Who was Martin Luther king Jr.? Explain his arguments against the segregation laws.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a black leader of America.

King gave many arguments against the prevailing laws of segregation.

(i)First, in terms of self-worth and dignity every human person in the world is equal regardless of one’s race or colour.

(ii)Second, King argued that segregation is like ‘social leprosy’ on the body politic because it inflicts deep psychological wounds on the people who suffer as a result of such laws. King argued that the practice of segregation diminishes the quality of life for the white community also. He illustrates this point by examples. The white community, instead of allowing the black people to enter some community parks as was directed by the court, decided to close them. 

(iii)Thirdly, the segregation laws create artificial boundaries between people and prevent them from cooperating with each other for the overall benefit of the country. For these reasons, King argued that these laws should be abolished. He gave a call for peaceful and non-violent resistance against the segregation laws. He said in one of his speeches: “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.”