Question

Evaluate Dr. Martin Luther King’s role in the Civil Rights Movement in the USA.

Answer 1

Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights movement in the United States from the mid- 1950’s until he was assassinated in 1968. He was involved in helping to orchestrate the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was elected to lead the boycott because he was fresh and skillful at commanding an audience. The . boycott led to 382 days of avoiding the buses. In 1957, King, along with other associates, founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organise a movement known as Black Churches. After 1960, King publicly encouraged students to use non-violent methods during the ‘sit-in’ protests.

‘The Student non-violent Coordinating Committee’ was formed out of this. In 1963, during the Birmingham, Alabama protests, he was arrested and jailed, and it was here he wrote out his theory of non-violence. After this, plans were made for a massive demonstration in Washington, where he delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech. By 1968, the years of protesting were wearing thin on King. In the same year, while, he stood on a balcony of a Motel, he was shot and killed by James Earl Ray. The killing of the King sparked riots and protests across the country. This made way for the emergence of Black Power.