Famous African American of the 20th Century - Research Paper Example

In 1964, he became the youngest person who was given the Nobel Peace Prize for his endless efforts to stop racial discrimination and racial segregation. Slavery exists in the world since centuries. It started in America in 1600s with the African Slave Trade when the Africans were transported from the west coast of Africa to the Americas and were sold to slave traders. These slave traders kept them in horrible conditions and were made to do labor intensive work on coffee, tobacco, tea, sugar plantations.

They were beaten, lashed, starved and deprived with even basic necessities of life such as food and shelter. The Bible also permitted slavery as well as the early laws of Babylon which stated that a man can own another man like he owns an animal. In other parts of the world the slaves could belong to any race. However, in America the slaves were blacks. The divide between the blacks and white continued to mature and lead to severe riots, protests, and eventually a civil war. Martin Luther King rose in 1955 when he was appointed as minister in Montgomery.

His tough believes in achieving civil rights and non violence movements also established him as an opponent to the American participation in the war in Vietnam. He recognized that the finest approach to unshackle African American and to give them their rights could be achieved through non violent protests and demonstrations. Several of his beautiful quotations are examples of his support for non violent protests; “At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.” He believed that any kind of violent act from the civil rights workers will show the way to the segregationists for opposing actions which will cause grievance and death for his supporters.

Through non violent protests his movement gained recognition and many associates and opened up the way for the passing of Civil Rights Bill in 1964-1965. Moreover, King was determined to spread his message to everyone and gain support from all corners regardless of class and race differences. He wanted the white moderate to awake from their deep sleep of negligence of moral and political values. Also he wanted them to appreciate the fact that desegregation will lead to elimination of social and legal prohibitions.

He was also dismayed by the indifferent attitude of the moral people towards this discrimination, because of which people with sick intentions were making progress. His “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” is an essay which clarifies and gives details of the motives behind the non violent civil disobedience movement and also explains the methods used for this mass movement. King was a man who contributed immensely towards shaping and influencing the lives of Americans during the 1950s and 1960s.

In this period of time, Americans did not have the courage to stand up for their rights, project their demands and views and accepted whatever was given to them. Martin Luther King was the beam of light that showed them the path to freedom and individuality. For example in 1955 after the Montgomery civil rights movement had started an activist Rosa Parks refused to abide by the law for segregation in public buses. A bus boycott was initiated and