Martin: Black People and Civil Rights Movement Essay

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'The movement made Martin, Martin did not make the movement'

Martin Luther King was an inspirational speaker and a great leader, he made a massive contribution to the civil rights movement but didn't 'make' the movement; many other contributions were made by various people such as Rosa Parks.

King was seen as the main man leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and his national prominence was arisen. King made inspirational speeches around Montgomery and spurred on the boycott he put himself in charge of the boycott and believed that he could make a change; the people of Montgomery also believed this and elected King their president. King was seen as making the first change that lead to the civil rights movement as the bus boycott was a success and King joined other boycott leaders on the first desegregated bus ride. This gave King the stepping stone into becoming the black’s leader and it allowed him to be the face of the movement. Although this may be the opinion of most people, when then think of King and the Montgomery bus boycott, King was nowhere near the person that actually initiated the boycott. Rosa parks, in my opinion, was the person that set off the civil rights movement by not giving up her seat on a segregated bus. I think that this brave noble stand gave the blacks a sense of achievement and gave them the inspiration to make a stand and protest against the white people. Rosa was the first black person and black woman to make a stand like this and I believe that if she didn't give up her seat on that bus then the civil rights movement would never of happened. Ella baker also agrees as she says 'strong people don't need strong leaders' and also said the famous quote 'the movement made Martin, Martin did not make the movement. This shows us that there were more people involves in the civil rights movement than most people think and it wasn't just King's actions that made it happen. Ella Baker was one of the most significant people during the civil rights movement as she worked tirelessly and often effectively to empower ordinary people into an activism that could be sustained independently of any leader or organisation. She empowered black women, through her exams and encouragement. She reminds historians of the civil rights movement that they should give an accurate account of the black struggle for freedom and that they cannot ignore the role of women and grassroots protest. Her co-workers at SNCC recognised her importance, although some historians missed it. Ella was part NAACP and travelled around the south building support for local branches and i believe this became the foundation of the civil rights movement. In my opinion Ella Baker was one of the most significant people that contributed towards the civil rights movement and her hard work and enthusiasm to get the blacks what they
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