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Martin Luther King

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Martin Luther King
As one of the leading civil rights activists during the 1960s USA, Martin Luther King, Jr. spent all his life striving to achieve civil rights for the Black Americans. Starting his role of leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King won support from both the blacks and the whites through his non-violent tactics which were influenced by Gandhi. Throughout his life, King had to experience violence from opposing parties such as the Ku Klux Klan, but he reacted with calmness, still emphasizing the strength of non-violence after his home was bombed. King is best known for his non-violent tactics which include the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the sit-ins started by a group of students, the freedom riders, marches, and his inspiring speeches. Such …show more content…
For example, the Voter Education Project was a way for Robert Kennedy to settle the blacks down through giving them at least a chance to have a say in issues such as housing and education. However, this project resulted in even more blacks being subject to harassment: several churches were bombed, workers were beaten up, and some were even shot. Although King had tried to do what he could do, evidently not enough had been done to raise the topic of civil rights to the top of the agenda in the USA. As a result, this policy angered the blacks even more, as it had not worked, and it had also caused many to be injured. Meanwhile, in the Birmingham March of 1963, King was aware that there would be violence. However, it was decided in the end that children and students would be used in the demonstrations. Later on that day, people from all over the world saw with horror how the police allowed police dogs to attack the black demonstrators, while some students were being attacked with fire hoses strong enough to loosen bricks from the walls. Martin Luther King had emphasized non-violence and peace throughout his whole life - yet, although he clearly knew that there would be disorder, he sent children out into the streets to basically be killed and arrested. This can be seen as very ironical, and often people ask this question: was this march worth it when almost 2,000 people (with 1,300 students amongst them) were put into jail with some

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