How Did Martin Luther King Impact The Civil Rights Movement

Slavery in America was the root of African Americans being denied their civil rights. When slavery was abolished in 1865, Southern states failed to recognise African American civil rights and even enforced laws of segregation, known as ‘Jim Crow’ laws. These laws included segregation of public facilities and transport, separate schools and libraries, and inter-racial marriage of black and white people was forbidden. It was extremely difficult for African American’s to try and obtain justice, because most of the Government was made up of white supremacists. Furthermore, there was considerable intimidation from the Ku Klux Klan, a deeply racist organisation. African Americans found the most difficulty in exercising their right to vote because they had to face the time-consuming tasks of registering to vote, unlike white Americans, and they had to pass a literacy test before they were permitted to vote. On 1 December 1955 Rosa Parks, an African American, was arrested after she refused to relieve her seat on a bus to a white person. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was organised in response to this act of defiance,
He challenged segregation and after the Boycott he became a spokesperson for African American Civil rights. He organised civil rights campaigns, marches and other forms of non-violent protest. King encouraged many people to act and a number of non-violent organisations were formed during the Civil Rights Movement. University students formed the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). King and other Baptist ministers established the Southern Christians Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, which coordinated activities of groups of people who were dedicated to non-violent protest against racism. Many white Americans became more aware of segregation and the lack of civil rights for African Americans as a result of these