Non-violent resistance was a tactic that was first used by Indian Nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. In the 1920's, during the
Indian Independence movement, Gandhi organized a national "civil disobedience" movement that sought to defy British rule.
The movement included non-violent tactics, many of which served as models for the later civil rights movement. Boycotts of
British goods and services were organized, including Indian children being withdrawn from government schools. " Sit-ins" were
started as Indians sat in streets and refused to rise even when beaten by police. Gandhi was arrested, but the British were soon
forced to release him. Black rights advocates in America later used many similar tactics in their struggle for equality in the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King was one of the most well known supporters of non-violent movements. King, who was head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) helped to organize numerous protests against segregation. These protests, like the tactics of Gandhi, included boycotts and sit-ins to gain negative media attention towards segregationists. Since these protests often drew violent reactions from whites, these protests became more effective due to the protesters ability to remain peaceful while faced with violence. In 1959 King visited India and worked out more clearly his understanding of Gandhi's principle of nonviolent persuasion, which King used as his main tool of civil disobedience.