Martin Luther King - a Fighter for Civil Disobedience

Many view the era of civil disobedience as a thing of the past and just a characteristic of historic events and personalities, ignoring the fact that historic and iconic events of the past were also instigated by people just like them. This may be due to the belief that this form of political action was limited to the period of historical icons like Harriet Tubman, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr., Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, or even the late President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe and other iconic figures. These historical figures were famous for their acts of civil disobedience and by so doing so they impacted the way of life of the time giving the coming generations better way of life. Martin Luther King was one of the pioneers of civil disobedience and in this essay we will assess what he did to change the issue of human rights and inequality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prominent leader in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He advocated for nonviolent civil disobedience as a means of challenging unjust laws and promoting social change. King believed that unjust laws, such as segregation and discrimination, should not be followed and that it was the moral duty of individuals to disobey such laws through peaceful protest and civil disobedience. He viewed civil disobedience as a way to raise awareness about social injustices, to bring about change, and to empower those who were marginalized and oppressed.

King's most famous act of civil disobedience was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began in 1955. After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, King and other civil rights leaders organized a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. The boycott lasted for over a year and was successful in desegregating the buses in Montgomery.King also led the March on Washington in 1963, where he delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. This peaceful protest brought together hundreds of thousands of people from different backgrounds to advocate for civil rights and racial equality.

King was able to successfully inspire and encourage the crowd to seek freedom for all American citizens by referring to rhetorical components, pathos, logos, and ethos in his speeches. He had a huge influence on American society during the 50s and 60s. His belief of nonviolent protest set the tone for the movement he was creating. Overall, Martin Luther King Jr. believed that civil disobedience was a necessary tool in the fight for justice and equality, and he used it to great effect in the civil rights movement.