have A Dream Speech." Simply reading the text won't do. The impact is awesome.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr