Which civil rights leader is known for encouraging peaceful protest and leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

The civil rights leader known for encouraging peaceful protest and leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott is Martin Luther King Jr. He advocated for nonviolent resistance as a means to combat racial injustice, which aligned with his belief in civil disobedience. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, initiated in 1955 after Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, was a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement. King emerged as a prominent leader during this boycott, co-founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help organize and sustain the movement.

His philosophy and techniques of peaceful protest and civil disobedience inspired many people and significantly impacted the movement's success in gaining civil rights and equality for African Americans. The other individuals listed played important roles in the civil rights struggle, but none are as closely associated with the philosophy of nonviolent protest as King is.