preview

Martin Luther King Jr Civil Rights Movement Essay

Decent Essays

One of the most significant people of world history was Martin Luther King Jr. because of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and his effort for better treatment for blacks, and to unify people of all races. Named after the famous German reformer, Martin spent most of childhood years on 501 Auburn Avenue in regarded as the wealthiest black neighborhood in America. He was brought up in a loving middle-class family, who were very Christian-centric. His father, Martin Luther King Sr. was a devout Christian minister of Ebenezer Baptist, the local church, who won great respects among both blacks and whites, and his mother, Alberta Christine Williams King, worked as a schoolteacher, and was the child of Rev. A. D. Williams, one of the most influential black ministers of Atlanta during the time. However, being brought up in a high status in his community could not provide King any means of security in a bigoted, segregated, white supremacist society, where blacks like himself …show more content…

In wakes of the incident, the local NAACP chapter organized a boycott against the Montgomery buses, and elected King as leader and spokesman of this protest. It was a success, lasting for a total of 381 days, and succeeded in deeming Montgomery’s segregated bus policy unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. On the other hand, King, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, became a national spotlight for encouraging the use of peaceful protesting and nonviolent resistance in the boycott through his leadership. However, this fame and success angered segregationists and white supremacists who saw King as a threat to their beliefs, and as a result, his house was set to flames. Nevertheless, this did not discourage King’s commitment to the cause. He later resigned his position as pastor of Dexter Baptist, and moved back to

Get Access