When we think of the word “protest,” we might think of events that have happened recently. Egypt, Türkiye, Libya and other countries where citizens took to the streets to protest against their government. Not all protest approaches are like this. Many, throughout history, have relied on peaceful actions. This approach was used during one of the largest protests in American history. The civil rights movement. Many leaders used peace to advance their cause and promoted the passage of laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The numerous leaders of this movement, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others influenced others to join the fight for 'equality. One of these people they influenced was John Lewis. John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940 in Troy, Alabama. Son of a family of sharecroppers, he resided on the family farm. Subject to the Jim Crow mentality of the South, he attends a segregated public school in Pike County, Alabama. Early on, he was influenced by civil rights role models such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. His family, however, believed that it was useless to try to change the culture of the South and advised him to stay out of trouble. He attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary, which adds stories he told about preaching to chickens for practice. Aside from preaching to chickens, Lewis' interest in the civil rights movement continued to drive him. During his time at Fisk University, Lewis began participating in civil rights protests such as sit-ins at segregated restaurants. Then, in 1961, he volunteered to join the Freedom Riders. He often sat in "whites only" places that... center of paper... the man, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young and his childhood hero, Martin Luther King Jr. with sit- in in the restaurants, he continued to build his repair. He joined the Freedom Riders, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, became president of SNCC, spoke at the March on Washington, and is one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. John Lewis became a legend for his work to secure the rights of all Americans. Works Cited http://johnlewis.house.gov/john-lewis/biography http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report -videos/428561/august-13-2013/john-lewis-pt-- 1 http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/428562/august-13-2013/john-lewis-pt --2 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar07 .html http://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/lewis.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Six_(civil_rights)