Martin Luther King's Significance

How significant was Martin Luther king to the civil rights movement?

Martin Luther King's significance to the civil rights movement can be said to be undoubtedly significant, but can it be argued that could the movement been as successful without him?. King's famous non violent methods to combat racism was one of the strongest tactics to gaining the vote and fighting segregation in places such as Birmingham in 1963. King knew that by using non violent methods it could not be used against them later on if anyone was hurt it would be the whites as the villains and not the other way round.  Many disagreed with King's methods as they felt they were being put deliberately in harm's way with no form of defence, especially in places such as Birmingham, which was known for being especially racist towards black people. There is much debate about if it was right of King or not to put so many people in danger in the campaigning of desegregating Birmingham.

However the main reason King targeted Birmingham was because of "Bull Connor", he knew he would get the most shocking reaction from black people storming the city campaigning. Even though this was a clever plan it was still highly risky, which could result in injuries or even deaths. King saw this as the way forward and there was no other option, too long had they waited to be recognized and heard. Therefore now in King's eyes was the time for action even if they were met by resistance. With the media's transfixion on the campaign, it also meant the  US government could no longer turn a blind eye to what was happening either as the world's eyes were waiting to see how America could be so against democracy abroad yet internally they oppressed millions of African Americans.

By looking at King's letter from Birmingham jail " to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation" it shows us that King knew the significance of them campaigning in Birmingham, he also knew how bad America was looking in front of the world's press which therefore 'created a situation so crisis packed' it was un negotiable for the government not to respond or take action against Bull Connor or even segregation itself.  Martin Luther King was key to the development and the success of the civil rights movement because he knew peace would win the battle.

 If they had responded to Bull Connor in violence they would've had no argument or leverage to negotiate with the President but by showing the police force to be violent against peaceful protestors  it put the campaign in a light were they could no longer be turned away from. The campaign then went onto inspire 700 other protests, and King's efforts then went on to gain the Voting rights act in 1965, which was one of the most significant achievements of the sixties and more importantly for African Americans. However, I do not believe it would've been achieved that quickly if it wasn't for Birmingham's media attention or Bull Connor's aggressive reaction to the protest.

By Emily Jackson