Meeting Violence with Nonviolence

643 Words2 Pages

Every great revolution and civilization starts with a distinguished leader. But what really makes a leader successful. During the civil rights movement, there were many triumphant leaders with countless numbers of beliefs, but Martin Luther King Jr. was the most powerful of them all. What influenced him to be successful? The very basis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s success as a civil rights leader was his peaceful philosophies and protests; to meet violence with nonviolence. King’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance during the civil rights movement featured six important factors that united many African Americans that shared the same beliefs and encouraged civil obedience (The King Philosophy, www.thekingcenter.org). To begin with, King believed that the oppressed should fight injustice using nonviolent methods as well as accepting a nonviolent attitude. He also believed the oppressed should fight the injustice, not the people who bring injustice. Additionally, the concept of civil disobedience was advertised by King, so protesters can convey their concerns to their community and their opponents by disobeying all laws that involved segregation (Civil Disobedience, www.wikipedia.org). King similarly ensured many civil rights protesters that justice will always be by their side and that it would be justice that would help them prevail. Furthermore, he preached that peaceful resistance can unite our country for future generations, disregarding our races. These concepts of Dr. King woke many African Americans from their deep slumber and united them under the same beliefs and cause. Ultimately, the unification of the African Americans had a great impact on the outcome of the war for civil rights as well as a positive reputation for Ki... ... middle of paper ... ...roduced more conflicts between ethnic groups within and outside the U.S. that would go beyond the problem of racism. His ideals of peaceful protest eventually led to the ratification of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, which outlawed segregation in the U.S. (The Civil Rights Act of 1964, www.wikipedia.org). Without King’s ideology and application of nonviolent beliefs and protests, King might not have become one of the greatest civil rights leaders in American history. The African Americans along with many other races in the United States succeeded in attaining their rightful freedom and equality through King’s illustrations of peaceful values and protests. King spread his principles throughout our nation, gaining support from a variety of people and ultimately ending segregation. His legacy of peaceful protest extends to our generation and is still practiced today.

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