Question

Discuss the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. in the campaign for Equal Rights in the United States of America.

Answer 1

1. Dr. Martin Luther King is regarded as America’s leading advocate of nonviolence and one of their greatest leaders. His contributions are manifold.
2. In 1955, he was recruited to serve as a spokesperson for the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was a campaign by the Afro-American population to force integration of the city’s bus lines. Subsequently, the US Supreme court ruled that racial segregation in transportation was unconstitutional.
3. In 1957, he was elected President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to spearhead the Civil Rights Movement.
4. In 1963, he led a coalition of Civil Rights groups in Birmingham, Alabama. In the same year, he led the ‘March on Washington’.
5. It was during this march that he delivered his famous speech, ‘I Have A Dream’.
6. The Time magazine named him, “Man of the Year”.
7. Due to his efforts, in 1964 was passed the Civil Rights Act by the US Congress which eliminated legalized racial discrimination in the United States.
8. The following year, 1965 saw the US Congress pass the Voting Rights Act which allowed the Afro-American to vote.
9. Post 1965, Dr. King led several campaigns towards economic justice and international peace.
10. In 1964, Martin Luther was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the major part that he played in removing racial discrimination.
11. In 1966, he led a campaign against segregated housing in Chicago.
12. He began the Poor People’s Campaign in 1967, which aimed at alleviating poverty among black people and other disadvantageous groups.
13. He criticised America’s involvement in Vietnam, which upset President Johnson.