Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a study of the American civil rights movement that captures the drama of the black freedom struggle from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. It shows how King's leadership inspired masses to protest nonviolently making great strides toward resolving the American dilemma - the conflict between the nation's democratic creed and its practice of denying freedom and equality to black citizens. The author traces the course of events from the emergence of Martin Luther King Jr as a national black spokesman during the Montgomery bus boycott to his radical critique of American society and foreign policy during the last years of his life. He also provides the first in-depth analysis of King's famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Dr Colaiaco discusses how King's masterful use of the media drew national attention to nonviolent protests, exposing the brutality of racism, stirring the consciences of millions and compelling the Federal government to protect the constitutional rights of black Americans. He also offers an analysis of the paradox inherent in the nonviolent method - that peaceful civil rights protestors were most successful when they provoked a violent response from white racists. In addition, the book sheds light on the reasons for King's method not having the same effect in the North where it confronted the deeply-rooted problems of the ghettos and the challenge of Black Power. The author has also written "James Fitzjames Stephen and the Crisis of Victorian Thought".