Martin Luther King Accomplishments

“If you can’t fly, then run

If you can’t run, then walk

If you can’t walk, then crawl

But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

When it comes to the American history, Martin Luther King Jr. is a significant figure in the fight for civil rights and racial equality. Born on the 15th of January, 1929, King grew up in a family that valued education. Martin Luther King Jr. had his first experience with respect to racism at the age of six.

At the age of 15, he got admission to Morehouse College in Atlanta, which gave admission to promising high school students. Before he began college, he worked at a tobacco firm in Connecticut and was amazed at how people from different races worked together peacefully.

While his experience working at the tobacco firm reignited his opposition to racial segregation, his mentor at college, Benjamin Mays, added fuel to the fire. His urge to protest against racial discrimination did not stop him from completing his education. He graduated in 1948 and later earned a Bachelor of Divinity Degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. Later, he also received a Doctorate Degree from Boston University.

Being a person who valued education and one who knows to take a stand, Martin Luther King Jr. led several protests against racial discrimination. Here, we will go through some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s major accomplishments.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Accomplishments

Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up against racial discrimination from day one. He has never backed out of any situation and fought against all odds. Here’s a look into Martin Luther King Jr.'s accomplishments that all must know:

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Martin Luther King Jr. was living in Montgomery when the city became the center of all the chaos concerning civil rights as a result of the Brown vs Board of Education decision in 1954. The event at Montgomery follows Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger and, consequently, getting arrested. There was a massive uproar, and activists protested by boycotting all buses to Montgomery for the next 381 days. King, then the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, was chosen as the leader and spokesperson by the protesters. Despite his house being bombed, King stuck to a non-violent protest until the US Supreme Court passed an order stating segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

The event helped establish Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of organized, non-violent resistance. Also, he became a target for white supremacists. In fact, there was an attempt to murder when King was stabbed in the chest while he was signing books. The event made his faith in non-violence protests stronger. He said, "The experience of the last few days has deepened my faith in the relevance of the spirit of non-violence; if necessary social change is peacefully to take place.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Southern Christian Leadership Group aimed at helping local organizations plan and move forward with civil rights in the South. King and other civil rights leaders formed this group in the year 1957. He led the Blacks in the South to organize peaceful sit-ins, voter education clinics and registration drives. The SCLC acted as a stage that allowed King to address several issues with race and discuss the same with global leaders. He travelled to India in 1959 to meet the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and discussed the concepts of peaceful compliance introduced by Mahatma Gandhi.

The trip helped King realize the potential of peaceful protests, following which he started a campaign in 1963 against the segregation at lunch counters. The campaign helped him get the spotlight nationally in Birmingham and Alabama. The government authorities forced the demonstrators to stop the protest, and King was eventually jailed. The famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail” highlighted King’s philosophy of non-violence. View Examples

The March on Washington

Despite several obstacles, King continued on his way to protest against racial discrimination and strengthening civil rights. He led the March on Washington (1963) for Jobs and Freedom and got support from various civil rights supporters. The march witnessed a massive gathering of 200,000 supporters near the Lincoln Memorial. Out of all the speeches from other leaders, King's "I Have a Dream" was the most notable one. He was successful in his motive leading to the formation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Nobel Peace Prize

King's input in the civil rights movement and his peaceful ways of protest made him the youngest person to receive the Noble Peace Prize. He was awarded the prize on the 14th of October, 1964, when he was just 35 years old. The Nobel Committee acknowledged King's non-violent ways of protest that brought several changes in society and also the way he inspired people to come together and fight for justice and equality.

Voting Rights Act, 1965

The civil rights movement had more than one result. King made sure that all were heard and that the authorities took steps to mend things for the good. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the noteworthy achievements of the movement. African Americans were not allowed to vote. King and his associates pressurized Congress to take action, thus paving the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed African Americans to vote and also exercise their rights in literacy tests and poll taxes.

Selma March

King took the initiative to register Black voters in Selma, Alabama. In the year 1965, King initiated a march towards the state capitol building in Montgomery from Selma. He organized the march but did not lead it. The state troops violently tackled the marchers, and many of them were hospitalized. The events happened on the 7^th of March, 1965, Sunday and is known as “Bloody Sunday.” King did not give up on the idea and led a procession of 2,000 marchers two days later. He ensured there was no confrontation and asked the followers to kneel and pray in front of the state troops and turn back. Despite losing the support of many young radicals, the movement was successful in forcing the government to issue the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His famous "How Long, Not Long” speech happened during this march.

Martin Luther King Jr.: An Inspiration for All

Martin Luther King Jr. posed as someone who used unorthodox ways to issue a statement, and the impact his works had on American society and culture cannot be ignored. He shifted his focus to economic justice and spoke against poverty and war. He initiated a Poor People's March in 1967 to bring the authority's attention to poverty and how it is related to urban violence.

King was killed on the 4^th of April, 1968, when he was only 39. It came as a shock to all. His contributions to the civil rights movement in the US, his energy and his persuasive speeches have played a pivotal role in advancing the movement. His speech brought together a lot of Black people and made them hold hands to find solutions against racial oppression. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and in 1983, Congress declared the third Monday in January as a national holiday in his honour.

King is remembered for his works and how his initiatives brought notable changes to the society. His legacy lives on, and he is an inspiration for the youth. Despite being the target of violent threats and attacks, he did not leave his ground and brought changes using non-violent ways of protest.

Final thoughts,

Martin Luther King Jr. has made his presence felt in the society from a very young age. From initiating peaceful protests to leading marchers to fight for their rights, he has done it all. He continues to be one of the strong personalities in the US who never used force to be heard. Instead, he used non-violence as a weapon to fight against issues like racial discrimination and civil rights. His accomplishments prove how good a leader he was and his persuasive power to convince people to join hands and stage peaceful protests for their rights.