The Civil Rights Movement

¶ … Martin Luther King's contribution to the Civil Rights movement.

Martin Luther King Junior's contribution to the Civil Rights movement was considerable. He was an important figurehead for the movement and his doctrine of non-violent protest helped attract much needed white support for the movement. His communication skills were also a tremendous contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. The Letter from Birmingham Jail and his 'I have a dream' speech helped unite all Americans - regardless of race - who were interested in notions of universal justice. Yet, while his contribution was important he was only one of many who helped change the social, political and cultural landscape of the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. From self-confessed 'nobody's such as Rosa Parkes, to Black leaders whose contribution to the success of the Civil rights movement were overshadowed by King's dominant media persona, the Movement was always more than just one man. The rise of militant African-American organizations such as the Black Panthers also suggest that King's over-arching message of non-violence was not excepted by everybody. However, overall, it is hard to imagine the Civil Rights era without Martin Luther King. He was more then a figurehead, his message brought together more Americans than any other, and consequently, his contribution to the Civil Rights movement was extremely significant.

One of King's most significant contributions to the Civil Rights movement was his insistence that any organisation of which he was a member should use non-violent methods to fight unfair laws. King saw that non-violent civil disobedience had proved successful in India, indeed it was a visit there in 1959 that solidified King's thoughts on the matter. "Since being in India," he said, "I am more convinced than ever before that the method of non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity" (Carson et al. 135). Upon returning to the United States King encouraged the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), of which he had been a founding member two years previous, to keep non-violence as official policy (Marable 391).

King was consistent in spreading this message of non-violence. The most notable example of such was his 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' written in April 1963 after King had been imprisoned for his participation in protests in Birmingham Alabama. King explained that non-violence was effective because it sought "… to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored" (abacus.bates.edu). Moreover, he claimed, non-violent protest would be more successful than the use of violence because the spotlessness of African-American 'injustice' could only be achieved if methods were "…as pure as the ends we seek" (abacus.bates.edu)

Non-violent protest was indeed successful. Firstly, as predicted by King, it garnished considerable media attention. The plight of African-Americans was broadcast almost nightly on television and images of beatings and violence helped garnish support for the cause (Wilson 47). Such images were particularly powerful because the victims of violence were prepared to suffer for their beliefs, yet at the same time show restraint. This level of commitment certainly impressed much of America.

Secondly, non-violent protest appealed to white America. Without white support the Civil Rights movement would have struggled to effect genuine change, so the Movement needed to appeal to white America's sense of universal 'injustice'. As one white protester replied when asked why he was participating in a 'sit-in', "People have asked me why northerners, especially white people & #8230; take an active part in an issue which doesn't concern them. My answer is that injustice anywhere is everybody's concern" (Williams 129-132). These words mirrored King's own Birmingham manifesto; "Injustice anywhere," noted King, "… is a threat to justice everywhere" (abacus.bates.edu)

The theme of 'injustice' was one that King continued to espouse in writings and speeches. The most famous, and arguably the most important, was the 'I have a dream' speech given in 1963 during the 'March on Washington'. In essence, King argued that African-Americans had been denied the rights promised to all Americans by the Founding Fathers. "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence," said King, "they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." King would continue to echo the language used in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights arguing that it was time for America to accept that all men were indeed 'created equal'. King's message resonated with both African-Americans and Whites in what is rightfully considered one of the nation's most powerful and inspiring pieces of oratory.

Consequently, King, as the most prominent and well-known African-American advocate for non-violent protest, certainly made a significant contribution to the Civil rights Movement.

However, while King's contribution was important he was only one of many individuals who helped promote Civil Rights in America. Some, like Rosa Parkes, Daisy Bates -- a journalist who became a significant force in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Arkansas and James Meridith -- the first African-American to enrol in the University of Mississippi, all made significant contributions, as did many others (Bryant 61). King was also aided and influenced by other African-American leaders. For example, theologian, teacher and advocate of non-violence Howard Thurman certainly influenced King's views on non-violent protest (Thurman 254), as did Civil Rights campaigner Bayard Rustin, who would later go on to help organise the March on Washington in 1963 (De Leon 138). Indeed, the thousands of nameless protesters that involved themselves in sit-ins and bus boycotts right throughout America during the 1950's and 1960's all deserve mention as having made significant contributions to the cause.

So, in many ways King was indeed just one of many. Yet, it was King that helped unify, at least in the public imagination, the many disparate organisations and peoples involved in the fight for Civil Rights. Organisations like the NAACP, for example, may have been powerful advocates for disaffected African-Americans, but it was unlikely to attract much support from Whites. King's message was much more universal -- he was after all simply repeating a very old message, one familiar to most Americans -- that all people were equal under law. Consequently, while there were many important contributions by others King's contribution to the Civil Rights movement must in many ways be considered more significant.