Why Is Martin Luther King Jr So Unique

America was a completely different environment only a few decades ago. It is a common misconception that the rate of change for our national society has been a gradual process. While it is true that we as a country have experienced a slow evolution in some regards, true nation wide social progress occurs in leaps and bounds through the hard work and influence of a few remarkable individuals throughout history; they dared to drag the world as we knew it into the next age of normality. One of these remarkable and necessary individuals is Martin Luther King Jr. King completely reshaped America’s social and political landscape, creating a whole new mindset and building a completely different society for future generations through completely nonviolent

What made King so unique is the methods he used to bring about change for the nation and the world. King rose to prominence and widespread recognition in the mid fifties, and continued until his assassination in 1968. In the initial years of his protest, it had been only a decade since World War II. He grew up surrounded by a nation utilizing violent tactics only, using weapons of mass destruction the world had never seen the likes of which. In the face of oppression throughout history, it is the tendency of the oppressed to revolt in a violent manner, yet King vocalized to a nation of oppressed men and women of color that their message could be heard in a different kind of protest. He was a man of great faith, an ordained minister, and he desired for progress beyond progress. He took the pain and torment of a whole national community and united it into an effective and peaceful movement which brought about change in not only social customs, but also social thinking. He was greatly influenced by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, another man who achieved political and social change through the use of peaceful protest. King’s first peaceful protest was pure simplicity. Following Rosa Park’s arrest after

truly is the most influential individual in our nation’s history is simply because of the man he was. He was a friend, a father, a husband, a reverend, and a lover not a fighter. He was dedicated to his cause, and all who followed him in his activism and his movement could attest to his outstanding moral character. He was raised in a church community by a strict and religious father. When King was only twelve years old, he attempted suicide by jumping out a second story window (“Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle,” 1987). His strong moral convictions caused him to be plagued with guilt because he missed the death of his grandmother while he was out with his friends. While this event is tragic to think about, King later used these convictions for the greater good. In college, he was voted the president of the student body in a group of all white students. His professor wrote in a letter of recommendation for King that this anomaly of the time was a testament to his moral character and natural ability for public speaking (“Martin Luther King Jr.” 2009). He was simply a man others wanted to follow, and that is why he had the ability to speak to an entire nation; he had the capacity to care for an entire nation. King saw his fellow progressives as he saw members of his congregation. They were his brothers and sisters, and he humbly worked with them to build a brighter future, never abusing any power he had,