Martin Luther King was a prominent social activist and Baptist Minister who led the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the twentieth century America from the 1950s to the 1960s. He is also known for his oratory skills that came out clearly in his famous speech, “I Have a Dream” which he gave at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. For his role in combating racial inequality in the US, King was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest person to have ever received the coveted prize. His parents were Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther King, Sr. though initially known by the name Michael King, his trip to Berlin Germany I n 1934 to attend the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress saw him change his name to Martin Luther King to honor Martin Luther, similarly a German activist and reformer. The Civil Rights Movement represents one of the most memorable and significant e vents in the history of America and its citizens, at least for the African-Americans and other minority groups. The movements involved a series of mass peaceful protests by African Americans, supported by a few Whites, demonstrating and picketing against the inequalities and injustices that were being meted out on them even after the signing of the US Constitution that did away with practices like slavery. Led by Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, the African Americans wished to compel the then US government to end racial segregation and discrimination in all its forms and accord all Americans equal treatment under the Constitution. Other related grievances that led to the Civil Rights Movement included equal pay or fair remuneration, jobs for all, freedom of speech and voting rights. This essay paper analyses the contribution of Martin Luther King in the civil Rights Movement in America. At the same time, the essay advances the thesis or argument that Martin Luther King through his role in the Civil Rights campaign helped transform the notion of and significance of emphasis on civil rights and individual liberties in the modern day America. He laid the foundation for the civil rights in the contemporary America.
The Civil Rights movement took effect in the 1950s when in 1955; a black woman called Rosa Parks from Alabama declined to stand up in a public transport bus to have the seat taken over by a White man. It is her subsequent arrest by authorities that agitated the Black Americans even more and began a peaceful boycott of bus public transport and Martin Luther King was chosen to lead the protests and civil unrests that followed. They vowed to wage war against the public authorities and social systems in the American society that they perceived as conspiring to disenfranchise them of their fundamental rights on equal footing with Native Whites. Martin Luther King played an important role of being a spokesperson of the Blacks and would speak about the need for African Americans to unite and participate in the freedom rides and boycotts to force authorities to heed to their grievances. The positive impact of Martin Luther’s participation and advocacy of the Civil rights of African Americans would begin to bear fruits in the 1960s when on August 28, 1963; he gave a moving speech to a diverse group of Americans who gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Here, he gave his famous speech titled “I Have a Dream”. In it, he envisioned a time in the near future when all of all creed –Black or White, Jews or Gentiles, Catholics or Protestants- and their children, would be treated equally and never be judged by the color of their skin and that at last, Americans will be free. In what could be seen to be a quick rejoinder or positive response to Martin Luther King’s moving appeal for equality of civil rights in America, President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 signed into law the Civil Rights Act that prohibited and outlawed any form of discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, color, religious beliefs and sex. The law gave all American citizens irrespective of their race the right to use public facilities without discrimination. It also recognized and protected the rights of all Americans to vote and get decent employment or jobs. Initially, there had been discrimination and segregation in these areas whereby African Americans were barred from certain employment and access to public facilities like buses.
Martin also played an influential role during the civil right movement by raising public awareness and conspicuousness about issues such as racism, segregation and racial discrimination in the US. He carried out this role also through campaigns at the local grassroots levels where he advocated for racial equality and equal rights for the Black Americans, mainly with African origins. His leading role began to show when he led the debut civil rights campaign in Montgomery, Alabama and led a series of protests and boycotts against buses that had been segregated to be used only by Whites. He mobilized the city residents to stage a peaceful boycott in protest against the racial treatment against African Americans. Again, his efforts in leading the boycott bore fruits when the US Supreme Court ruled in Browder v. Gayle that racial segregation was illegal and unconstitutional, hence effectively banning segregation in public buses in Montgomery. Martin Luther King also organized conferences where he communicated his vision for African Americans and called on the US government to take immediate measures that end all forms of racial discrimination and segregation. For example, in 1957, he and other activities organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which aimed at bringing together black churches in the South where a majority of Blacks and other minorities resided to stage peaceful and non-violent protests in a bid to compel the federal government to bring about civil rights reforms. This non-violent approach taken by Martin Luther King and his followers made the American people and government to reconsider their views on racism and made it a national agenda that needed quick action in order to prevent fallouts along racial lines. The civil rights movement under the leadership of Martin saw a reduction in the level of racial segregation and discrimination that had become too institutionalized and entrenched in the American society. This, therefore, was a major feat and contribution by Martin Luther King as the spokesperson and leader who left nothing to chance in his quest for a free and equal America.
