How Did Martin Luther King Influence The Civil Rights Movement

America's leading proponent of peaceful demonstrations for civil rights from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 was Martin Luther King Jr. King relied heavily on both his Christian faith and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, in his approach to civil rights. His non-violent movement included Americans from all walks of life. King used the power of words to achieve his goals, other civil rights leaders used "the end justifies the means" including violence.
He accomplished a great deal in the thirteen years he worked for civil rights and equality for all. In 1954 he ws the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was also a member of the executive committee of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). 1955 saw him as spokesperson for the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted 381 days. At the end of the boycott the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "racial segregation in transportation was unconstitional."
In 1963 King led a coalition of civil rights groups in a nonviolent movement in Birmingham, Alabama. At that time Birmingham was considered the "most segregated city in America." He was arrested on April 12, 1963 due to his involvement, where wrote " “Letter from Birmingham Jail". In the same year he was instrumental in organizing the "March on Washington. During this march he delivered the "I have a dream speech" to over a quarter of a million people of all races who attended the march. He was listed as Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in