Do you agree that Martin Luther King was the most
             important factor in helping black people gain civil rights in the
             Segregation was something that was endured every day by black people in America before the 1960's. It meant that whites and blacks couldn't share facilities. For example, bus seats, café seats, benches or go to the same schools. This is what Martin Luther King campaigned against for civil rights for black people.
             Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15 1929. His father was minister of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, as was his father before him. He lived with his parents, brother and sister and lived not far from the church his father preached at. His parents taught him, his brother and sister to treat all people with respect and his father worked hard to break down the barriers between races. As Martin Luther King grew up he noticed that not everyone followed his parents principles and he also noticed that "black" people and "white" people were treated differently. His best friend before he started school was a white boy and when they reached school age they realised that they could not go to the same school.
             Martin Luther King went to a black school and his friend a school for white children. After his first day of school he and his friend were never allowed to play together again. When he was ready to go to college he wanted to become a minister like his father. He became familiar with Mahatma Gandhi who had struggled to free the people of India from British rule by "peaceful protest". He was also inspired by the work of Henry Thoreau and an essay he wrote called "Civil Disobedience". In it Thoreau said that if enough people disobeyed unjust laws they could come across a peaceful resolution. At college Martin met a young woman named Coreetta Scott and they would eventually marry. In 1954 he received his PhD and accepted a job of p...