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GCSE History · key term
Action that directly challenges an injustice, such as occupying a segregated facility, rather than relying only on petitions or court cases.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Paper 3
Revise: Developments 1960–62Civil rights campaigners therefore used non-violent direct action: they personally challenged segregation while refusing to retaliate against abuse. Sit-ins targeted segregated lunch counters; the Freedom Riders tested whether desegregation rulings were being obeyed on interstate bus journeys—journeys between states—and in bus terminals. Both methods made discrimination visible rather than allowing it to continue unchallenged.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Protest that directly challenges an unjust practice, such as occupying a segregated lunch counter or using segregated transport facilities.
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Legal challenges and direct action therefore reinforced one another.
Action intended to influence decisions through intervention or disruption, rather than relying only on voting, petitions or lobbying.