Martin Luther King was a Baptist pastor and an activist for both human and civil rights. He challenged societal ills such as racism, war, and poverty. His goal was to see the end of racial segregation and discrimination in US society. Martin Luther King became a critic of US involvement in the Vietnam War. He believed in nonviolence and pacifism. Poverty was another social injustice that he challenged and toward the end of his life and launched the Poor People's Campaign. Martin Luther King emerged during the 1950s and 1960s as a major leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He faced violence from white racists, government surveillance and harassment. The FBI constantly wiretapped his phone and tried to hinder the movement.
Martin Luther King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. He served as president and was the most dominant figure in the organization. The plan was to collaborate with the NAACP on legal matters to dismantle segregation through the courts. Pressure would simultaneously be applied by demonstrations, boycotts, marches, and other forms of non-conventional participation. King believed in civil disobedience and had a strong conviction in Christian theology. The March on Washington was a turning point in 1963. His "I Have a Dream" speech urged a nation to provide equal rights for all. His efforts in Birmingham Alabama created enough momentum for the development of a civil rights bill. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would become law due to the bravery of protesters, civil rights organizations, and King's leadership. The Selma marches and the struggle there resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Even though these laws were a blow to Southern Jim Crow , the North had just as much racism and discrimination. King was in even greater danger when marching in Chicago in 1966. White liberals abandoned him including president Johnson. His criticism of the Vietnam War added more enemies against him and the movement.
The late 1960s became more turbulent. King spoke out against the Vietnam War, because it represented an extension of racism. A white country attempting to impose its will on an Asian nation clearly demonstrated a grave violation of international law. Martin Luther King's religious beliefs and support for nonviolence would not allow for him to accept this US foreign policy decision. Another concern for King was that the war was draining valuable financial resources . The War on Poverty was being weakened because of Vietnam. Poverty King saw as another human rights issue. Economic justice needed to be just as much a priority as civil rights. He was assassinated in 1968 and his dream of a peaceful society ended in violence. He became a martyr for social justice.
Further Reading
Appiah, Kwame and Gates, Henry. “Martin Luther King Jr.”. Africana Encyclopedia.
New York :Perseus Books Group,1999. 1096-1097
No comments:
Post a Comment