Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-'50s to the late '60s. This was a time when large numbers of Americans, barely recognized as such by sanctioned power, dared to dream of what the country could be at its best, in the face of what often was its worst. For example, in December, 1955, days after Montgomery civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the city's rules mandating segregation on buses, a bus boycott was launched and King was elected as president of the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association. As the boycott continued through 1956, King gained national prominence as a result of his exceptional oratorical skills and personal courage. Despite attempts to suppress the movement, Montgomery buses were desegregated in December 1956, after the United States Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation laws unconstitutional. King's leadership took place during the most tumultuous period in America's recent past. Under his guidance, the unfathomable goal of abolishing federal an
Not only did King concentrate on non-violence in order to liberate African-Americans, but he also felt it was necessary that his message be important to all people regardless of race or class. This explained his disillusionment with the white moderate. King confessed his disappointment with the white moderate for their devotion to order rather than to justice (161). He had hoped that the white moderate would recognize that desegregation simply removes legal and social prohibitions. He knew that collective ideas were more creative and more profound. King hoped to awaken the white moderate from their great moral and political sleep that had deepened. He wanted them to recognize the continuing urgency for democracy. In the meantime, he was appalled by the silence of the moral people. As a result, people with ill will had utilized time much more effectively than had the people of good will (162).
King, quickly realized that the best strategy to liberate African-Americans and gain them rights was to use nonviolent forms of protest. He wante
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