While studying at crozet Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, King heard a lecture about Mahatma Gandhi and the non-violent and non-cooperative movement. He successfully used the non-violent and non-cooperative movement to oppose British rule in India. King read several books about Gandhi's thoughts, and finally became convinced that blacks could gain civil rights in the United States in the same way. He was especially moved by Gandy's words: "Through our pain, we will show them their injustice". King was also influenced by henry david thoreau and his theory on how to use nonviolent resistance to achieve social change.
After marrying coretta Scott, King became the pastor of Dexter Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In Montgomery, like most towns in the hinterland of the south, buses are segregated. 1955 1 February/day, Rosa parks, a middle-aged tailor's assistant, felt very tired after a hard day's work. She refused to give up her seat to a white man.
After Rosa parks was arrested, King and his friends Ralph David Abernathy, Edgar Nixon and bayard rustin helped organize a protest against bus apartheid. It is decided that the blacks in Montgomery will refuse to use the bus until the passengers are fully integrated into society. Kim was arrested and his house was set on fire. Others involved in the Montgomery bus boycott were also harassed and intimidated, but the protest continued.
/kloc-for 0/3 months,17,000 blacks in Montgomery walked to work or hitchhiked a few blacks who owned cars in the city. In the end, the loss of revenue and the Supreme Court's decision forced Montgomery Bus Company to accept the merger. The boycott ended on1February 20th, and the number was 1956.
1957, together with Reverend Ralph David Abernathy and bayard rustin, King founded the Southern Christian Leaders' Conference. The new organization is committed to using non-violent means in the struggle for civil rights, and SCLC has adopted the motto: "No hair of a person should be hurt."
The United States has a long tradition of non-violent resistance to racism. Frederick Douglass advocated these methods in the struggle against slavery. Other black leaders, such as Philip Randolph and bayard rustin, successfully opposed racism by non-violent means in the1940s. The importance of the Southern Black Church Council lies in the fact that the Black Church, a powerful organization in the South, will fully participate in the civil rights struggle.
After the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, King wrote Towards Freedom (1958). This book describes what happened in Montgomery and explains King's views on non-violence and direct action. Towards Freedom had a considerable influence on the civil rights movement.
In Green Sboro, North Carolina, a small group of black students read the book and decided to take action on their own. They began to hold student sit-ins in the restaurant of the local Walworth store, whose policy is not to accept blacks. In the following days, other black students joined them until they occupied all the seats in the restaurant. Students are often attacked personally, but according to Kim's instruction, they are unable to fight back.
Black students throughout the hinterland of the South adopted Kim's nonviolent strategy. This includes the activities of free riders against isolated transportation. Within six months, these sit-ins ended the segregation of restaurants and lunch counters in 26 southern cities. Student sit-ins also successfully opposed apartheid in parks, swimming pools, theaters, churches, libraries, museums and beaches.
King gave speeches all over the country to inspire people to participate in the civil rights movement. In addition to advocating non-violent student sit-ins, Kim also urged an economic boycott similar to that in Montgomery. He believes that African Americans have considerable economic strength because they account for 10% of the total population. By selective purchasing, they can reward companies that sympathize with the civil rights movement and punish those that still segregate the labor force.
The campaign to end apartheid at lunch counters in Birmingham, Alabama, was not very successful. 1963 in the spring, the police used police dogs and fire hoses to deal with demonstrators. Kim and a large number of his supporters, including primary school students, were arrested and imprisoned.
King always emphasizes the importance of votes. He believes that once all African Americans have the right to vote, they will become an important political force. Although they are only a minority, once the voting is organized, they can decide the results of presidential and state elections. This is manifested in the support of African Americans for John F. Kennedy, which helped him win the election of 1960 narrowly.
In the hinterland of the south, the Klan and other organizations put considerable pressure on blacks not to vote. An example of this is Mississippi. By 1960, 42% of the population was black, but only 2% registered to vote. Lynching is still a means to intimidate local blacks. Emmett Thiel, a male student aged 14, was lynched for whistling to a white woman, while others were murdered for encouraging blacks to register to vote. King helped organize voter registration activities in Mississippi and other States, but the progress was slow.
During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy advocated a new civil rights bill. After the election, it was found that more than 70% African-Americans voted for Kennedy. However, in the first two years of his presidency, Kennedy failed to introduce the legislation he promised.
