More handpicked essays just for you.
Martin luther king jr biographical essay
Summary of my story by rosa parks
Short biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. lost his life trying to better the lives of African American people who, because of their skin color, didn’t have the same rights as white people in America. King was a man of integrity and passion with a vision of a desegregated society. He played a part in the Civil Rights Movements where he eventually went to jail because of his protesting, and he became involved in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Blacks came along to fight against the social systems and public authorities that had taken their rights away. The Modern Civil Rights Movement began in the 1950s. In 1955, an African American woman named Rosa Parks took a seat on a bus in the first several rows for African Americans. Rosa
…show more content…
Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. Because she didn’t give up her seat, she was arrested. Blacks no longer wanted to be treated as less than equal (“Rosa Parks Biography”). They believed they should have the right to sit wherever they want, not just in the back of the bus. The African Americans started a boycott of the bus system. They chose a young minister, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the protest. That’s how the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott started and how Dr. King became part of it. In the 1950s America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence, was far from a reality. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians were discriminated against in many ways. King was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950s and the 1960s. He marched and protested nonviolently, raising an uproar of local officials who sprayed water on people from fire truck hoses and police dogs biting the marchers. The bad publicity and breakdown of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some of the anti-segregation demands (“MLK”). King had a vision of a desegregated society, a vision of a completely integrated society, a community of love and justice where brotherhood would be an actuality in all social life. Integration is more inclusive and positive than desegregation. Desegregation is negative and it eliminates discrimination against Blacks in public accommodations, education, housing and employment, and in aspects of social life that can be corrected by laws. Integration is the positive acceptance of desegregation and the welcomed participation of African Americans in the total range of human activities. King did not believe that the transition from desegregation to integration would be inevitable or automatic. Where desegregation can be brought about by laws, integration requires a change in attitudes. It involves personal and social relationships that are created by love, and that cannot be legislated. King’s I Have a Dream speech relates to his vision of an integrated society (“American Rhetoric, MLK Jr.”). There is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. (King) “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (King) King’s vision and dream has made the world a more equal place. His accomplishments are taught to American children of all races, and his teachings are studied by scholars and students worldwide. He is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor, and he is the only non-president memorialized on the Great Mall in the Nation’s capital. Dr. King is memorialized in many statues, parks, streets, churches, and other public facilities around the world as a leader whose teachings are relevant to all humankind. Martin Luther King, Jr. played a part in the Civil Rights Movement. He fought for the rights of African Americans and many people, and believed in nonviolent actions such as protests, speeches, and boycotts. “King guided the anger of African Americans into a nonviolent movement for social justice” (“MLK Jr”.). In 1957, Dr. King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) (“About Dr. King”), which is an organization designed to provide new leadership for the Civil Rights Movement. He was, and still is known as the most important social leader of the Modern American Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, he led a coalition of numerous civil rights groups in a nonviolent campaign aimed at Birmingham, Alabama. At the time it was called the “most segregated city in America” (“About Dr. King”). During this campaign King drafted the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” (“About Dr. King”) which is the manifesto of King’s philosophy and tactics. Today, it’s required reading in universities worldwide. Later in 1963, King was one of the driving forces behind the March for Jobs and Freedom, more commonly known as the “March on Washington” (“About Dr. King”), which drew over a quarter million people to the National Mall. During this march King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which cemented his status as a social change leader and helped inspire the nation to act on civil rights (“About Dr. King”). Black people suffered injustice for so long that King believed they should not have to wait any longer for a change in society to happen. King believed nonviolence was essential for him as a man of God. He also believed that violence would ruin the chances for good change to happen. King and other people were willing to go to jail for the cause of civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important voice of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was famous for using nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice, and he never got tired of trying to end segregation laws. He also did all he could to make people realize that "all men are created equal" (“America’s Story from America’s Library”). King was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting for the Blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. Eventually, court had ordered that King could not hold protests in Birmingham. During 1963, Birmingham was a hard place for Blacks to live in because everything was segregated, from businesses and churches to libraries. Blacks faced discrimination all the time and sometimes got threatened in the worst ways possible. While King was in jail, he wrote a letter to the newspaper explaining why he broke the law. "I am here because injustice is here, and I would agree with Saint Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all’” (“America’s Story from America’s Library”). Because of all of the great work he did, in 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the youngest person ever to receive this high of an honor at the time. Between 1965 and 1968, King shifted his focus toward economic justice and international peace. His work in these years culminated in the “Poor People's Campaign,” which was a broad effort to assemble a multiracial coalition of impoverished Americans who would want economic change (“About Dr. King”). King’s less than thirteen years of nonviolent leadership ended abruptly and tragically on April 4th, 1968, when he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King’s body was returned to his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, where his funeral ceremony was attended by high level leaders of all races and political stripes. Martin Luther king was a Civil Rights Activist, along with another African-American woman, Rosa Parks who became an active member in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the early 1940s.
