The role of Martin Luther King
Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement adopted tactics of non-violence, peaceful protest and civil disobedience.
The video below looks at Martin Luther King's opinion on non-violent protest.
King believed that if a law was wrong then the citizens of the country had the right to protest against that law.
Dr Martin Luther King making his "I have a dream speech"
He outlined his vision of non-violence when speaking during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
He said, in our protest there will be no cross burnings. No white person will be taken from his house by a hooded Negro mob and brutally murdered. There will be no threats or bullying.
He saw high numbers of arrests as an opportunity to gain even more publicity.