Which student-led civil rights group began nonviolent and became militant?

• A. SNCC
• B. SCLC
• C. NAACP
• D. CORE

Answer: (A)

The question is about how a student-led civil rights group started with nonviolent methods and then shifted toward a more militant stance. This group began in 1960 with student organizers who emphasized nonviolent direct action—sit-ins, lunch-counter campaigns, and efforts to register voters—drawing inspiration from peaceful tactics used effectively in the earlier Montgomery boycott. As the movement progressed, frustration with slow progress and the limits of nonviolence among some members grew. In the mid-1960s, leaders and activists within this group began to advocate for a louder, more assertive approach and the idea of Black Power, emphasizing self-defense, community control, and a stronger stance against racial oppression. That pivot toward militancy, driven by younger, student leaders who questioned gradualism, is what they are most known for.

Other groups in the era remained committed to nonviolent methods for longer periods, focusing on legal challenges or peaceful direct action, so they did not undergo the same rapid shift toward militancy as this student-led organization did.