To What Extent Has Martin Luther King’s Contribution to the Advancement of Black Americans Between 1954 and 1968 Been Exaggerated?

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To what extent has Martin Luther King’s contribution to the advancement of black Americans between 1954 and 1968 been exaggerated? Despite slavery in the United States being officially abolished since 1865, with Abraham Lincoln’s victory over the separatist Southern States and his promise to the black people of his country, the mistreatment of blacks there was still powerful a hundred years later. As a result of this, the campaign to improve how blacks were seen by people with other skin colours and, indeed, blacks themselves, has been one of the most active and controversial in civilised history. One of the most prominent leaders of this campaign was Dr Martin Luther King Junior. He has been lauded by countless people as the heart and soul of the movement, responsible for its first, and its greatest tangible successes. When studying the movement to any degree of depth, his name will be credited first and foremost as the inspiration, the leader, the one who made all the progress there has been possible. However, could this really be so? The Civil Rights movement could not have gained nearly the momentum it did due to the machinations of one man; regardless his level of influence. Not only were there other leaders, the people themselves could be viewed as responsible for the campaign’s successes, forcing the authorities to act in light of the sheer numbers of those demanding change. This begs the question: to what extent has Martin Luther King’s contribution to the advancement of black Americans between 1954 and 1968 been exaggerated? Irrespective of how little or how much King’s input has been overstated, it should be noted that he is certainly responsible for some of the movement’s success. As a Baptist minister from Atlanta, Georgia, he was one of the best educated and most respected members of the local community. His philosophy was greatly inspired by

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