Martin luther king jr
Martin luther king jr. 4The Most Influential Person of the 21st century
The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most important events of the history of the United States. Although many people contributed to this movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., is widely regarded as the leader of the movement for racial equality. Growing up in the Deep South, King saw the injustices of segregation first hand. King’s studies of Mahatma Ghandi teachings influenced his views on effective ways of protesting and achieving equality. Martin Luther King’s view on nonviolence and equality and his enormous effect on the citizens of America makes him the most influential person of the twentieth century.
King can be considered influential in his preaching of nonviolent protest during the civil rights movement. King quickly realized that there were two alternatives in the struggle against “the forces of injustice” (Ansbro, 233): violence or nonviolence. He decided against violence for
obvious reasons. During this time in America, the African American community represented only ten percent of the total population. King felt that this made it impossible for African Americans who lack access to weapons to successfully wage a violent revolution against the white majority. Any attacks by the civil rights workers or their followers would surely result in counter attacks by
the segregationists, resulting in the injury and deaths of many of King’s followers. With these points in mind, King came to the conclusion that the best strategy in gaining the rights of African American was the use of non-violent protest. He believed that violence only “intensifies evil,”
(Ansbro, 231) instead of promoting love and violence among all races. King’s purpose in promoting nonviolence direct action was to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the...
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