|
man of peace
Both white and black America have much to be thankful for in the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Despite the general perception that the 1950s were the glory years of American society, there was a simmering undercurrent of resentment that was slowly but surely reaching a point of no return among black Americans who were fed up with being treated as second-class citizens in a country that guaranteed equality.
For most black Americans, King is the embodiment of the civil rights movement; a martyr in the struggle against inequality.
The civil rights movement could have been much more cataclysmic and divisive, however, had it not been for King, and for this, the country and all races owe him a debt of gratitude.
King eschewed violence when many others advocated it. He believed that peaceful protest and especially the power of the ballot box would win the fight without violence.
Had King not been the face of the civil rights movement, America would have surely undergone a race war the likes of which would have been widespread and long-lasting.