West's Encyclopedia of American Law | King, Martin Luther, Jr.

For thirteen turbulent years, Martin Luther King Jr. was the inspirational leader and moral arbiter of the U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. An advocate of nonviolence, King helped organize well-publicized boycotts, marches, and demonstrations to protest SEGREGATION and racial injustice. From 1955 to 1968, he was the impassioned voice of African Americans who sought the abolishment of JIM CROW LAWS (a series of regulations enacted to keep the races separate) and the guarantee of equal housing, education, voting rights, and employment. Although countless U.S. citizens contributed to the success of the civil rights movement, King is its most enduring symbol. Before his mission was cut short by an assassin's bullet in 1968,...