How Did Martin Luther King Influence Civil Rights

Martin Luther King’s achievements and his influence have often been placed on a similar level to such inspirational leaders and figures as Mahatma Gandhi; in America alone he is held to as high a standard as George Washington and Christopher Columbus – the three are the only figures in the US to have national holidays honouring them in modern America’s 500+ years of history. Schoolchildren across the western world grow up learning about the great pacifist, his life, and the difficulties he faced. They are taught that he was arguably the ‘greatest American who ever lived’ . His death shook America and those who deeply related to King; he dared Black Americans to hope and act, and his impact ran so deep that he is considered to be the Civil Rights
Increased independence from colonialism across Africa coincided with the height of the movement in the United States, and inequality in the US was an embarrassment for the federal government who were seen to be socially ‘backwards’ in comparison to third world country states like Ghana, etc. This embarrassment was only furthered by the USSR winning the ‘space race’ with apparent superior technology in FIND DATE. The Ghana Independence Celebrations in 1957 showed world leaders gathered in Ghana, with Vice President Nixon placed at the back of the hall, a complete humiliation for the US. Martin Luther King was also in attendance as an unofficial guest and also as the face of the Civil Rights Movement. Following this event, Nixon spoke to Eisenhower in April about the necessity of the ‘elimination of discrimination in the US’ for both national and moral