Martin Luther King Jr.

            
             He always preferred nonviolent solutions to conflicts that arose as a child. He used his ability to persuade and influence people through language. In Martin's mind, language was the most powerful weapon of all. His thoughts and feelings were expressed through actions that reached the lives of many Americans. The impact he left on ethnic group relations and the justice system is unsurpassed. .
             Martin Luther King Jr. fought for equal rights and Martin Luther King Jr. positively affected the lives of millions of Americans by bringing positive change to civil justice system through non-violent actions. Preaching helped King convey his ideals to the public.
             Martin grew up with the idea of becoming a preacher, thus continuing the tradition in the King family. Martin would start in the same church as his father did, but expand to preaching to the nation. He was a brilliant man both intellectually and academically (Albert 117). .
             King's style of preaching originated from the black tradition of preaching. The black tradition of preaching has many references to the bible and the theology behind it. He used attitude and measures that articulated the black church strengths of authority, hope, and freedom (Siebold 58). He gained support not for understanding the black church, but for leading the struggle of blacks to gain civil equality and exemplifying the faith and hope of their church. Martin's style was a result of the black church (Siebold 59). The son of a Baptist preacher, King was exposed to the style of the black church at a young age. Teachers at Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University also influenced him heavily. Themes of King's sermons also related to the black church tradition (Siebold 60).
             The themes of King's sermons were often based on ideas of others. King's first introduction to the concept of nonviolent social resistance came through his reading of Henry David Thoreau's essay on civil disobedience.