Martin Luther King was one of the most influential figures in the civil rights movement in the years 1955-68. He gave many speeches and conducted/participated in many peaceful campaigns in the south fighting for equal rights for African Americans. The peaceful protest method used was adopted from Ghandi, who used these peaceful methods to gain India’s independence from British rule in 1947. Firstly looking at the peaceful campaigns conducted in the period 1955-68, and their effectiveness on the civil rights movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 showed that peaceful protests could be effective.
These organizations were actually peaceful and nonviolent organization protesting racial inequality. Their nonviolent and peaceful approaches were the strategies that they used during the Civil Right Movement. The NAACP’s legal victories were the most successful in overturning the South’s systems of Jim Crow Laws, but the SCLC and SNCC received more media recognition. Martin Luther King Jr’s, (founder of SCLC) , goal was to coordinate peaceful protests in response to the Jim Crow Laws and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that had taken place in 1955. He had hoped that he could gather a momentum that would extend the support of black churches because black churches played a central role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of Kings crusade for equality. From then on, King held many protests for groups all over America who were treated unfairly. He lead his final protest in 1969 in Memphis, Tennessee in aid of the African-American garbage workers and their unsuitable working conditions. It was at this protest in which Martin Luther King was shot by a man by the name of James Earl Ray which lead to King reign as an inspirational leader for American people. He is recognized for his efforts every third Monday in January on ‘Martin Luther King Jr. Day.’ This day is celebrated in recognition for his crusade for equality for the African-American and ethnic communities in
How Far Was Peaceful Protest Responsible for the Success of the Civil Rights Movement in the Years 1955-1964? From 1955 to 1964 the civil rights movement organised a series of campaigns addressing transport, education, voting and the segregation of public places. These campaigns included the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, the little rock campaign of 1957, the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 and the Birmingham campaign of 1963. Many campaigns during this time period highlighted that peaceful protest was an effective way of achieving change and bringing in extra white support to push through legal battles. One such protest was the Montgomery Bus Boycott that occurred from 1955-56.
The Dream of a King Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great leader in Civil Rights; he focused not on violent rebelling but peaceful protests. He pushed the way toward segregation in the South for many years and protested to try and achieve peace. He wanted blacks to come together and participate in organizations that supported civil rights activism. Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta Georgia during a turning point for Americans: The Depression. The depression affected everyone and their self motivation disappeared.
The Civil Rights campaigns We shall overcome The Civil Rights campaign began in the late 1950s and continued into the 1960s. Martin Luther King insisted that all the action taken should be totally non-violent and peaceful. Serious and brutal violence certainly occurred during the campaigns - violence by white racists against the Civil Rights protesters. There were several notable campaigns that occurred during this period: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955. This developed out of an incident where a black woman was arrested for refusing to sit in the 'blacks only' area of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
By 1920, African- Americans were slowly gaining rights that gained them equality in the United States for the first time in history. With many proud blacks reminiscing on the powerful events of the civil rights movement, it became inevitable that African- Americans would celebrate their freedom. In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a civil rights leader and journalist, officially created a week of celebrating black history called “Negro History Week”. The celebration quickly spread throughout the country and soon evolved into a whole month of celebrating and honoring the heroes of black history. Woodson’s road to creating this special month of celebration was not an easy one.
Martin Luther King Jr’s writings, teachings and speech’s are timeless; they left people rethinking their attitudes towards African Americans and racism. He spoke of a compelling brotherhood and sisterhood of all American citizens, and how he one day wished that all brothers and sisters, white or black could unite as one and form a unity. Martin Luther King made it known to the nation and the world that civil rights and justice should be upheld for not only white citizens but black citizens too. He was one of the most influential people of the 20th century and since 1983 America has named a holiday after him, to look back and
to focus on the need to pass the Civil Rights Bill. Leaders also felt as though it was a good time to tell the government how little it had done to end segregation. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., over 250,000 people gathered to walk in organized, orderly groups toward the Lincoln Memorial. It was at this march where protestors heard King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech in which he stated, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.'" This became one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in the history of the United
Summary Response-Letter from the Birmingham Jail In this letter, Martin Luther King Jr. describes the current states of injustice and inequality that plague the Negro community during this time as he is writing from his jail cell. He writes to his fellow supporters and brothers and explains the reasons for being in Birmingham in the first place were because he felt it was necessary to protest injustice everywhere. Communities such as Birmingham were known to observe segregation laws that isolated black people from white people and in his opinion were classified as unjust laws. He claims to be a supporter of just laws and a non-violent protestor of unjust laws in which violate human morals and dignity. By citing references of protest such as Jesus Christ, St. Paul, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, he justifies his current actions for the Negro community and states that he is willing to face the consequences when it comes to protesting for equal rights amongst all Americans.