Dr. King succinctly explains in the book's first chapter that "three hundred years of humiliation, abuse, and deprivation cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper" (2000, p. 3). The revolution he led had been building for so long that when it finally became clear to the American public, it appeared as an explosion of emotion and defiance. Why We Can't Wait presents the answer to segregation. What could have become a violent fight for freedom turned out to be a peaceful movement that proved just as successful. Dr. King highlights the historical events that led to this response and why it had to happen as it did through nonviolence and civil disobedience – actions of love that Jesus likely would have supported. Looking back, the preparation up to 1963 is evident; tension had increased rather than diminished since the Emancipation Proclamation, as new laws were enacted but slowly enforced or openly ignored. The centennial of the Proclamation was approaching, and the lack of follow-up on the part of Republicans and Democrats, both in the South and the North, caused disappointment, frustration and anger. President Kennedy promised changes to housing discrimination, but did not sign them into law until two years into his term and was not specific enough for him to make real changes (p. 8 ). Black people's trust in government declined as they saw countries in Africa rebel after World War II, the near-nuclear war of the 1950s, and the Great Depression which lasted even longer for them only for the white public in difficulty. They witnessed the struggles and determination all over the world without knowing any freedom of their own. The struggle was a daily reality for the individual, and this middle of paper ...... and self-affirmation, he never deviated from the preaching of non-violence and love. The photograph on the cover of the Signet Classics edition depicts Martin Luther King, Jr. standing in front of a pair of microphones with a young black boy behind him. The child looks fearful but resolute. This image was probably intentional. The demand for civil rights spanned several generations. Grandparents participated for their grandchildren and teenagers participated for their parents. It was done out of love, and that love shone even brighter through the backlash. Jesus' message was a message of love, and Dr. King was able to live it out while demanding freedom from his oppressor. The hurts and dehumanization of the past could no longer be ignored, and the world thankfully received Dr. King and the nonviolent revolution to bring about change that reflects the love of Christ..