Martin Luther King Jr.: The Foundation Of Racial Equality

847 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Martin luther king analysis speech

The foundation of Racial Equality
Have you ever met a person who was so determined for something that they would do anything and everything in their power to accomplish it no matter what the consequences are? Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of that image. He thoroughly pounded thoughts of equality into our nation’s head over and over. Ironically, he went to jail 29 times before he made the speech that changed the world. This speech, titled “I Have a Dream,” forces America to realize that racial inequality is unacceptable by stating: “But 100 years later the negro is still not free” (King 1). Simply put, he is talking about the past present and future of the nation and how he wants this colossal change. One idea that King emphasized above all …show more content…

When King was 24 he became was a priest. This influenced this all of his speeches He wants the U.S.A to come together as one under God’s image, not the Government. He references God multiple times in the speech. In the speech King says, “This will be the day when all of God’s children will sing…” (King 5). This citation proves King’s dream for equality for every American no matter what race. I can infer that King is thinking more spiritual and believes that God’s image is more important than any government. He continues to say that everyone will join in song and that everyone can forgive each other for their wrongdoing. He believes if everyone forgives each other, than people will be able to to come together as family. In the cite Dr.King says “...we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men, white men, jews, gentiles, protestants and catholics will be able to join hands and sing...” (King 6). This citation explains simply he wants every human being no matter what race, religion or skin color to be able to come together as one solid unit. I can infer that this line in King’s speech would definitely be impactful to anybody even today, that heard it.
In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful and influential man. His speeches were the foundation of racial equality, it is up to us to continue building that house. King wants the nation to be a peaceful land were segregation is abolished, and every one of “God’s children” (King 5.) will one day come together as brother and sister. A question that lingers in my head is simply this: If King wasn’t part of the Civil Rights Movements, would segregation be destroyed or would it still thrive

Show More
Related

  • Redefining Structure: Social Stratification in MLK’s “Letters from Birmingham Jail”

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dr. King establishes himself as many things, most importantly as a non-violent, authoritative man of God in order to identify himself as an equal to the clergymen. His religious influence supports the assertion that he has “the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state” (40). In his response to the men who so graciously wrote “A Call for Unity,” Dr. King establishes himself as a man of the Bible, as they have also identified themselves as members of the Christian church. This grants him the opportunity to summon the power of the Lord/God to support his argument, stating that blacks “will win our freedom because the sacr...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Dbq Analysis

    3097 Words  | 7 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    2179 Words  | 5 Pages

    People do not acknowledge the struggles that African Americans had to endure for them to be treated equally, the way a true American is supposed to be treated. One of the ways they were not treated equally was by not being able to participate in sports with whites. From the beginning of our nation, colored people were highly disrespected and treated as if they were some type of animals, which have no say in what happens to them. They were not given any opportunities and were treated harshly because their skin color was different. Whites were able to practically do anything they wanted, unlike blacks, who were racially discriminated or beaten for no apparent reason. African Americans were among the worst treated races in the US; however, this did not stop them from fighting for the rights that so many had died for. It seemed as if black people would never be treated respectfully, but just like in comic books, there is always a hero that will fight for his people. This hero soon came to the scene and he was fierce enough to change the lives of many people. Most importantly, he broke the color barrier and created a path that would allow others to follow. However, something that was inevitable was the threats and racial remarks they had to face.

    Read More

  • March On Washington Speech Analysis

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author of the “I Have A Dream” speech is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, known for his work in Civil Rights during the 1960s. In this informative speech, Dr. King inspires individuals to have a change in both white and black citizens during the Civil RIghts era in the United States. Moreover, the premise of the speech is that both sides of the discussion must accept change in a non-violent yet effective way. He spoke about the injustices of segregation and discrimination of black citizens that was occurring in our nation. As he opened, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” he explained what he was there to do for all citizens. He is

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Mass Incarceration

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream speech”, there was no way that he could have imagined that a new system would be born. Born from the ashes of slavery and Jim Crow, a new system of racial and social control; that would trap millions as second class citizens. A system known as Mass Incarceration.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief was that people of all colors, including both blacks and whites, could live in eternal peace and equality. King believed that “an unjust law is no law at all” (Dinar, par.12). He was all in favor for equal rights, and he wanted them as soon as possible. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet-like speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (Dinar, par.12). King felt that African Americans of the United States were past overdue for their civil and equal rights.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In I Have A Dream Speech

