What was the primary protest method used by Civil Rights activists in the early 1960s?

• A. Economic boycotts
• B. Violent confrontation
• C. Nonviolent civil disobedience
• D. Legal challenges

Answer: (C)

Nonviolent civil disobedience is the primary protest method used by Civil Rights activists in the early 1960s. Leaders and groups organized peaceful actions—sit-ins, marches, boycotts and acts of civil resistance—to challenge segregation and discriminatory laws without violence, aiming to win public sympathy and federal support. This approach was inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy and carried out by figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations such as the SCLC and SNCC, using mass participation to expose injustice and push for change. While economic pressure and legal challenges accompanied the movement, the defining tactic during this period was peaceful, nonviolent resistance that refused to obey unjust laws while avoiding violence.