Martin Luther King Jr Inspiration Essay

As a little girl, I found it difficult to grow up without a father, mainly because of our differences in color; however, my mother worked incessantly to help me understand that the color of my skin did not define me and that I would remain loveable no matter what. Her efforts to make me feel more welcomed and comfortable within my skin encouraged me to help others feel loved, even if they looked different from me. This strongly influenced my character as I grew up and persuaded many choices I made throughout my childhood. One person who strongly resembles my mother in terms of their ambition and capability of strongly impacting others is Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist who spent a majority of his life fighting for equality and

In the early stages of King’s career in activism, he was debating on how he would approach a solution. According to Sarah Ann McGill’s book, Martin Luther King, Jr, King’s inspiration for nonviolence was born from his discovery of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in using nonviolence to obtain independence for his country. By deciding to make his mission based on nonviolence, King quickly built a strong foundation based on his integrity and goals, which earned the attention of Americans nationwide and a rapidly growing number of followers and supporters. Through these resources, King was soon able to jump into protesting and fighting for civil rights. After announcing his unique style of leadership, King began to demonstrate his intentions by focusing on desegregating one of the country’s most segregated cities: Birmingham, AL (Crashcourse). Focusing on such a seemingly complex area to desegregate increased King’s popularity among Americans, which caused an uproar in the movement’s participation and rapidly gained him support. This allowed him to continue making a name for himself all while participating in and leading many famous protests and speeches. He understood the power of television to nationalize and internationalize the struggle for civil rights, and his well-publicized tactics of active nonviolence (sit-ins, protest marches) aroused the devoted allegiance of many African Americans and liberal whites in all parts of the country, as well as support from the administrations of Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson (“Martin Luther King, Jr.”). King’s actions and words inspired Americans all over the nation to continue fighting for equality, influencing protesters to remain peaceful yet strong. This inspiration created hope within