The Civil Rights Movement was a time of great change for America. Soldiers were returning home from World War II and the economy was booming. During this time African Americans were starting to fight for the rights as United States citizens. While there were people like Malcolm X, who were encouraging violence towards whites and anybody who ever treated African Americans badly and unfairly, there were also peaceful protesters like Martin Luther King Jr., who encouraged sit-ins and marches. Martin Luther King’s most famous speech, “I Had a Dream” really showed the nation what African Americans were fighting for. His famous speech was a Martin Luther King’s peaceful way to freedom for African Americans was the reason why the Civil Rights Movement fell through and is what brought African Americans to where there role in society is today. Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired by the nonviolent civil disobedience campaign ran by Mahatma Gandhi and became convinced that African Americans can use the same technique to achieve their rights in the United States (“Spartacus Educational”).
Martin Luther King was very influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “Through our pain we will make then see their injustice” (“Spartacus Educational”). Martin Luther King found this quote to be very inspirational and used it to mold his view on how America should view the Civil Rights Movement. The United States should see the Civil Rights Movement as a peaceful protest from African Americans to get their civil rights as American citizens. African Americans should expose the cruel ways they have been treated in a peaceful manner rather than scaring the nation into realizing how cruel the black race was treated. Martin Luther King’s peaceful ways were appealing to many people during the Civil Rights Movement. Compared to Malcolm X’s violent implied speeches, Martin looked like a peaceful and “safer” leader to follow. Malcolm X did have a number of followers but Martin Luther King was looked up to for his peaceful virtues (“malcolmx.com”). One of Malcolm X’s quotes is, “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, you send him to the cemetery” (“malcolmx.com”).
Words like these were very intimidating to people and made the African Americans look violent and very resentful. Many people did not follow Malcolm X for this reason. When they saw Martin Luther King and his serene manner, they turned to him because they felt a sense of peace. One famous speech that Martin Luther King made was “I Had a Dream.” Those last strong powerful words, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”, are one of many examples where Martin Luther King use to express his view on the Civil Rights Movement (“Spartacus Educational”). Referring to God usually implies peace and a safe haven for people to go to. The word free used throughout Martin Luther King’s famous speech is what caught many people’s attention. Preaching the possibility of peace and freedom is what people wanted to hear. The more Martin Luther King said freedom, the more people can imagine it. They did not want to hear the use of violence to achieve freedom because that is what they were trying to escape from. Martin Luther King was the reason why the Civil Rights
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Movement achieved African Americans freedom from the cruel ways they have been treated. Along the way, Martin had many effective ways to get civil rights for African Americans such as peaceful marches and sit-ins. By doing these peaceful protests, Martin Luther King was able to accomplish great things like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After Martin Luther King performed many great feats, he delivered an unforgettable speech called “I Had a Dream.” This speech altered the view on the Civil Right Movement. It not only demanded that African Americans get their rights, but it also implied peace and freedom to all races of the United States of America. Martin Luther King should go down in history, if he already isn’t, as the most influential and effective people on the Civil Rights Movement.
