Intro
In the years after his death, King remained the most widely known African American leader of his era. His stature as a major historical figure was confirmed by the successful campaign to establish a national holiday in his honour in the United States and by the building of a King memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, the site of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Many states and municipalities have enacted King holidays, authorized public statues and paintings of him, and named streets, schools, and other entities for him. These efforts to honour King have focused more on his role as a civil rights advocate than on his controversial speeches, during his final year, condemning American intervention in Vietnam and calling for the Poor People’s Campaign.
Impact
Martin Luther King was a heavy hitter in several of the civil rights movements of the 1950s and ‘60s. His nonviolent tone was precisely what was needed for the United States government to take heed. Here are a few of the notable boycotts, strikes, and speeches King is famed for:
It is because of Martin Luther King and the efforts of his supporters that America came to understand the power of nonviolent protest. When his nonviolent efforts were met with violence, it accumulated empathy and support for his cause. The public was swayed to such a magnitude that major acts of Congressional power were set in motion.
King was largely responsible for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in the workforce and public accommodations based on “race, color, religion, or national origin.”
The Voting Rights Act protects African Americans’ right to vote. He also played a major part in the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. This prevents people from banning black people from any sort of housing, be it a rental or a sale.
Even until the day he died; King never allowed fear to triumph. He unified people together under a common goal. Today, you will not find black people and white people forced to sit in separate sections on a bus or drink from separate water fountains in a public space. Although prejudice remains, the tide is shifting in a way where the racists of the world are scorned, and not innocent African Americans.
In the years after his death, King remained the most widely known African American leader of his era. His stature as a major historical figure was confirmed by the successful campaign to establish a national holiday in his honour in the United States and by the building of a King memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, the site of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Many states and municipalities have enacted King holidays, authorized public statues and paintings of him, and named streets, schools, and other entities for him. These efforts to honour King have focused more on his role as a civil rights advocate than on his controversial speeches, during his final year, condemning American intervention in Vietnam and calling for the Poor People’s Campaign.
Impact
Martin Luther King was a heavy hitter in several of the civil rights movements of the 1950s and ‘60s. His nonviolent tone was precisely what was needed for the United States government to take heed. Here are a few of the notable boycotts, strikes, and speeches King is famed for:
- In 1955, King became one of the leaders for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For 381 days, King and his followers boycotted the bus system that allowed segregation on public buses. They walked unimaginable lengths to work and other outings, but nonviolently made their point that segregation on buses was not only discriminatory, but unlawful.
- In 1957, King established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. To this day, it aims to advance the cause of the civil rights movement in a nonviolent manner.
- In 1963, King’s famous "I Have A Dream” was delivered to over 200,000 people, more than any other rally in Washington D.C.’s history at that point. People took heed to his message, laced with truths from the Bible and the U.S. Constitution. It not only marked him as a master orator and a brilliant wordsmith, but also put pressure on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration to push for civil rights laws to pass through Congress.
- In 1968, King traveled to Memphis to advocate for the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. Black workers were being forced to work under unthinkable - not to mention unsafe - conditions while receiving a lower wage than their white counterparts. After much trial and tribulation, the workers did receive a fairer wage, but it also came with King’s brutal assassination.
It is because of Martin Luther King and the efforts of his supporters that America came to understand the power of nonviolent protest. When his nonviolent efforts were met with violence, it accumulated empathy and support for his cause. The public was swayed to such a magnitude that major acts of Congressional power were set in motion.
King was largely responsible for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in the workforce and public accommodations based on “race, color, religion, or national origin.”
The Voting Rights Act protects African Americans’ right to vote. He also played a major part in the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. This prevents people from banning black people from any sort of housing, be it a rental or a sale.
Even until the day he died; King never allowed fear to triumph. He unified people together under a common goal. Today, you will not find black people and white people forced to sit in separate sections on a bus or drink from separate water fountains in a public space. Although prejudice remains, the tide is shifting in a way where the racists of the world are scorned, and not innocent African Americans.