martin luther king
...eme Court forced Montgomery Bus Company to allow integration. Along with 2 others he went on to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), their motto was “not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed.” Their values were to use non violent actions to campaign for civil rights. The support of the black church was to prove invaluable to their quest. September 9- 1957 saw the first Civil Rights Act since Reconstruction is passed by Congress, creating the Civil Rights Commission and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. King wrote a book called Stride Towards Freedom, published in 1958 which explained his peaceful yet direct action and the events that took place in Montgomery. A group of students in North Carolina read the book, and decided to organise a sit in at their local store which did not serve black people. Even after physical attacks they did not retaliate as King had described the affect non violent direct action can have. Campaigns began across the south of America for integrated transport. These campaigners were known as Freedom Riders. There were also sit ins at churches, theatres and all varying places following the teachings Kings teachings of direct yet non violent action. . The result was astonishing. Within six months restaurant and counter segregation had had ended in 26 southern cities. King inspired people with his work and with his speeches, travelling across America to educate the masses and encourage mass participation of sit ins and boycotts. He had abuse hurled at him, bombs aimed at his house and sometimes even jailed but this never stopped him believing in his work. It only made him stronger. King was a strong believer that all Americans should have the right to vote. He encouraged people to vote for John F Kennedy as he supported the civil right movement and enabled him to narrowly win the 1960 election due to the large African American support that he had. In the spring of 1963, King and SCLC lead mass demonstrations in Birmingham Alabama, where local white police officials were known for their violent opposition to integration. Clashes between unarmed black demonstrators and police armed with dogs and fire hoses generated newspaper headlines throughout the world. President Kennedy responded to the Birmingham protests by submitting broad civil right...