How Far Do You Agree That the Civil Rights Act Was Passed Mainly Due to the Efforts of Martin Luther King?

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The civil rights act was a piece of legislation passed in 1964 that outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin. Martin Luther King actively fought for this cause and he was a large reason that the bill was passed, with contributing efforts such as the march on Washington and his famous “I have a dream” speech. However, other reasons also contributed, such as the black Americans themselves fighting for the cause, the federal government and the media. A civil rights activist and voice for the people, Martin Luther King campaigned for equality between black and white Americans. Kings natural charisma and ability to give speeches to large amounts of people made him seem more than adequate for the role. For example, during the march on Washington, a huge march showing a united front between black and white, King gave his “I have a dream speech”. This speech was responsible for solidifying the support between races, over 20% of the crowd were white Americans. Consequently, the unity gave the government the power to force southern states to desegregate, showing equality was the way forward. Moreover, Kings intellect and analytical mind allowed him to choose the best cities to demonstrate in. Choosing the Birmingham for the campaign in 1963, King knew his peaceful protesting would be met with violent outbursts in the largely racist city. This method demonstrated the need for equality and gained a lot of support for dealing with the violence in such a way. However, despite organising or showing up as a face for these marches, King would be nowhere if no one came with him to march. One factor that is undeniably important towards the passing of the civil rights act is the black Americans themselves. Methods of protest, such as the sit-ins, were organised originally by 4 black students to begin with and spread to over 70,000 students. King had
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