Apart from these contributions, Martin Luther King also spearheaded economic and political reforms and justice for all Americans whatever their race was. This was mainly through the 1963 March on Washington where King and his other activists involved in the movement placed their grievances before the capital at Washington. As a result of this March, a number of important civil rights legislation were passed into law and King was then emboldened to fight even more vigorously for other human rights including workers’ rights and poverty among the African Americans and minority groups such as women that were neglected and treated as second class citizens. His leadership roles during the Civil Rights Movement have made most people to believe that were it not for his premature assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King would have grown tom become one of the US Presidents or held other leadership positions. Martin Luther King had this charisma and determination that enabled him to soldier on with what he believed in despite being arrested more than thirty times as a result of his participation in the civil rights movement. He had a good way of rallying people behind his cause and influence or challenges them to believe in what he stood for or thought was right. He played an important leadership role of being the public face of the civil rights movement and the campaigns that were involved. Further, it was his strong leadership skills that he was able to convince moat Whites to support his cause, and probably it is these civil leadership skills that made the US government to see the urgency of addressing the issues and grievances raised by King and his cohorts. According to Jackson and King Luther’s role in the Civil Rights Movement has helped entrench the notion of human rights and socio-economic justice in the American society.
The Civil Rights Movement therefore became a success mainly because of Martin Luther King’s unique contribution in advocating for equal treatment of all Americans irrespective of their racial backgrounds. Besides providing leadership to the African-American Civil Rights Movements, Martin Luther King encouraged non-violent means of solving social problems in the American society, and this virtue has helped define Americans as largely non-violent people. He was very instrumental in the establishment of civil rights associations such as the SCLC which helped in achieving the goals of the movement of bringing about awareness about the need for equal and equitable treatment of American citizens without regard to their color. His advocacy for social, political and economic change and transformation of African American lives remains unmatched and has helped bring about social equity at least to some extent, between Whites and Blacks in the United States. Today, all eligible Americans are able to vote in elections and view for political seats, thanks to the advocacy for social and political inclusion by Martin Luther King and his fellow activists such as Rosa. Additionally, though race still defines most aspects of American culture, its impacts on the social-economic status of African Americans are not as adverse as used to be the case before the Civil Rights Movement led by the outspoken Martin Luther King. His legacy in the Movement will therefore live with Americans, particularly the African-American minorities, for a long time to come, and continue to define their status as a people with equal rights under the US Constitution. Moreover, in his Washington speech, Martin Luther King lay emphasis on freedom in his adamant belief that one day African-Americans will become free from slavery and racial segregation or discrimination. Today, to a large extent, this dream has come true in the freedom of Blacks to enjoy the same services as Whites, have their children attend the same schools with white kids and be free to vote for a person of their will in national nominations and elections. Thus, Martin’s role in bringing about freedom to America is a reality that cannot be underestimated.
Conclusion
As can be discerned from the above discussion on Martin Luther’s role in the Civil Rights Movement, the involvement of Martin in the movement gave it a unique momentum that later led to its success and redress of some of the grievances in national legislation that followed the movement. Martin Luther’s key leadership role in the civil rights movement cannot be wished away as far as its historical and contemporary relevance or significance is concerned. His participation in the Civil Rights Movement and subsequent achievements and successes has made a lot of difference as far as social, political and economic equality are concerned. One such observable social transformation is the 2008 and 2012 election of Barack Obama, an African-American, ostensibly fulfilling the visions that Martin Luther King had held and talked about in his historical I Have a Dream speech. Moreover, as a result of his participation and role in the Civil Rights Movement and what he stood for, there is some appreciable level of social equity and equality. Without the presence of such a strong voice in the Civil Rights Movement, probably things would have remained the way they were in terms of social and economic equality up to date. His contribution as the face of the Movement and advocator of civil rights against racial segregation or discrimination cannot therefore be easily rubbed off America’s history books.
References
Bruns, R. (2006). Martin Luther King, Jr.: A biography. Westport, Connecticut, London: Greenwood Press.
Hazen, W. (2004). American Black history. New York: Lorenz Educational Press.
Jackson, T. F., & King, M. L. (2007). From civil rights to human rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the struggle for economic justice. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Kirk, J. A. (2005). Martin Luther King Jr: Profiles in power. London & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Ward, B., Badger, . J., & Badger, . (1996). The making of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Washington Square, NY: New York University Press.
