Was Martin Luther King's approach to gaining equal rights effective? What methods did he use, and what methods competed with those of King for the attention of Black activists and the American Public during the 1950's and 1960's? Martin Luther King Jr. Used a very effective, non-violent form of protest, which helped African Americans gain equal rights. The first major action in the civil rights movement was when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white person in Montgomery, Alabama. This event inspired 50, 000 blacks to boyc ....