Martin Luther King, more than any other figure, shaped American life from the mid-'50s to the late '60s. This was a time when large numbers of Americans, barely recognized as such by sanctioned power, dared to dream of what the country could be at its best, in the face of what often was its worst. For example, in December, 1955, days after Montgomery civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the city's rules …showed first 75 words of 694 total…

…showed last 75 words of 694 total…legal and social prohibitions. He knew that collective ideas were more creative and more profound. King hoped to awaken the white moderate from their great moral and political sleep that had deepened. He wanted them to recognize the continuing urgency for democracy. In the meantime, he was appalled by the silence of the moral people. As a result, people with ill will had utilized time much more effectively than had the people of good will (162).