What Civil Rights leader followed the teachings of Ghandi?

History · Middle School · Thu Feb 04 2021

Answered on

The civil rights leader who followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King adopted Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance (ahimsa) as a fundamental strategy for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. He believed that nonviolence was the most powerful weapon available to oppressed people in their quest for social justice. Dr. King visited India in 1959 to study Gandhi's principles of nonviolent social action, and he applied these lessons throughout the Civil Rights Movement, including during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham campaign, and the Selma to Montgomery marches which played pivotal roles in the movement.

Extra: The Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from the 1950s to the 1960s in the United States, aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. The movement used various forms of protest and civil disobedience to bring about change. Nonviolence was the hallmark of the movement under Dr. King's leadership. Inspired by Gandhi's success with nonviolent activism, Dr. King reasoned that peaceful resistance offered a way to protest unjust laws and practices without inciting further violence.

Mahatma Gandhi's approach consisted of peaceful protests, such as marches, sit-ins, and hunger strikes, to oppose British colonial rule in India. Similarly, Dr. King organized and participated in peaceful demonstrations, voter registration drives, and public speeches, advocating for civil rights. The two leaders' philosophies underscored the moral authority of nonviolence and the belief that social change could be accomplished without resorting to war or violence. Both Gandhi and King left lasting legacies as champions of peace and justice, whose teachings continue to inspire social activists around the world.

Related Questions