Albany+Campaign

The Albany Campaign began in the fall of 1961 and went until the summer of 1962. It began during the Reconstruction era when thousands of politically active black men elected fellow African Americans to local and state offices. The Albany Movement mobilized thousands of citizens and attracted nationwide attention but failed to accomplish its goals because of a determined opposition. However, it was credited as a key lesson in strategy and tactics for the national civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was a key part of the Albany Campaign. King visited Albany for the first time on December 15, 1961. He planned to stay a day or so and return home after giving counsel. However, the following day he became involved with a mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators,"Those agreements", said King, "were dishonored and violated by the city,"[|1] He was given the choice to pay a $178 fine or go to jail, and he chose jail. Overall the Albany Campaign had limited success because it didn't achieve any of its main goals, such as, it failed to secure concessions from local officials and was consequently deemed unsuccessful by many observers.However, the campaign is considered important mainly becasue it captured national recognition so now people understood that the Civil Rights Movement was a serious threat. [|NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN.]