Martin Luther King played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement from 1865 to 1968, advocating for racial equality through nonviolent protest. This analysis explores King's influence alongside other key figures like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, examining their contributions to the struggle for black civil rights. It discusses significant events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the impact of Supreme Court rulings like Brown v. Board of Education. The content is valuable for students and scholars interested in civil rights history and the dynamics of social change in America.

Key Points

  • Analyzes Martin Luther King's role in the Civil Rights Movement from 1865 to 1968.
  • Explores the contributions of other civil rights leaders like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.
  • Examines key events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Birmingham campaign.
  • Discusses the impact of landmark Supreme Court cases on civil rights progress.
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History
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History A Level
Non-exam assessment (NEA)
Specimen Answer 1
V1.1 16/01/15
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GCE History: NEA
Specimen Answer 1 (Martin Luther King)
Within the context of the years 1865 to 1968, how important
was Martin Luther King in the pursuit of black civil rights in
America?
‘If King had never lived, the black struggle would have followed a course of development similar to
the one it did.’
1
Verney states that there is no ‘mono-causal’ answer to who, or what, is the most important factor
in the pursuit of black civil rights.
2
Verney’s point, along with many others, chimes with the more
recent historical review of the movement, which has challenged the ‘King-centric’
3
outlook upon
this whole period of social change for African Americans. Historians such as Carson have sought
to move away from the idea that King was the most important factor in the struggle for black
advancement. Such historians have analysed King’s role and sought to recognise the contribution
of other groups before and during King’s time of prominence.
One of the key factors is the huge disillusionment of early Civil Rights leaders with Radical
Reconstruction. After the Civil War in 1865 hopes of racial equality soon dissipated as some did
not want to alienate white southerners. One such leader, Booker T. Washington, believed that
African Americans would go on to political and civil equality.
This belief led Washington to establish
the National Negro Business League in 1900, whilst also providing vocational education for blacks
through the Tuskegee Institute. However, Washington’s key contribution to the movement came
with his 1895 Atlanta ‘Compromise’ speech, where he confirmed himself as an advocate of non-
violent protest. He stated that blacks should conform to the rules of segregation, whilst seeking
economic advancement and eventually political equality. To his predominantly white audience, who
were comfortable with Washington’s accommodationism, he claimed: ‘No race can prosper till it
learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we
must begin, and not at the top.’
4
He believed that steady progress in an era of conservatism was
the right policy to adopt. If the demands were too radical then the support of leading whites would
be lost.
At Atlanta Washington stated that white families ‘will be surrounded by the most patient, faithful,
law-abiding, and unresentful people that the world has seen…In all things that are purely social we
can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress’.
5
The value of Washington’s speech is significant as it highlights the context and dilemma facing the
black community at the end of the Nineteenth Century. Its purpose was to mark a new era in race
relations but in many ways it pleased neither black nor white. Many blacks said it did not solve the
1
Carson, C., Charismatic leadership in a Mass Struggle, Journal of American History (Vol.74 No 2) 1987 pp 448-454
2
Verney, K, The role of Martin Luther King and other individuals/groups in the civil rights struggle, 1870-1980, Lecture, Edge Hill
University, February 2012
3
Ibid
4
Washington, Booker T., The 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech in Harlan, Louis R., ed., The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol. 3,
1974, pp 583-587
5
Washington, Booker T., The 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech in Harlan, Louis R., ed., The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol. 3,
1974, pp 583-587
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‘negro problem’ and was a betrayal. Washington would now be known as the great accommodator.
By pandering to white southerners, it appeared he approved of white supremacy. There are two
obvious limitations to Washington’s speech. Oblique in places, it does not spell out what ‘social
equality’ might mean and so whites took it as an endorsement of racial segregation. Secondly, the
speech did not address how blacks might improve if the education they received took place in
rundown schools with poorly paid teachers.
Nevertheless, he has received favourable comparisons to Martin Luther King. Meier likens the two
leaders in his 1965 article ‘ The Conservative Militant ’ where he states ‘King thus gives white men
the feeling that he is their good friend, that he poses no threat to them. It is interesting to note that
this was the same feeling that white men received from Booker T. Washington.’
6
Meier highlights
how white support was needed for the success of black equality. Whilst it is debatable that the
most significant developments happened during the time King was connected to the movement,
there are many reasons why Washington was thwarted as an activist. The period of time in which
Washington operated, 1890 to 1915, coincided with a southern backlash following the end of
Reconstruction in 1877. Verney states that this was the ‘lowest point in US race relations since the
abolition of slavery in 1865.’
7
Washington also had to contend with a Supreme Court that declared
‘separate but equal’ measures to be constitutional in ‘Plessey v Ferguson (1896).’
King was fortunate that he was able to protest for rights that blacks had acquired constitutionally as
a result of the ‘Brown v Board of Education’ (1954) case, one year prior to the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. Washington was clearly hindered by the Jim Crow laws and also limited in the funding he
received for his Tuskegee Institute from the Alabama state government.
8
Washington states in his
autobiography that he achieved as much as he could, considering the constraints.
One leading historian who questions the overall importance of King is Carson. Carson points
towards the influence of W.E.B. Du Bois and the significance of the organisation he founded, the
NAACP, in the pursuit of civil rights. Carson labels Du Bois as ‘the most significant African
American intellectual of the 20
th
Century…and a preeminent political thinker of the 20th Century.’
9
Du Bois was a superb speaker and this is typically an attribute associated with King, as people
praise his rhetoric and charisma. Yet both Verney and Carson point to Du Bois’s role in the
production of The Crisis
10
the NAACP’s magazine that was published nationwide informing African
Americans of political issues and awareness of the struggle.
11
He stated that blacks should
integrate into society, strive for equality and that they would not lose their heritage as a result of
desegregation.
He even accused blacks of cowardice and inertia. ‘We have been cheerfully spit upon and
murdered and burned. If we are to die, in God’s name let us perish like men and not bales of hay’.
He encouraged black men to ‘kill lecherous white invaders of their homes and then take their
lynching like men. It’s worth it!’
12
The Crisis is a very important source as Du Bois was a brilliant polemicist and its value showed
that he was able to frame the black experience like no one before him. Du Bois used The Crisis to
repudiate Washington’s policy of ‘submission’. Here he directly advocated militant self defence
6
Meier, A and Rudwick, E., quoted in Along the Color Line: explorations in the black experience (Illinois, 2002), p.178
7
Verney, K., To what extent were African Americans the Architects of their own success in the civil rights struggle, 1865-1980?
Lecture, Edge Hill University, February 2012
8
Sanders, V., Race Relations in the USA 1863-1980 (London, 2006) p. 48
9
Carson, C., Course Introduction and W.E.B. Du Bois http://academicearth.org/lectures/intro-and-web-dubois
10
Verney, K., To what extent were African Americans the Architects of their own success in the civil rights struggle, 1865-1980?
Lecture, Edge Hill University, February 2012
11
Carson, C., Course Introduction and W.E.B. Du Bois http://academicearth.org/lectures/intro-and-web-dubois
12
‘A university course in lynching’, June 1923, in ‘The Seventh Son: The Thought and writings of W.E.B. Du Bois’, Vol 2, New York,
1971, pp 4-17
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FAQs

