Introduction “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This quote from Martin Luther King is one of the most influential quotes in history. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 (Dream, 2011). He traveled around the country giving speeches, trying to convince people that African Americans deserve to be treated equal. He wanted peace throughout the entire country. Martin Luther King made a huge stride with black civil rights and it is still noticed today. Leaders and Tactics The main leader of the non-violent movement was Martin Luther King Jr. He was born on January 15, 1929 (Dream, 2011). …show more content…
He decided to use Gandhi’s techniques to solve this issue with peace. If you were at a march and someone hit you, you could not hit back. Policeman would often use excessive violence, and even spit on people and you still had to ignore it. Boycott’s were a huge strategy for Martin Luther King Jr. (Rockwell, 2005). A major boycott was the Montgomery bus boycott. African Americans made up 70 percent of the bus companies, and it showed people living there that they needed African Americans to keep business running (Rockwell, 2005). The boycott wasn’t intended to hurt the bus companies it was just showing that African Americans would not stand for being mistreated anymore (Rockwell, …show more content…
At the time schools, were segregated, water fountains, restaurants, and African Americans could not even get books that were used by white kids in school. They also had more trouble finding jobs because white people would get hired before them. Boycotts and sit-ins were a major part of of the civil rights movement (Zunes & Laird, 2010). There were thousands of arrest for people that were just protesting (Zunes & Laird, 2010). Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t alone as a leader, there were organizations that helped fight for black civil rights. The FOR, SCLC, CORE, SNCC, and the NAACP were all organizations that played a big part in the movement (Zunes & Laird, 2010). Some of them are even around today like the NAACP which is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Zunes & Laird). Another boycott was in Birmingham Alabama. African Americans were only buying certain products making it harder for local businesses to stay alive (Zunes & Laird, 2010). There was a lot of younger people in the Birmingham protests, and they were becoming more controversial. “Hundreds of people were being arrested in Birmingham and that included Martin Luther King Jr. (Zunes & Laird, 2010).” Police were getting so frustrated in Birmingham that they were bringing dogs and using fire hoses (Zunes & Laird, 2010). They were not just letting the dogs attack adults, but they were letting dogs attack