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Influence of Martin Luther King
Influence of Martin Luther King
Montgomery bus boycott reactions
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“Free at last” were the words of a legendary man who would later inspire change throughout the world. Through his panoply of work, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged the popular idea of African Americans being of less status than “white men”. His I Have a Dream speech is recognized across the world, not only as inspiration for blacks everywhere, but also as a prime example of non-violent civic activism. King’s main objective was to achieve the equality that blacks had been deprived of. He discussed the issues of racial discrimination, segregation, and political and economic justice by means of public speeches that spanned throughout America. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man willing to challenge the status quo by disassociating himself from the unified beliefs of his generation.
Through his rhetoric use of language, he was able to expose blacks to the true meaning behind the degrading behaviors that they’ve endured for many years. African Americans have been the target of racial discrimination whether it was in the form of segregation, political or economical injustice. It was primarily in the 1960s when King campaigned most extensively. Events such as the Montgomery bus boycott, in which the African American community boycotted all Montgomery city buses due to segregation, were ones that helped catalyze his campaign. Figures such as Rosa Parks, who was involved in the bus boycott, helped create the face of this movement. Stemming from the segregation of blacks from society, there was also an unjust treatment in political and economical issues. Those of colour were not eligible to vote under the constitutional voting rights. This made the segregation much more widespread across the US as it affected African Americans on a large...
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...th the demanding and powerful confidence coming from his voice, Martin Luther King states that “there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights” (King). Many feel as though his speech was able to “exert such a potent hold on people around the world and cross the generations” (Kakutani). Others believe that “Martin Luther Kings’ worldview negatively affects blacks today”, as stated by Ellis Washington in A Critique of Dr.Martin Luther King. Washington states that the civil rights movement, lead by King, “laid all of black America’s demands (…) at the feet of white America” (Washington). A flaw of King that is believed to have affected the black community today is that rather than pushing the black community to take on roles that made them equal to white America, they instead demanded that equality from them.
Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered as motivation to fight for their rights and help paint the picture of what America could look like in the future. He does this by in the beginning saying that even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed African Americans are not treated as normal citizens. By saying this Martin Luther King Jr. was saying we should not just be content with being free from slavery. That now it is time to fight for our rights and to end discrimination because of the color on one’s skin.
Martin Luther King believed in integration, he believed that everyone, blacks and whites should live and work together as equals. ‘I have a dream that … one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.' He held hope that one day black and white Americans would be united as one nation. This approach was crucial for engaging the white community. King was best able to expres...
Historians offer different perceptions of the significance of Martin Luther King and the 1963 March on Washington. Without examining this event within its historical context the media publicity and iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech can easily overshadow progress that was already underway in America. It was insisted by prominent civil rights activist Ella Baker, ‘the movement made Martin rather than Martin making the movement.’ What is important not to overlook is the significant change that took place in the United States during the previous 100 years. Such that, many influential figures in support of racial equality opposed the March. The Civil Rights Act proposed by President Kennedy in 1963 was already in the legislative process. Furthermore the Federal Government was now reasserting power over the entire of the United States by enforcing a policy of desegregation. It is important to note that these changes all took place less than one hundred years after the Thirteenth Amendment in 1965 abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth amendment in 1968 acknowledged the rights of former slaves to be acknowledged as U.S citizens. With this level of progress Kennedy was against the March going ahead due to the argument that it was limited in what it could achieve. Today, King’s 1963 Speech is viewed as one of the most iconic speeches in history. However, was it a key turning point in African Americans achieving racial equality? Federal endorsement would suggest yes after decades of southern states being able to subvert the Federal law designed to break down segregation. This support built upon the corner stones of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments in the nineteenth century. Therefore looking at the national status of black Americans fro...
King explained that, even though the laws had granted equal rights to all black people, the white supremacy wasn’t changed just by these acts. To most white people, civil rights movements, only made them realized that how cruel they did to those black people and they should treat them with some decent, but never really led them to think that Black American was as equal as themselves. He also addressed that this dominant ideology led to many structural obstacles, which impeded the implementation of those legislations in almost every structure of life, including the economic market, educational institution and public services. In Education, even many years after the Supreme Court decision on abolishing school segregation, there only a few integration schools existed. The segregated elementary schools received fewer fund and were in the harsher condition and “one-twentieth as many African American as whites attend college, and half of these are in ill-equipped Southern institution”(Reader, p.p.186). In labor market, most of employed Black American were worked in menial jobs and received lower wages even though they did the same works. This racism had already rooted in whole social structures that cannot just be solved by
Dr. King effectively expresses why his critics are wrong in a passionate tone. He is extremely zealous about the rights that African-Americans have been neglected to have and should have, as well as everyone else. Mr King was criticized for his “untimely” actions in Birmingham. “This wait has almost always meant ‘never.’” (King 264) Martin Luther King isn’t just a bystander witnessing the injustice; he is a victim and one of the few who is willing to fight for justice well deserved.
Before King took a public stance against the Vietnam War, he had already made a great impact on our nation as we know it today. Chiefly because of King's actions, segregation is no longer present in American society. He fought long and hard to gain Blacks equal rights among Whites; to achieve "a symphony of brotherhood" (qtd. in Oates 372). He said in his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail": "We will r...