What were the main strategies used by Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement?
Martin Luther King advocated for nonviolent resistance as a primary strategy in the Civil Rights Movement. He believed that peaceful protests could effectively challenge racial segregation and discrimination. King's approach included organizing mass demonstrations, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, where he delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. His strategies aimed to garner public sympathy and support for civil rights, emphasizing the moral imperative of equality.
How did W.E.B. Du Bois influence the Civil Rights Movement?
W.E.B. Du Bois was a significant intellectual figure in the Civil Rights Movement, advocating for immediate civil rights and higher education for African Americans. He co-founded the NAACP and used its magazine, The Crisis, to raise awareness about racial issues and promote activism. Du Bois challenged the accommodationist strategies of leaders like Booker T. Washington, arguing for a more militant approach to achieving equality. His ideas and writings inspired generations of activists and laid the groundwork for future civil rights efforts.
What was the significance of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling?
The Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 was a landmark Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This ruling overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the 'separate but equal' doctrine. The Brown decision energized the Civil Rights Movement, providing a legal foundation for challenging segregation and discrimination. It also inspired grassroots activism and led to significant protests and demonstrations advocating for civil rights across the United States.
What role did the Montgomery Bus Boycott play in the Civil Rights Movement?
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement, initiated in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. The boycott lasted for 381 days, during which African Americans refused to use the city buses, significantly impacting the bus company's finances. This protest highlighted the power of collective action and nonviolent resistance, drawing national attention to the civil rights struggle. It also propelled Martin Luther King into a leadership role, establishing him as a prominent figure in the movement.
How did the Civil Rights Movement evolve after Martin Luther King's assassination?
After Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968, the Civil Rights Movement faced significant challenges but also opportunities for growth. The movement began to diversify, with the emergence of more radical groups advocating for Black Power and self-determination. While King's vision of nonviolent protest remained influential, organizations like the Black Panther Party sought to address systemic issues through more militant means. The legacy of King's work continued to inspire activists, leading to further legislative achievements like the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

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