Significance of Martin Luther King Jr.

America in the 1950s was very different to how it is today. It was legal to have separate laws for white and black Americans, a policy known as ‘segregation’. White Americans had more privileges, their schools were better equipped, they were paid more money for doing the same job, and they were treated more favourably by law courts. In contrast, black Americans lived in poorer areas, had less money, and fewer job opportunities. In addition, they would often be victims of racist abuse from members of the public. I have chosen Martin Luther King as the most significant event of the 20th century in my opinion because he firstly affected millions of people lives and quite frankly changed they way in which we live to day.
Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta on January 15th 1929. His father was a minister at a large Christian Church, and so religion played a large part in Martins life. His ambition was to become a doctor, but he later changed his mind and became a minister like his farther. When Martin finished his training, he became the minister of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Atlanta.
So you’re probably thinking how Martin Luther King turned from a minister of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Atlanta to becoming one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. Martin had become involved in peaceful protests. As a Christian he believed that violence was wrong and that you should forgive people who had wronged you. In 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white person and was arrested. This was a very significant turning point in martins beliefs as people thought it was disgusting how a human gets sent to prison for not giving up her seat on a bus. The black community refused to use cafes and shops where people were still being segregated. This meant they refused to leave and stopped other customers from using the businesses. Martin believed that people most be prepared to be arrested, suffer and even die without