In the beginning of his speech Martin Luther heralds back almost one hundred years by linking the importance of the march to the Emancipation Proclamation(King 3). By doing this King puts the issue of equality into a timeline by showing that while it has been a hundred years since African Americans had been given freedom it also shows that while freedom has been granted to them there has still been very little that has happened to give the African race a better life. Not much further in his speech King say, “ This note was a promise that all men-yes, black men as well as white men-would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (King 3) Again by taking an important article from America’s past King says that when the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution they meant for all Americans to be equal. Midway through the speech King pleads with his people to never resort to violence in the face of adversity that is handed to them by their oppressors, because King has came to realize through his own trials that the “their( referring to the white man)destiny is tied up with our destiny.”(King 3) As King’s speech progresses he tells the masses that until they have their rights be equal to those who rights are unbounded that they must not stop until they have achieved their goal. By being able to use
King peacefully pleads for racial tolerance and the end of segregation by appealing to the better side of white Americans. His attempt to persuade America about the justice of his cause, and to gain support for the civil rights movement was emotionally moving. He spoke to all races, but his rhetoric was patriotic, and culturally similar to, and focused on African-Americans. He was able to make practical use of a history many Americans are proud of. The use of repetition reinforced his words making it simpler and more straightforward to follow. His speech remains powerful because it is still relevant today, like economic injustices and stereotyping. This reading can be applied to remedying current issues of stereotyping, racism, and discrimination by changing white racial resentment and eliminating racial
Malcolm X once said, “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” (X, Prospects for Freedom in 1965, chapter 12) Various African American leaders have rallied up protesters and have recited speeches, like Malcolm X’s “Prospects for Freedom”; yet, none seem to compare to King’s “I Have a Dream.” The speech has been heard all around the world, and is by far one of the most well known. Accordingly, “I Have a Dream,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the most enthralling; moreover, he persuades America that inequality should have never existed, and everyone should have freedom adorning them, that was earned peacefully. This idea is exhibited by the speech’s distinguished evidences: the African
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very prominent part of the movement to end Jim Crow laws. In 1963 he and the SCLC organized a boycott and marched to challenge these laws in Birmingham, Alabama. He and many others were arrested for this and while in jail he wrote to a response to the white ministers that were critiquing him. King was not afraid to stand up to the white people. He explained two kinds of laws, just laws; laws that needed to be followed, and unjust laws: laws that needed to be disobeyed. He is speaking about the Jim Crow laws, they were the unjust laws meant to be broken, these were the laws that needed to go away and go away for good and African Americans were not going to stop until the unjust Jim Crow laws were gone for good and they were not afraid of a fight. But within the African American community there were two opposing forces; the church force who had a non-violent approach and were very complacent, and the militants who were advocates of violence, believed white people were blue- eyed devils and that African Americans were better off not integrating and should create their own nation. King placed himself in the middle of these two forces. King was smart in placing himself in the middle of the two forces because he created a spectrum of options for himself and others who want to join him. King may have been oppressed by the whites, but he was not afraid to fight back and tell them how he felt, and by placing himself in between the church and
...that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities” (Dr, king 10). Dr. King believed that one day African American will be treated fairly and also every citizen will be treated one another will love and respect. As a result of Dr. King action, there is no fear anymore toward one another. The most importantly, citizen children don’t have to ask their parents why white people don’t like color people. Dr. King is a very articulate person because he measures his words carefully and knows what he wants to say by expressing himself easily and confidently which makes the leaders understand him.
King traveled the country making speeches and inspiring people to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He organized non-violent student sit-ins and fought for the rights of the black population. In his speech, he proclaimed a free and better nation of equality and that both races, the blacks and the whites, should join together to achieve common ground and to support each other instead of fighting against one another. King’s vision is that all people should be judged by their “personality and character and not by their color of skin”(‘I Have a Dream”). All the points he made in his speech were so strong that lots of people were interested in his thoughts. He dreamed of a land where the blacks could vote and have a reason to vote and where every citizen would be treated the same and with the same justice.
... Luther King Jr. was greatly influenced by the Rosa Parks Scandal, this caused him to create the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For those who may not know, this was a 13-month mass protest. During this protest, laws became disregarded, fights rang out, and many people and officials got hurt. It became an ongoing issue that many saw no end to. State government officials believed it was time to make a change. This eventually resulted in the ending of racist policies. This took time and effort and shows us a remarkable example of a social reform. While this sounds all good and dandy, it wasn’t easy and frankly, it was pretty hard, I mean, think of all the people who had grown up with the understanding that separation of the races was right. What i’m trying to say is, it was difficult to rewrite a way of life, and change minds by viewing the hardships brought upon black people.
After Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, African-Americans were able to obtain equal rights. Though African Americans were given equal rights, they are still far from being truly equal to their Caucasian friends. Years later, the black population still faces discrimination, which is evident in the recent acts of police brutality in America, which raised many protests across the country. This image is similar to that of the time of Martin Luther King’s era, suggesting a repeat of history. Dr. King mentioned that he will not be satisfied until African Americans are no longer the victim of discrimination and police brutality, but in today’s world, the black population is still subjected to this, so even years after his death, Martin Luther King is still not
In “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. published in 0000, MLK Jr. speaks about how black people are still not free and how we should strive for equality for all people. Martin Luther King Jr. was an educated man and a very profound speaker and reverend (bio.com website). He was a strong activist for the Civil Rights Movement and spoke out a lot about equality and freedom for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Although Martin Luther King Jr. focuses on racism and equality in his “I Have a Dream” speech, he explores intertextuality through allusions and metaphors.