    1866 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his speech, “I Have a Dream,” delivered on August 28, 1963 at Abraham Lincoln’s memorial in Washington, D.C., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. explores the rights that African American’s are granted by the U.S. Constitution. King believes that those rights are not equal to the rights that white men and women have. King describes a world that is different than the world where he lives. A world that he desires his family to grow up in and the vision that he sees America becoming. Though all Americans were ostensibly granted unalienable rights, King uses rich figurative language to argue that African Americans are still waiting to enjoy the same privileges afforded to others.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr.’s early role in the civil rights movement rarely had involvement with any type of protest. Instead King frequently tried to contain the intolerance of mainly young African-American activists who were carrying out their parents’ frustrations. King often tried to meet many conflicting groups’ demands from the Kennedy Administrat...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King And Birmingham Analysis

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    This letter addressed the criticism he received while peacefully protesting. It was also a response to the injustices he witnessed and experienced while visiting the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Birmingham branch. He explains how he and the SCLC organized their plans of nonviolent action for change in not only the segregated schools in Alabama, but for the discriminated people of America. Dr. King declares, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied” (344). He states that African American people have waited more than 340 years for constitutional and God-given rights (King 344). His pleas for recognition of the mass injustices and his assemblies of nonviolent actions caused a wave of changes to occur across the country. His teachings and actions paved the way for African Americans and other minorities to be given the opportunity to exceed expectations and not to be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. One such person became our 44th President.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 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. He felt that all Americans should be equal and that they should forget about injustice and segregation. He wanted America to know what the problems were and wanted to point out the way to resolve these problems.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King: Racism And Equality

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Racism and equality was a major problem that dominated America and is still a major issue today. During Martin Luther King Jr.’s time, these problems were at its’ highest peak. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his revolutionary “I Have A Dream” speech in Lincoln Memorial Park. This speech demanded justice and equality for African Americans. King was one of many protesters who fought long and hard for equality and freedom to all Americans. His speech told the dreams of millions of Americans, demanding a free, equal, and just nation. In his speech, he stressed the idea of equality between colored and whites, and connected his pain with millions. Ethos, pathos, and metaphor are three of the elements that made Martin Luther

    Read More

  • Prejudice and Racism - A Fair and Just Society is Still Only a Dream

    3052 Words  | 7 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. made many claims about the American society in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 that were all legitimate. Today, we have made many advances toward the racial equality that he sought. As a nation, however, we still have not "opened the door of opportunity to all God's children", as King so eloquently put it. In part, this is due to the fact that although our society has reached a degree of political nondiscrimination, this political nondiscrimination has not led to economic nondiscrimination. What it has led to, though, is affirmative action policy and awareness among the people of this country that justice is a complicated process that has yet to be realized. King made us aware that Blacks weren't receiving equal treatment under our laws, and this awareness led to equal rights policy. These equal rights policies have, in turn, led to affirmative action policies. Affirmative action policies of equal opportunity were necessary because political equality was not resulting in economic equality. Today's citizens are still not satisfied, however. This is because affirmative action policy, to date, has been based on egalitarian policy, which has not resulted in economic security nor a sense of balanced justice. In this paper, I will show how Martin Luther King Jr. initiated a growth process in our country by creating an awareness, and that this awareness is gradually evolving toward a justice that we have yet to realize. I will show that Americans are still in the midst of growing pains, and that equality, opportunity, and justice are complex issues that we are slowly working out over ti...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther King Speech

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr is one of the wisest and bravest black man the world has ever seen. He has set the path way for the black community and other miniorities. In his Nobel Prize Speech the “Quest for Peace and Justice”, King had three major points that he addressed in the “Quest of Peace and Justice”. One of the points he made was about racial injustice and how we need to eliminate it. King stated that, “when civilization shifts its basic outlooks then we will have a freedom explosion”. Overtime things must change, nothing never stays the same. King’s way of making parallels with this is making the claim is saying, “Oppressed people can’t oppressed forever, and the yearning will eventually manifest itself”. He insisted that blacks have,

    Read More

  • America's Pursuit Of Freedom Essay

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the speech, it mentions, ”With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day” (10). This demonstrates that if we believe that we were all born equal, then we would be able to work together, struggle together, stand up for freedom together, and do more in harmony. Thus this relates to how America has imperfect racial equality because King indicated that if we truly understand that we were all born equally with the same rights, then we would not have the trouble of one race thinking it’s superior than the other. Therefore, America still has more progress to make if it wants to gain freedom and racial

    Read More

More about Martin Luther King Jr.: The Foundation Of Racial Equality

Open Document