even though they had to take arresting and harassment through their every step to the victory. The sit-ins, however, were not over. By August 1961, they had attracted over 70,000 participants and generated over 3,000 arrests. They continued in some areas of the South until and even after the passage of the Civil rights Act of 1964 declared segregation at lunch counters unlawful. In addition, the technique of the sit-ins was used to integrate other public facilities, such as movie theaters, and SNCC, the student group that rose out of the sit-ins, continued to be involved in the civil rights movement for many years. Perhaps most importantly, the sit-ins marked a change in the civil rights movement. In the words of journalist Louis Lomax, They were proof that the Negro leadership class, epitomized by the NAACP, was no longer the prime mover in the Negros social revolt. The demonstrations have shifted the desegregation battles form the courtroom to the marketplace. They showed that nonviolent direct action and youth could be very useful weapons in the war against segregation.As noted above, the sit-ins were remarkable turning points of civil rights movement. Can we, then, call the sit-ins are social movements automatically? Smelser explains there are certain determinants, or necessary conditions, to qualify as collective behavior. (1) Structural conduciveness: racial segregation was still alive until 60s. Many public places did not serve black customers and so on. With growing consciousness of equality, the black community had clear awareness where they were standing. (2) Structural Strain: although racial segregation was norm which had existed for a long period of time, these structural strains were perceived as targets to eliminate during the civil rights movement.(3) The growth and spread of a generalized belief: prior to Nashville sit-ins, the same kind of protests occurred in many other cities. With these happenings, local black lead...