The NAACP is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, organized in 1909 by Moorfield Storey, Mary White Ovington and W. E. B. Du Bois. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination” (“NAACP”). In 1955, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat in the middle of the bus so a white man could sit there. Though the city's bus ordinance did give the drivers the authority to assign seats, it didn't specifically give them the authority to demand a passenger to give up a seat to anyone. Because she didn’t give up her seat, and because of her civil disobedience, she was arrested (“Rosa Parks Biography”). Rosa Parks was not the first woman to get arrested for refusing to give up her seat. Nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year old, was the first Montgomery bus passenger to be arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger (Parks was involved in raising defense funds for Colvin). Three other African-American women, Aurelia Browder, Mary Louise Smith and Susie McDonald, also ran afoul of the bus segregation law prior to Rosa Parks. The four were plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case. In 1955, King was asked to serve as spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a campaign by the African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama to force integration of the city’s bus lines (“About Dr. King”). Rosa Parks was chosen by King as the face for his campaign because of her good standing with the community, her employment and her marital status. While Rosa was in jail as a victim of Montgomery's racism, King was able to develop an effective response to her arrest that
involved the entire community. King mobilized Montgomery's African American community to boycott the city's public transportation, demanding equal rights for all citizens on public transportation there. After a yearlong boycott, a United States District Court ruling in Browder v. Gayle banned racial segregation on all Montgomery public buses. After 381 days of almost universal participation by the citizens of the Black community, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in transportation was unconstitutional (“About Dr. King”). Dr. King said, “We have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice” (“MLK Jr.”). These words gave the country a fresh voice, a skillful rhetoric, an inspiring personality, and eventually a dynamic new doctrine of civil struggle (“MLK Jr.”). Even though Dr. King’s home was destroyed and his family’s safety was at risk, he continued to lead the boycott until the city’s buses were desegregated. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of integrity and passion because he had a vision of a desegregated society and a vision of a completely integrated society. He played a part in the Civil Rights Movements and he became involved in the Montgomery bus boycott. King made a big impact in the society and because of him, things changed for the better. He has succeeded, but we are still not done yet. It is our responsibility as citizens of the United States to read and learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and carry on his legacy.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights leaders to ever live. Through his empowering speeches, he made a huge impact on the world for the equality of all races. Throughout King’s life, he showed everyone how he believed equality should be acquired. With his peaceful protests and amazing speeches, he influenced people both during his time and after he passed. Many believe that King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement was the final push that America needed to finally respect people no matter their skin color.
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was an excellent speaker and activist during the civil rights movement throughout 1954-1968. The civil rights movement was a time of racial injustice and unfair treatment towards people of different races. During that time many African Americans boycotted and protested against the unfair treatment in America at that point in time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of these people who protested to create a difference in the community. The goal of these marches and protests that he led were to change the feelings of the government and the people’s feelings about racial injustice. However, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 because he stood up for what was right. He was though able to do many
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of his time. He saw that segregation was wrong and decided to do something about it. He endured through hard times, all the while working to better the lives of others. With his help many people began to take a stand against the racial inequality and injustice against African Americans. He left a lasting impact and improved the lives of thousands living in America and changed the future for those yet to come.
Martin Luther King was an inspirational figure in his time because he helped begin the civil rights movement through his courage and bravery. Martin was an African American born in a time where race was the major factor for weather you were treated with respect or treated very poorly and treated as if you were slaves His story begins when he was an executive member in the NAACP but his fight for equality in the American South happened out of sheer luck. Martin was picked to host a meeting to support an African American woman named Rosa Parks, she had been arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white person on a bus. Since King’s church was the closest church in the down town area his church was chosen.
Rosa Parks was a member of the NAACP, lived in Montgomery Alabama, and rode the public bus system. In the south, during this time the buses were segregated which meant that black people had to ride in the back of the bus behind a painted line. White people entered the front of the bus and were compelled to sit in front of the painted line. Most buses at the time had more room for white riders who used the service less than the black ridership. Yet, they could not cross the line even if the seats in the front were empty (Brown-Rose, 2008). Rosa Parks made a bold statement when she sat in the “white section” of a Montgomery bus. She was asked to surrender her seat to a white man, but she did not move and was soon arrested. Her brave action started the Montgomery bus Boycott, with the help of the NAACP, none other than Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership as part of the Montgomery Improvement Association. As its President, he was able spread the word quickly which brought national attention to the small town of Montgomery’s bus Boycott. The boycott was televised and brought so much attention that the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional; a success spurring a more
Martin Luther King Jr. changed every African American’s life by taking the stand in what he believed in. He changed the whole nations perspective on racial profiling and African American abuse. He took pride in Human rights, which not everyone believed in and it led to his death.
