Martin Luther King

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: An American Leader During his brief lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led an exemplary life of leadership. Prior to his assassination on April 4, 1968 (“About Dr. King”), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His work to end racial discrimination, however, was not the only thing King did to establish his legacy in American history as an important leader. His political activism, diplomatic virtue and efforts to improve conditions for all Americans are exactly the qualities that make a true leader. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is best known for his work to end racial discrimination and segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Early on in the Civil Rights Movement, the ambitious Dr. King acted as a spokesperson and even president for several equal rights organizations, such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (“About Dr. King”). King’s long list of political involvement and acts demonstrates the ambition, intelligence, dedication and resolve that any true leader will possess, which is why King was able to secure a massive group of followers and supporters. King’s political involvement and his growing following of supporters gained attention from all over the country and led to many changes in local and even national policies regarding the treatment and right of African Americans. Upon a massive bus boycott that King initiated in Montgomery, Alabama in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement (1955), “the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in transportation was unconstitutional” after “381 days of nearly universal participation by citizens of the black community, many of whom had to walk miles to work each day as a result” of their participation in King’s boycott (“About Dr. King”). Another example of King’s political influence is his infamously-led March on Washington. As The King Center notes, “in 1964, partly due to the March on Washington,

Cited: "About Dr. King." The King Center. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king.