Arrested 29 times in his life along with 2 assassination attempts inflicted upon him, Martin Luther King Jr had devoted himself to the nonviolent struggle for civil rights in the United States during the mid-20th century. King was a Reverend and civil rights activist and served as a driving force behind many peaceful protests, such as the Montgomery bus boycott and the 1963 March on Washington. Martin Luther King Jr has had a significant and positive contribution to the development of the United States because 1) he played a pivotal role in creating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 2) won a Nobel Peace prize for his belief and use of peaceful protesting, and 3) because of King’s impact he has a federal holiday dedicated to him.
Dr. King’s pivotal role in creating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the lives of all minorities, especially African Americans
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At the time, King was the 12th American and youngest person to receive the highly acclaimed award at the time. Committee chairman Gunnar Jahn praised King, stating, “He is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races,” (civilrightsmuseum.org). When King was asked about the prize, he said, ‘‘I do not consider this merely an honor to me personally, but a tribute to the discipline, wise restraint, and majestic courage of the millions of gallant Negro and white persons of goodwill who have followed a nonviolent course in seeking to establish a reign of justice and a rule of love across this nation of ours,” (aaregistry.org). This goes to show Dr. King’s commitment to peace and non-violence—in spite of all the danger and backlash he faced—brought hope and positivity to