The Emotional Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Civil Rights Movement

As one of the leading civil rights activists during the 1960s USA, Martin Luther King spent his life striving to achieve civil rights for the black Americans. Starting his role of leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King won support from both the blacks and the whites through his non-violent tactics. Throughout his life, King had to experience violence from opposing parties such as the Ku Klux Klan, but he reacted with calmness, still emphasizing the strength of non-violence even after his home was bombed. King is best known for his peaceful ways, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the sit-ins, and the marches. Such tactics did eventually succeed; however, the process the people had to go through to obtain those outcomes are also

As non-violence was used, the oppressors had no justification to why they should oppress the blacks, who were actually doing nothing much to harm others. If King had chosen to use violent ways like Malcolm X had preferred, the demonstrators would have been seen as nothing more than terrorists who caused social disorder. His methods being “that of persuasion, not coercion,” the images of the blacks being attacked ruthlessly could hit the media, giving all the publicity King had wanted. For instance, the sit-ins were started by four black students from a local college, who demanded to be served at a whites-only lunch counter. They were rejected, but instead of leaving, the four students sat there, refusing to move - this influenced many around America and soon segregated lunch counters were full of blacks who were not being served. After a few days, white supremacists started attacking the blacks, and if the blacks had attacked the whites back, this event would have turned into a failure. Instead, those people decided to stay still, reluctant to say or do anything. By April 1960, more than 2,000 protesters had been arrested, which was criticised by everyone. The government then had no choice but to desegregate public places, and by 1961 more than 810 towns had been