Peaceful Resistance Leads to Change Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful protester that used words to lead to a positive impact on a free society, which guided the United States government to change. He stated, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” Mr. King is known for peaceful protests in the 1950s and 1960s. He unlike Malcolm X and others who used violence to try and get change; that lead the society to be angry at these type of protesters. Martin Luther King Jr. used words to persuade the federal government that there needed to be changes. If peaceful resistance to laws negatively impacted a free society, nothing would get accomplished; whereas peaceful resistance to the
History has encountered many different individuals whom have each impacted the 21 in one way or another; two important men whom have revolted against the government in order to achieve justice are Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. Both men impacted numerous individuals with their powerful words, their words carried the ability to inspire both men and women to do right by their morality and not follow unjust laws. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” by David Henry Thoreau along with King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, allow the audience to understand what it means to protest for what is moral.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that sometimes laws were unjust. In these cases, King would first attempt negotiating with those who were proponents for the unjust issues or laws. If the negotiations were found to be unsuccessful, King would arrange non violent direct action. Antigone on the other hand, didn’t attempt negotiations, she believed that in certain cases, civil disobedience was necessary, and would do whatever was necessary to do her part of doing what she felt was just.
Conflict theory details that specific groups of society benefit disproportionately from established social, economic and political arrangements, prompting the advantage to employ necessary means in maintaining said inequality. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement, “We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” it is the societal imbalance between the white majority and individuals of color that Dr. King Jr. seeks to address and transform. Conflict theory is rooted in the principle that conflict is the energy of change, supporting Dr. King Jr.’s message that access to education, economical advances and freedom can only occur through the effort of the
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail gave the people an insight into the mind and his unwillingness to give up on his dream for better life and respect for ‘Negroes’. However, it was not just his mentality we have an insight on but also his philosophy, his mantra. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a devoted Christian and refused to use cruel, demeaning words and unnecessary violence to get his points across to the people. He fought against the injustices brought on upon the black people by the ‘white power’ in Birmingham. Letter from a Birmingham Jail also gave insight into his personality and character. Throughout the letter, he never used cruel words, he never used words that could be taken offensively by the people who he was protesting against, in some cases, what he says can be taken light-heartedly and jokingly, and he always talked with respect. He even apologized to the reader, the ‘white power’, and asked for forgiveness from his God. Dr. King’s philosophy, his commitment to the cause, and his unyielding determination for his dream for the future generations made him a hero among the masses, an unforgettable icon for the Civil Rights Movement. His message, no matter what it was or where, shook the very chains that ‘white power’ still had around the black people. His words added weight to the opposite side of the balance beam, giving strength and weight to the black people. His gospel of freedom through nonviolence was the pillar, the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement and the mantra for people struggling for justice throughout the South. Nevertheless, I ask you, in today’s society, is his message still significant? Is there a way to move people to fight with you without using force? The answer will ...
Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. As King stated in the letter from Birmingham, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” When Negros were being treated unfairly, Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped in to show people how to peacefully protest and not be violent. The dictionary definition of civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest (Webster Dictionary). That is what Martin Luther King, Jr. did when nothing was changing in the town after the law for public school to be non-segregated. In Antigone, Creon created an edict that states that nobody could bury Polynices’s body because he was a traitor to Thebes and his family. Under Martin Luther King’s definition of an unjust and a just law, Creon’s edict is unjust and degrades Polynices’ right to be buried because of lack of information and favoritism of one brother.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who grew up in a middle class family and was well educated. King was always against violence, even thru his entire ministry. He believed in an integrated society between blacks and whites in one American society based upon the promises of the founding fathers of American that all men were created equal and had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Even though, he was physically and verbally attacked he always stood his ground and never fought with violence. While in jail for 8 days Martin Luther King Jr. compose “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The letter was evidently a response to a letter that recently ran in the local newspapers by the Birmingham Clergy. Which had claimed that the protesters were “unwise and untimely”. However, Dr. King chose to express himself in writing instead of violence, by replying “Seldom, ...
Non-violent direct action and respectful disagreement are a form of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. King is most famous for his role in leading the African American Civil Rights Movement and using non-violent civil disobedience to promote his beliefs. King also firmly believed that civil disobedience was the way to defeat racial segregation against African Americans. While leading a protest march on the streets, King was arrested and sent to jail. In response to his imprisonment and an article he read while there, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, explaining that an injustice affects everyone and listed his own criteria for
During the time of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr., freedom for African-Americans was relative terminology in the fact that one was during slavery and the other during the Civil Rights era. “Civil Disobedience,” written by Thoreau, analyzes the duty and responsibility of citizens to protest and take action against such corrupt laws and other acts of the government. Likewise, King conveys to his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” audience that the laws of the government against blacks are intolerable and that civil disobedience should be used as an instrument of freedom. Both writers display effective usage of the pathos and ethos appeal as means to persuade their audience of their cause and meaning behind their writing, although King proves to be more successful in his execution.
Times were looking up for African Americans, their new freedom gave them the option to go down a road of either criminal actions or to make something out of themselves. But the presence of racism and hatred was still very much so alive, Klu Klux Klan, although not as strong as they were after the Civil War was still present. Laws like Jim Crow laws and “separate but equal” came into play and continued to show how racism was alive. Besides these actors of racism, blacks still started gaining a major roll in American society.
...or freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. (www.thekingcenter.org. p 3). Martin Luther King, Jr.’s childhood really did affect how he acted as an adult and shaped the way he acted as a Civil Rights leader.
Despite this is it important to remember there was still disagreement and tension on what would be the most effective philosophy in driving the movement forward; Armed resistance or Non-violent protest. While Rev. Martin Luther King advocated for non-violent protest and peaceful resistance it is important to remember that participants in the movement were ordinary people.
Martin Luther King believed the way to protest was non-violence however not all civil right activists agreed with his methods.
Martin Luther King Jr was one of the most beloved and one of the most hated men of his time. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is embodied in these two simple words: equality and nonviolence. He believed that Gandhi’s method of nonviolent resistance was the key to overcoming evil (The Archive, 1968). King was involved in many nonviolent protests including the Montgomery bus boycott, The Albany movement, and the Birmingham campaign. He also wrote many speeches and writings that changed the way people thought about others. In one of his most famous speeches, I Have A Dream, King says, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” He is basically saying that anger and revenge will actually do the opposite of setting you free. The hatred in your heart will never satisfy
Humans are inimitable single entities that live, breathe and coexist with 7 billion other individuals worldwide. From our differences in morals, ideologies or even religion, we each have our own story to share, unlike any other. Yet, amongst these contrasts, we are very much the same. We laugh, we cry, we live and we die, however as the history books can prove, our differences have separated this world. America, specifically, has created an unequal establishment. For hundreds of years, our minorities have fought the injustices and oppression they encounter daily. The fight for impartiality and justice is far from finished but the man who seemed to influence this nation with his determination and persistence, has established an eternal hunger for equality. The
April 16, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King writes from Birmingham Jail states "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.". From "The Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Dr.King expresses fighting for equality in one area it has to be fought in a other areas as well. In order to start a non-violent protest society as a whole would have to come together to impact the justified system we all live under. Dr.King was determined to build a campaign using non violence when during the time there was a great amount of brutality happening. As Dr. King states " Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly". A resistance can make a impact if communities are all one accord.