After World War II, America became the most prosperous country in the world. However, behind the façade of prosperity in the South, racial segregation flourished: the black population, deprived of many civil rights, was subjected to a variety of restrictions infringing on human dignity, including bans on sitting on park benches or on bus seats. A protest movement arose among them. The leader of the fight against discrimination against blacks was Martin Luther King (1929-1968). Pastor King fought the inequalities that existed in America using methods of nonviolent resistance (“We must counter hate with love”). He devoted his life to creating a society free of racial discrimination, awakened the consciousness of black Americans and had a great influence on the course of their struggle for civil rights. King was subjected to police harassment, racist threats, and was eventually assassinated at just 39 years old. But his activities were not fruitless: the modern image of the United States was to a large extent created by King and his followers: any manifestations of racism are now considered unacceptable and are strongly condemned by the authorities and public opinion. 40 years after King's death, for the first time in American history, a black politician, Barack Obama, has a real chance of becoming president of the country.