Since the 1600s, racism has been an overwhelming and significant issue in the United States of America. Before the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were not given the chance to live the American Dream because legal and social restrictions held them from receiving the opportunities they deserved. The American Dream, the idea of freedom, equality, and the opportunity for prosperity, is supposed to be granted to all Americans, but African Americans were not given this right. African Americans were denied job opportunities, the right to use public facilities, and basic civil rights because of their race. African Americans continued to face this brutal discrimination until key leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., strived to eliminate social, political, and racial discrimination between the 1950s and the 1960s. He wanted to break the legal barrier that restricted the integration of all races because he thought the idea of racial segregation was an indignity to God. His father imbedded the idea of hatred towards class …show more content…
was a prominent leader who fought for racial equality, while staying committed to his belief of nonviolence resistance. Without violence, King used the power of his words, protests, and boycotts to further the Civil Rights Movement. King led the most lauded civil rights protests in American history, desegregated public facilities, and delivered his famous speech during the March on Washington. Without King's help, the American dream would not be possible for African Americans because he brought national attention to the problem of segregation in an effort to end it. King’s accomplishments gave African Americans the opportunity to live a life filled with equal economic, political, and social opportunities. Although King was harassed, abused, and had multiple threats because he was the leader of this immense change, his determination for justice and freedom motivated him to successfully achieve his goal of racial