was an enormous impetus behind the civil rights movement of the 1960's. His charismatic, non-violent leadership in the face of incarceration, disdain, hatred, and violence reflected his fiery determination and fierce belief in the rights of his people. Dr. King is quoted as saying: "We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical force" during his famous "I Have a Dream" speech (Dream Speech). Dr. King subscribed to Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of "Satyagraha", which means "force love". (Stride Toward Freedom, 96). King, an avid reader of many philosophers and renegades" works, got from Gandhi's works what he failed to get from the works of Marx, Lenin, Hobbes, and Bentham: a working system of peaceful revolution. (Stride Toward Freedom, 97) Dr. King's work benefits us all today because without unrestricted diversity in race and culture, the world would be a very boring and uniform place. In science, without diversity there wouldn't be a plethora of views on ways and methods of doing things. .
Dr. King applied his studies of Sociology, Theology, and Philosophy during the Montgomery Bus Boycott to lead his people. (Cecil) The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the unfair segregation in public transportation for Montgomery. Rosa Park's famous heroic stand against preferential treatment towards whites initiated the boycott. Dr. King, working with Mrs. Parks as well as many others, convinced the blacks of Montgomery to walk, bike, carpool, or even ride mules to avoid using public transportation. (Cecil). The boycott lasted over a year; blacks did not ride the buses again until the Supreme Court declared the bus segregation unconstitutional. (Cecil). The overwhelming victory in Montgomery paved the way for more civil rights protests. Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work on a peaceful resolution to the racial injustices of the United States.
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