The Civil Rights Act was submitted to the National Assembly in 1963. Kennedy pointed out in a televised speech on June 6: "No matter where he was born in the United States today, compared with a white baby born in the same place on the same day, the chance of completing high school is only about half; One-third chance to finish college; One-third of the chances of becoming a professional; Twice the chance of unemployment; The probability of annual salary 10000 dollars is about one in seven; Life expectancy is seven years shorter; And the prospect of only half the income. "
In an attempt to persuade Congress to pass the legislation proposed by Kennedy, King and other civil rights leaders organized the famous March for Work and Freedom in Washington. Bayard rustin gained full control of Mark H, and he successfully persuaded leaders of various civil rights groups to attend a protest rally planned at Lincoln Memorial.
The decision to appoint bayard rustin as the main organizer is controversial. Roy wilkins of the NAACP was one of those who opposed the appointment. He believes that, as the former party member of communist party, he can easily become the target of right-wing media. Although Rustin has left the party, he still keeps in touch with its leaders, such as Benjamin Davis.
Wilkins also worried that Rustin had been imprisoned several times for refusing to join the armed forces and homosexual acts, and this fact would be used against him in the days before the March. However, King and Philip Randolph insisted that he was the best person for this position.
Wilkins was right to worry that there might be libel activities against Rustin. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has kept bayard rustin's files for many years. An undercover FBI agent managed to take a picture of Rustin talking to Kim while he was taking a bath. This photo was later used to support the rumor that Rustin had a homosexual relationship with Kim.
This message is now being sent to white politicians in the hinterland of the South, who are worried that the successful March in Washington will persuade President Lyn don johnson to propose a new civil rights bill. Strom Thurmond led the movement against Rustin. He made several speeches and called Rustin "a communist, a draft evader and a homosexual".
Most newspapers condemned the idea of a large-scale demonstration in Washington. An editorial in the New York Herald warned: "If black leaders stick to their announced plans to March to the capital, they will endanger their careers. The ugliness of this large-scale protest is that if Congress fails to honor its promise, it means unrestrained violence. "
The March for work and freedom held in Washington on August 28th, 1963, was a great success. Estimates of crowd size range from 250,000 to 400,000. Speakers include Philip Randolph (AFL-CIO), Floyd McKissick (core), John Lewis (SNCC), roy wilkins (NAACP), Witney Young (National Urban Alliance) and Walter Reuther (AFL-CIO). Martin Luther King, the last speaker, delivered the famous "I have a dream" speech.
When Kennedy was assassinated in 1 1 month, Congress was still discussing the civil rights bill, 1963. Lyndon baines johnson, the new president with a poor record on civil rights issues, took over the cause. Using his great influence in Congress, Johnson was able to get the bill passed.
1964 the civil rights act outlaws racial discrimination in public places such as theaters, restaurants and hotels. It also requires employers to provide equal employment opportunities. If there is evidence of discrimination based on color, race or ethnic origin, projects involving federal funds may now be cut off.
Martin Luther King is now concentrating on enacting the federal voting rights law. In March, he organized a protest March from Selma to the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Kim was not with the demonstrators when they were attacked by state police batons and tear gas. He did lead the second parade, but when he met a state police roadblock at Peeters Bridge, he defeated some young followers.
After Selma attacked Martin Luther King supporters, lyndon baines johnson tried to persuade Congress to pass his voting rights bill. This legislation proposes to abolish the right of States to impose restrictions on voters in elections. Johnson explained: "Every American citizen must have equal voting rights. However, the cruel fact is that in many parts of this country, men and women are forbidden to vote just because they are black. "
Despite opposition from politicians in the hinterland of the South, the Voting Rights Bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives (333 to 48) and the Senate (77 to kloc-0/9). This legislation authorizes the national government to register those who are refused to be included in the voting list by the States.
After these two important pieces of legislation were passed, King concentrated on helping those who suffered from poverty. Realizing that race and economic problems are closely related, King began to talk about the necessity of redistributing wealth. In Why Can't We Wait (1964) and Where Are We Going: Chaos or Community (1967), King believes that African Americans and poor whites are natural allies, and if they work together, they can help change society. Martin Luther King expounded his growing radicalism in a speech in Selma, Alabama: "In the past 12 years, we have been carrying out the reform movement (but now), and we have entered a new era, which must be a revolutionary era."
On April 3rd, 1967, Martin Luther King gave a speech outlining his reasons for opposing the Vietnam War. After his speech, Carey McWilliams, editor of National magazine, and Norman Thomas, leader of the Socialist Party, urged Kim to run as a third-party presidential candidate in 1968.
William F. Pepper suggested that King should challenge Lyndon B. Johnson for the Democratic presidential nomination. King rejected the idea and instead established the National Conference on New Politics (NCNP) with Pepper. "From this platform, Dr. King plans to enter mainstream politics and become a potential presidential candidate for Dr. benjamin spock to highlight the anti-poverty and anti-war agenda."