The Four Steps in Action
All of these steps were used together to form the successful protests that King organized, such as the “Montgomery bus boycott" in1955-1956, which was a protest campaign against racial segregation on the public transit system in Montgomery, Alabama. Another example which was the close to when his letter was written, was The Birmingham Campaign in 1963. This campaign was a strategic effort started by Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference to end extremely racist policies in the city of Alabama. Some of the protests included boycotting certain businesses that hired only white people or that had segregated restrooms.
When a business refused to change their policies, protesters held sit-ins and marches, with the seemingly odd aim of getting arrested. King encouraged these non-violent tactics so that the city’s jails would overflow. Police used high-pressure water hoses and dogs to control protesters, many of which were even children. By the end of the campaign, a majority of signs supporting segregation at Birmingham businesses came down, and public places became more open to all races. The four steps to a non-violent campaign were successfully used in this situation and when it was followed through correctly proved to be extremely effective with positive results.
