How Did Martin Luther King Jr Impact On American Society

Undoubtedly, Martin Luther King Jr. is the most studied civil rights leader in American history. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he was the face of the movement. His beliefs, his influences, and his overall impact on American society have constantly been debated. King was undeniably impactful when it came to race relations and expertly utilized his nonviolent rhetoric to further his cause, but still faced resentment from much of America. King would also class with other civil rights organizers, especially Malcolm X and the Black Nationalists due to his commitment to non-violence. King would also begin to shift his attention to addressing economic issues within Black communities. Overall, King’s career as a leader in civil rights was defined

King, throughout his service to the Civil Rights movement, would always be a controversial figure to the wider American populace. Polls of the time would constantly have King be widely hated by the majority white establishment and King would also lose favorability among younger black people during the rise of the Black Power Movement. According to a Gallop poll from 1966, around 63% of Americans had an unfavorable view of King. Even after his death, 31% of Americans believed that King brought his assassination upon himself. It was only in the 1970s that King would gain popularity among White Americans. With Black Americans, it was a different story, however, as he was far more popular. In 1966, over 84% of Black Americans favored King and believed that he had positively impacted the civil rights movement. Later on, however, many young black people would question King’s message of non-violence. Other figures in the Civil Rights movement would begin to argue for more radical action and saw King as someone who compromised with the corrupt system that was responsible for their

Malcolm himself did not have favorable views of King throughout his career, even after his split with the Black Muslim movement. Malcolm X would ridicule the 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” event calling it a “circus” that was organized by “black clowns and white clowns” Malcolm also viewed King as someone who endangered the Civil Rights movement as his message of nonviolence was a form of pacification for potential black liberation activists. King disliked the radical and separatist rhetoric of the Black Muslim movement as he believed that have abandoned America and believed that their desire to form a separate black society within the United States was nothing more than a bizarre wish. While the majority of the Black population favored King, he would encounter a vitriolic and intense amount of pushback from Harlem when he attempted to remedy northern segregation. In 1963, while being escorted through Harlem, his car would be splattered with eggs. King believed that the Black Nationalists were responsible. While King greatly disliked the Black Nationalist movement, he still believed that Malcolm X still had a positive impact on the overall movement and that Malcolm could give the younger Black generation newfound confidence and sense of purpose that the Civil Rights movement needed. “I have nothing but admiration for our