The struggle for civil rights in the United States has over the years been a cruising journey that has ultimately borne considerable fruits of freedom which are being enjoyed until now. Although a lot more is yet to be realized, much has since been achieved. The struggle was initiated and propelled by various legendary leaders who delivered non-whites from the shackles of oppression and slavery. It commenced by the inception of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, a mass protest movement that sharply advocated against discrimination and racial segregation in the United States of America.
It rose to national and international prominence in the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. The movement was rooted in the struggles and efforts of African slaves as well as their descendants to resiliently resist racism and the abolishment of the institution of oppression and slavery. The Movement was championed for by various notable leaders, for example, Martin Luther King who goes down the annuls of history as being one of the most monumental persons that fought indefatigably to ensure civil rights for all, regardless of race and other affiliations.
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Martin Luther King Jr. achieved numerous things that helped to bring greater equality and justice to Americans, straining every nerve to ensure that all people are treated equally and equitably, their race and other factors notwithstanding. Born in 1929 in Atlanta Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. beat all odds to become one of the most celebrated equality activists in the world, hitherto. He began as an American Baptist minister and consequently ventured into advocacy, becoming the most visible leader and spokesperson in the Civil Rights Movement between 1954 and 1968 before his tragic assassination. He is best remembered for his rigorous role especially in the advancement of civil rights by employing various convenient tactics such as nonviolence and civil disobedience. These tactics were based on his strong Christian beliefs and inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s legendary nonviolent activism.
Before the civil rights movement came to the fore, inequality, oppression and slavery were utterly predominant, whereby minority groups in America such as the Blacks were the most targeted. The judicial system discriminated Blacks, and activists were illegally arrested, harassed and even murdered (Henderson, 2013). Such injustices prompted the liberation and freedom movements by leaders such as Martin Luther to seek reforms in civil rights, as well as confront head-on the enduring political, cultural and economic consequences of racial oppression.
Firstly, Martin Luther King Jr. brought publicity and recognition to major civil rights efforts and activities in the United States. Additionally, he encouraged and strongly emphasized the importance of promoting non-violence in their demonstrations, protests and resistance endeavors. Martin Luther King also provided exceptional leadership to the Black American civil rights movement, thus shaping it profoundly through his achievements and contributions (Carson, 1987).
King’s firm belief and insistence on non-violent demonstrations and protests significantly helped in setting the right tone of the civil rights movement. Through his non-violence approach, protests, marches and boycotts eventually became very effective, and this saw the consequent passing of critical legislation against racial discrimination and oppression. Moreover, King rejected emphatically the notion that progress and liberation could come through holding negotiations or even obtaining favors from courts of law. On the contrary, he insisted that real liberation would be brought forth through direct mass action and disobedience, albeit in a peaceful modality that is devoid of violence (Hansen, 2003).
King was very committed to peace as opposed to the conventional brutality, violence and force, and this consequently enabled the protests on civil rights to gain genuine headway especially in the larger American society. He gained masses of followers as a result, and this increased his influence in the American discourse. His strong urge for people to spread love as opposed to hate resonated well among many Americans, cumulatively contributing to his steadily-rising popularity.
Martin Luther King, through the Civil rights movement that is labeled as the Second Reconstruction across many quarters, led African Americans through a struggle that sought to achieve freedoms and civil rights that were equal to those enjoyed by the Native whites. These rights included equal employment opportunities, education, housing, voting, equal accessibility to public resources, as well as the right not to be racially discriminated. Since it was incepted, no political or social movement in the 20th Century informed such profound impacts on the political and legal institutions in the U.SA. (Civil Rights Movement, n.d.).
Segregation and racial bias had been widely predominant before the rise of Civil Rights Movements. Martin Luther King nonetheless strived to bring this menace to an end, and his strong zeal was resonated in a catalyzing event in 1955 whereby he led a spirited campaign against segregation, white privilege and racial favoritism in public places. This occurred in Montgomery Alabama bus, whereby a woman was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a native white American, as stipulated by the law then. The protests spanned close to a year, despite intimidations and anger from whites, including even the bombing of Luther’s home. The protests and boycotts finally achieved their goal in 1956 when the Supreme Court declared Montgomery’s bus segregation law illegal and unconstitutional. Henceforth, the Montgomery Bus Boycott became an instrumental turning point for the boycotts and protests. They received massive media attention especially for their cause, thus bringing King to the national limelight as a great leader (Civil Rights Movement, n.d.).
In subsequence, the civil right movement, through well-organized boycotts, sit-ins and marches continued to achieve a plethora of milestones, since various legislations were made to address the issues raised. The non-violent protests, as well as civil disobedience employed by King, caused myriads of crisis situations in America, thus making it necessary for the government to take swift action. These demonstrated the injustices and inequities that were intricately happening to the African Americans and necessitated the drafting of various legislations and reforms. In 1963, for instance, President John F. Kennedy formally announced his passionate intent to present to Congress a comprehensive bill entailing civil rights. The bill intended to ban segregation across all public facilities, promoting black empowerment, and ending black disenfranchisement of prospective black voters.
In strong support of the bill, King organized a march on 28th August 1963. He led a huge march of more than 250,000 followers in Washington D.C, agitating for equal rights for all. The mass of followers marched protesting against social injustices such as racial separatism in American schools, the minimum wage for laborers, and racial favoritism in employment opportunities, among others. The protest was the largest social gathering to have ever been witnessed in the history of Washington D.C, and King seized the opportunity to deliver one of the most inspiring and compelling speeches of the 20th Century, “I have a dream.” In the speech, King underscored the traditional symbols and principles of American identity: the Constitution, Patriotism, Declaration of Independence and religious conviction (Hansen, 2003).
Consequently, various legislations were drafted. For example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 categorically banned discrimination in all public accommodations and employment opportunities, based on religion, color, race and national origin. The Voting Rights Act 1965, another legislation triggered by the Civil Rights Movement, restored and stringently protected the basic right to vote. The immigration and National Services Act 1965 allowed immigration essentially from other groups of people other than the conventional European nations. Furthermore, the Fair Housing Act 1968 also banned any discrimination in housing for rentals as well as sales. These were highly salient legislations that marked a new beginning and change for many minority groups living in the U.S.A.
Through his impeccable resolutions, passion and a strong drive for values such as freedom, equality, freedom and dignity, Martin Luther King marked the foundation for other activists. Upon his assassination in 1968, King had mentored many, leaving behind surviving colleagues and lieutenants who progressed his agenda. The struggles these activists faced were significantly challenging and time and again they were defeated or even gained non-transformative and partial victories. However, their efforts were courageous and noteworthy. King’s successors such as Reverend Jackson and others were treated to inhospitable and mundane times as compared to during the heroic era led by King, but they honored him by championing his unending struggles against discrimination and advocating for human freedom (Chappell, 2016).
Overall, Martin Luther King Jr. remains a towering figure in the push for non-discrimination and equality in the United States and the world at large. He put up an unmatched and unparalleled advocacy campaign against oppression and slavery, giving rise to the African-American Civil Right Movement that informed the drafting of various cardinal equality legislation. King’s contributions and accomplishments are incontestable, thus making him an exceptional and monumental leader of the free world.
References
Carson, C. (1987). Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic leadership in a mass struggle. The Journal of American History , 74 (2), 448-454.
Chappell, D. (2016). Waking from the Dream: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King Jr. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Civil Rights Movement. (n.d.). Gale Encyclopedia of American Law , 419-421.
Hansen, D. (2003). The Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation. New York: Ecco.
Henderson, G. (2013). Lift Every Voice and Let Freedom Ring. Phi Kappa Phi Forum , 8-10.
