Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is widely remembered today as a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. He was often seen as an extremely passionate advocate of peaceful protest and change, but he was still sometimes accused of being an extremist in his views and actions. In response to such charges, King defended his views and actions adamantly and eloquently, doing his best to explain the need for the civil rights movement and the need to address social injustice.
When faced with the charge of extremism, King argued that the civil rights movement was becoming ever more necessary as the years progressed. He explained in his speeches and writings that the movement was about more than just basic rights for African Americans, but about the need to completely overhaul the oppressive racial structure that the U.S. was built on. He argued that this was necessary in order to achieve true justice and equality, and that it could only be accomplished through a revolution of values and laws. He felt that it was the moral responsibility of all people of conscience to make sure that these changes were made, and that there was no other way to achieve justice and equality.
King also argued that nonviolence was the only way to make sure that the changes achieved by the civil rights movement would last. He firmly believed that violence and chaos would only destroy the progress made by the movement, and that the only way to enact lasting change was through peaceful protest, dialogue, and understanding. He emphasized that not only was this the most effective way to create progress, but also the most moral and just way.
Finally, King argued that extremism was a necessary part of the civil rights movement because it represented the urgency and desperation of the situation faced by African Americans. He argued that the civil rights movement was a movement of extremes, and that the only way to create lasting social change was to push the boundaries of what was deemed acceptable and break down the existing oppressive structures. He stressed the importance of going to extreme lengths in order to create the necessary level of social change, and to do whatever it took to promote justice and equality.
The five best examples of this charge of extremism against Dr. King include:
1. His call for a revolution of values and laws to overhaul the oppressive racial structure of the United States.
2. His insistence that nonviolence was the only way to achieve lasting change.
3. His suggestion that a movement of extremes was necessary in order to create the necessary level of social change.
4. His advocacy of civil disobedience and protest to create awareness and pressure on government and society.
5. His advocacy of the use of economic boycotts to target oppressive businesses and institutions.