Faith was used in principles and actions of non-violence. It was used to uplift, empower, express and spread messages with the masses.
The church played the Religions role of peace during the lynching era of the late 19th century. Faith was used in principles and actions of non-violence. It was used to uplift, empower, express and spread messages with the masses. The more that the black people struggled against with their white suppressors, the more they found the cross to be a spiritual power to resist the violence they suffered. One of the byproducts of the church during this era was the expression through art, in this instance, music which allowed the genre Blues to be born. Blues allowed African Americans to forget the hardships they were enduring, they used Blues as a form of expression. When the black man was being treated as a child in this Era, songs from artists like Bo Diddley, spelling out “I’m a Man”- “M-A-N,” spelled out the word man for emphasis, and allowed for the necessary affirmation of black resistance. During this time some would argue that the only way to get the message across is through violence, because it leaves a lasting effect. I do not agree with this concept and do not believe that in any way it is appropriate. Although retaliation leaves a lasting effect I do not believe this is the proper way to get the message across. One example where a lasting effect was left but retaliation was not appropriate were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan. These bombings were a direct retaliation to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and a response to an attack on American soil. Although some would say the retaliation ended the war instantly, far greater damage was done to those to cities and innocent people that had nothing to do with those attacks were affected by the aftermath of nuclear radiation for over 30 years after.