The role of the church in the civil rights movement.

 

      The Church played a very important role in the Civil right movement.  It gave the people something to believe in.  The church gave the people a place to meet and also a place to use as a base of operations.  This institution was almost like the heart of the civil rights movement.

      The church provided the blacks something to believe in.  If they did not have a firm belief in god, the activist would not have had the endurance that they possessed.  One good example is found in Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King.  On page 134, King tells the reader about a point in which he is about ready to give up.  He was worried that the white extremist would hurt him or his family.  He was saved by his belief in god.  During a prayer, he heard a voice telling him to "Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth, and god will be at your side."  Had it not been for this experience King may have lost all hope when his house was bombed.  Instead, he took it calmly.  His belief in god allowed him to continue.  Other blacks no doubt faced the same situation and were helped to continue by their faith in god.

      While the church served as a source of spiritual inspiration they also were a place where the blacks could meet.  Most of these churches were blacked owned.  They did not have to worry about getting thrown out or being intimidated by whites.  In most cases, the church was the only place where a large number of people could gather.  They could not meet in other places because most of them were white owned.  As a result, the church served as place where the blacks could safely meet.

      Since the churches served as a safe place to meet, they also were used as a place to launch campaigns and to distribute information.  Usually before going on a campaign, the people would meet at a church and pray.  This served to strengthen them spiritually and to help them to get over their fears.  The church also served as a place to distribute information.  For example, if Martin Luther King wanted to distributed information, all he had to do is call up the clergymen of the churches and they would spread the word to their patrons.

      The church served as a central institution for the civil right movement.  It provided a place for them to meet, a place to grow spiritually, and a place to get information.  Without the church, the kinds of campaigns the blacks waged would have been more limited and less effective.