Martin Luther King jr. was one of the most influential persons of the 20th Century. He is the father of the modern civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom as well as peace. King practiced everything that he preached, he did not preach or speak values that he himself did not follow. He established himself as a pastor that was not afraid of hard work, guiding the middle-class congregation to public service. For example, Peake, Thomas R. author of "Martin Luther King, Jr.” states, “He encouraged his parishioners to help the needy and to be active in organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)”. I think that kings motivation for wanting to help people, originated with his fathers guidance as a child. King was devoted to the nonviolent method, which was encouraged by both of his parents during his upbringing. Kings influence was so vast, america as a whole recognizes his birthday as a national holiday, in the celebration of his influences in addition to a national monument made in his honor.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who believed in fighting for the rights of African Americans in the United States. He made many sacrifices for the people he was fighting for and never stopped until he was shot after a protest. MLK changed many people’s lives by standing up in front of thousands of people to share his “Dream” for America. No one can change the impression he made on not just the African Americans, but as well as the whites. He will forever be remembered for the changes he fought for when he never got the chance to actually see the change happen.
“If you can’t fly, then run,if you can’t run ,then walk , if you can’t walk , then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”Martin Luther King Jr. What this quote means is never give up always move forward and always try your best because if you don’t you’ll always wonder what was out there for you.This quote was one out of many quotes Martin Luther King wrote. Dr. King motivated people with his quotes,he was a leader.A man who wouldn’t stop fighting for his rights until he got what he deserved, Martin Luther King Jr, wanted something that thousands of other people were too scared to stand up for themselves.He was an inspiration, he brought people together,and reached his goal of being treated equally.
The civil rights movement was introduced to national headlines in the 1950s and 60s but in places like Georgia began as early as the 40s. In Georgia groups of African Americans were organized to try and vote. People like Thomas Brewer “a medical doctor in Columbus, organized Primus Kings and several [groups] who attempted to vote in the July 4, 1944, primary but were turned away”( Stephan Tuck). Those events took place before the Brown vs. Board Of Education trial in 1954, even more protest sprung up after the case. Even before the 1940s, African Americans were not treated as equals in society.
Rosa Lousie McCauley Parks was a devout activist and secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) where she collaborated with other prominent civil rights leaders including then Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, E.D. Nixon, Jo Ann Robinson, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Women's Political Council, who were adamant about making change in the segregated South. The plan of a bus boycott had been in fruition long before Mrs. Parks decided to volunteer as tribute. Women like Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith both refused to give up their seat and were arrested, but they didn't seem to have big enough reputation to make any major moves in the boycott plan. Once Mrs. Parks was arrested, E.D. Nixon and colleagues informed the African American bus riders (who were mostly the African American female working class) that they made up seventy-five percent of the Montgomery's city bus population. If the African American community could stick together and boycott all bus rides, the city would have no choice but to hear African Americans out in their plight for equal human rights. Nixon planned the beginning of the boycott on the 5th of December in 1955. There was a meeting held at the church of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. where they made official plans for the bus boycotts. It was at this meeting where the leaders organized the Montgomery Improvement
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was a Negro man who was in the day and age of segregation. He knew segregation was a wrong way to live. During his childhood he had many encounters with this problem. He had personal experiences, such as when his two friends stopped playing with him, He had role models and mentors, that helped him and guided him along his way, and his education also took a major part in his civil rights movement of making the world a non segregated place. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played a major part in the civil rights movement of discrimination against white people, his childhood, role models, and his education helped form him into his beliefs and actions of the non segregation movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. worked for civil rights movements, supported equality for African-American, supported poverty and wanted to end any racial discrimination. The speech on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, influenced many of the Americans in the United States and began to think differently about race.
Martin Luther King Jr changed the world and how we live as people. He told people what he believed in and people listened to everything he had to say. His that he doesn’t want a world where people are judged by their skin color. Through his hard times he over powered it and made people believe that one day the world will change for the better.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for his nonviolent movement in the fight for Civil Rights during the 1950’s and 1960’s, but many people do not know how he achieved this greatness. His experiences as a child helped him in the future, shaping his beliefs and actions as an adult. Dr. King’s personal experiences, his role models, and his education taught him that the world could be better, and gave him the strength to fight for his rights.