Which leader is associated with the civil rights movement?

• A. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• B. Martin Luther King Jr.
• C. Franklin D. Roosevelt
• D. John F. Kennedy

Answer: (B)

The main idea is identifying the figure who became the emblematic leader of the civil rights movement through nonviolent action. Martin Luther King Jr. led the movement in the 1950s and 1960s, advocating peaceful protest as a strategy to end racial segregation and secure equal rights. He organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, which helped desegregate public buses in Montgomery and energized national attention and support for civil rights. His leadership extended beyond Montgomery, helping to shape a broad, nonviolent movement through organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and through his powerful speeches, including the I Have a Dream address at the 1963 March on Washington. His work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, cementing his role as the central figure associated with civil rights leadership.

The other names are important figures in American history, but they are not the leaders most associated with the civil rights movement. One was a president who oversaw desegregation actions and later initiatives, another predated the modern movement, and the third supported civil rights efforts in a presidency but was not the movement’s iconic leader.