elf as follows:“If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness.” The active practice of the philosophy of non-violence is a very important moral value that shaped the character of King’s leadership. King was an advocate of non-violent means of achieving civil rights reform. Non-violence was the major driving force behind his plans of social change. King was very much aware of the power of non-violent tactics. President Kennedy gave truth to the philosophy when he reacted to the protests in Birmingham by agreeing to submit civil rights legislation to Congress. This legislation was to become the Civil Rights Act of 1964.King modeled his philosophy of non-violence on that of Mohandas Gandhi, who is one of the world’s greatest advocates of non-violent resistance. During his meeting with Gandhi he became more convinced than ever that non-violent resistance was the most powerful weapon for oppressed people to wield in their struggle for freedom. He voiced his beliefs of non-violent resistance in his “I have a dream” speech. He said: “The true meaning of a man is not how he behaves in moment’s of comfort and convince, but how he stands at times of controversy and challenge. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”Many if the great leaders in the history of the world have lead not through violence but through peace. Mohandas Gandhi, who is one of the greatest leaders of our time, centered his thinking on peace and non-violence. King was one of Gandhi’s greatest admirers. King learned of the importance of peace from Gandhi. This is shown through his use of non-violent tactics in the struggle for equal rights. The ...
