Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King was one of America's most influential civil rights activists. His passionate, but nonviolent protests, helped to raise awareness of racial inequalities in America, leading to significant political change. Martin Luther King was also an eloquent orator who captured the imagination and hearts of people, both black and white. During his time at University Martin Luther King became aware of the vast inequality and injustice faced by black Americans.

A turning point in the life of Martin Luther King was the Montgomery Bus Boycott which he helped to promote. His boycott also became a turning point in the civil rights struggle - attracting national press for the cause. It began in innocuous circumstances on 5 December 1955. Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refused to given up her seat - she was sitting in a white only area. This broke the strict segregation of colored and white people on the Montgomery buses. The bus company refused to back down and so Martin Luther King helped to organize a strike where colored people refused to use any of the city buses. The boycott lasted for several months; the issue was then brought to the Supreme Court who declared the segregation was unconstitutional.

After the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, Martin Luther King and other ministers founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This proved to be a nucleus for the growing civil rights movement. Later there would be arguments about the best approach to take. In particular the 1960s saw the rise of the Black power movement, epitomised by Malcolm X and other Black Nationalist groups. However, King always remained committed to the ideals of nonviolent struggle.

Martin Luther King was an inspirational and influential speaker; he had the capacity to move and uplift his audiences. In particular he could offer a vision of hope. He captured the injustice of the time but also felt that this injustice was like a passing cloud.

In 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards social justice. He announced he would turn over the prize money $54,123 to the civil rights movement. With the prestige of the Nobel prize King was increasingly consulted by politicians such as Lyndon Johnson.

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