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He is a symbol of the great African American struggle for independence and he led the infamous party, the SSLC. He has had incredible political success, including leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott- which sought to make all seating in public busses equal for all and became part Of the Albany Movement which attacked all aspects Of segregation in a nonviolent manner. He had the non-white part of the nation in his palms, they followed his ideologies and greatly respected his opinions. He became their symbol of hope and freedom from oppression.
However there are rumours of King and the SSLC being connected to communism. FBI investigations bore no fruit and King claimed to have absolutely no onnections to any communist parties. There are also claims of King being involved in adultery however these claims were never officially confirmed. Source A: Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. He is depicted here as a strong, father figure. He looks trustworthy and reliable. The sculptor shows bias towards King. Source B: A report devulging the details of King’s modest funeral.
Source C: An old stamp that depicts King as a leading, father figure who was in control as he led his people to victory and freedom. It commemorates him. Source D: an artist’s impression of King delivering a speech to a huge crowd of his supporters. He looks riveting and convincing and looks like a strong figure. This artist’s opinion is biased in support of King So, is Martin Luther King Jr. an iconic leader? King has achieved many influential things during his involvement in the African American’s struggle against oppression, for freedom.
He gained inspiration for his nonviolent political tactics from fellow leader, Ghandi. He Was an active force in the Montgomery Bus Boycott- fighting for equality in he seating arrangements in public transportation. He also played a part in assisting Rosa Parks with her struggle against the racial bus system. He also became an active member in the Albany Movement- fighting all forms of racial oppression with nonviolence. As we can see from Source C this gained him much support and he began to be seem as an iconic leader and father figure of the African American people.
He is renowned for his public speaking abilities, as we can see in Source D, he is depicted in a confident, strong manner. He looks trustworthy and committed. Although secondary Source D is biased in favour of King, it gives us an idea of how influential his speeches were and how many supporters he would address at a time. He was officially rewarded for his good work by winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He however, remained humble and requested that “no mention of his awards and honors be made” (Source B) he instead requested that only his kind, humane nature be praised.
King remains one of the most well-known and supported leaders of all time. He is commemorated by a memorial (see Source A) in which his strength and power is clear. He is also celebrated nationwide in the USA on Martin Luther KingJr. day held on the third Monday of January annually. Therefore, after careful consideration of all the sources at hand, I make the conclusion that King is an influential and iconic leader who will always be remembered for his incredible role in the struggle for African American equality. He is discussed in detail in various textbooks and sources and will not be forgotten.