American Culture: Martin Luther King Jr.

I was raised by parents who grew-up in the south during segregation. My mother, in a small rural town South of Houston and my father in an urban, bustling city in Louisiana. They were both out of school before schools integrated and prior to individuals participating in civil right’s marches and sit-ins. My parents talked to my brother and me often about the times prior to integration, however never dis-heartedly. Unlike the history books, my parents spoke with a sense of pride about those times and discussed the sense of family and community that was shared on their street and neighborhood, the number of successful business that were black owned, the schools and how much each student was required to learn, and the feeling of pride and self-worth that they were made to feel.

Imagine segregation in schools, restaurants, and marriage. Imagine never learning about certain people in history´s. Imagine not crossing paths with particular people. Segregation and racism had significant impact on society in the 1960’s. The races had different lifestyles. For example, in North Carolina men of different races were not allowed to serve in the same organization. African Americans and Caucasians were separated in nearly every public situation. As if separation wasn’t enough African Americans were tormented; usually nothing about was done to stop it. Eventually Civil Rights activists started to arise. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist that pushed Americans to strive for a better future. His deliberate reason to persuade American’s views was in hopes that one day men are looked at equally. King works the audience well. Nevertheless the audience demands change. This crowd is not only African Americans, it is all men, women of all races who fight for Civil Rights. In an electrifying manor King speaks to the crowd about obtaining equality in a passionate and respectful tone. Accordingly, with a passionate tone he incorporates the

King is trying to connect to the crowd of people and trying to get equal rights for everyone no matter their religion,color of their skin. “King is connecting with his audience member not only as a fellow man of color, but as a parent of children whom he hopes will inherit a better world because of his actions in the civil rights movement now” he is saying that he wants his kids to have a better life than him because he got judged by the color of his skin and he doesn't want that for his kids. A 100 years ago slavery was suppose to stop but it didn't. “ Five score year ago a great America in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope it millions of negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of injustice…..” this shows that even though slavery had ended it was still going on and people still had to do hard word just because the color if their

Few Americans have had as tremendous an influence on the social and political culture of the country as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King's "most formative writings and sermons" dated from when he was just a teenager in seminary school (Kuruvila, 2007). King's character was formed within the forge of the Christian faith. It was from a firm bedrock in Christianity that King's concepts of morality and spiritual justice sprouted. However, King's political and social activism also bore roots in the rich soil of philosophy. As Blakely (2001) points out, "As Martin moved on to the seminary, he began to pass countless hours studying social philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Hobbes, Bentham, Mill, and Locke." Next, Thoreau, Hegel and Marx grabbed King's attention, as did Reinhold Niebuhr and of course Mohandas K. Gandhi (Blakely, 2001). It was Gandhi who perhaps had the strongest influence on King's methodologies of civil disobedience. Therefore, King's theories and methods did not evolve in a vacuum of American backwardness. King was fighting against the current of racism that gripped the American South, but he did so in an educated and thoughtful manner. Moreover, King drew from the strength of the burgeoning black empowerment and black nationalism movements of leaders as diverse as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois. Martin Luther King, Jr. would synthesize this complex and powerful array of formidable philosophical influences. King is a Christian herald because he

King’s goal of integration between blacks and whites was a prominent theme in his 1963 I Have a Dream speech, where he spoke to over “250,000 people.” (Integrative" Rhetoric of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech,” 2006 para 2). “I have a dream that one day, on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will sit down together at the table of brotherhood." (“I Have a Dream,” 1963). He promoted integration and discouraged discrimination through his peaceful lunch-counter sit-ins, bus boycotts and marches and demonstrations.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Segregation...not only harms one physically but injures one spiritually...It scars the soul...It is a system which forever stares the segregated in the face, saying 'You are less than...''You are not equal to…” In our country’s history, Americans, particularly those of African American descent, have been subjected to the indecency and appaling hate of Segregation and the infamous Jim Crow Laws. These American customs that were spread throughout the south in the early 1900s had a lasting effect on all Americans black or white. It is with this knowledge that I will tell you how completely and thoroughly these customs violate the rights of Americans. Segregation and Jim Crow Laws violate the rights of Americans through the law and foundation for which our country was built on, through our designated rights given to us by our forefathers, and the human moral that is the definition of American society.

People are often judged according to the color of their skin. This judging of another person is often negative and is known as racism. America is known as the melting pot with all kinds of race living there. It is clear that no matter how big a melting pot, it can not contain all race mixed together. As a black man, King witnessed and experienced racism during the segregation period. People were "haunted by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro" shows that black people were being discriminated.(186) This judging and disrespect caused people like King to see that "justice too long delayed is justice denied"(185). Therefore, King uses his freedom to fight for justice. Fighting for justice in civil right for all black people is like Jefferson fighting for independence. If Jefferson compared King of Britain to be a tyrant, then America can also be seen as a tyrant over black people.

The philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr was best for the 1960’s because .he did not want to start violence, he had goals for education and his powerful economic strategies. Martin Luther King Jr. had positive goals for the future.

King addressed this topic and how we need to take action in ending segregation now in his famous speech. “ Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” King used repetition, metaphors, and diction in this passage to explain how our nation must act now to end racism. He used repetition when he said “now is the time” when starting a sentence to let the audience know that they shall not wait to take the rights they desire. In addition to using repetition, King used multiple metaphors such as comparing segregation to a barren gorge and comparing racial justice to a bright path. His comparisons take his speech to a whole new level because the audience has a deeper understanding on what he is persuading them to do and they help the audience understand that the problem isn’t the negroes, it is the racism. Also, without the advanced vocabulary used to create the comparisons throughout his speech, King would not seem as credible and his audience would not follow his ideas to end racism. “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” Despite King wanting the act of discrimination removed from America, he did not want it to be done

King’s story is one that America will never forget. His speeches were powerful. Enough so that he moved a whole country. Forget mountains, this man was so amazing that he was able to move millions of people's hearts. That is an incredible feat, and one that will go down in history as the day America realized that all men ARE created equal. He united thousands upon thousands of people by showing that he wasn't going to give up his freedom. He taught them peace and how to work together to accomplish great things. We all have a role of living out the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whether in our home, school, or community. As Dr. King once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” (wikipedia.com) Dr. King knew that if we only showed kindness and love to everyone, there will be no hate and injustice. We may not know it, but we can play a big part in fulfilling his dream. If you look around today, you can see that racism is not completely dead. Although it has sufficiently died down, I don't think racism will be completely gone for a long time and I am sure many others do too. But we can do our part, by simply not judging others on how they look, their wealth, or their heritage, but by who they really are on the inside. Dr. King also taught that we should not be putting people in groups, again because of how they look, their wealth, or their heritage. We should not be the one to decide what they will do, where they will go, and what they will say. No one has the power to completely take control over someone's thoughts, their words, or their actions. And if you can’t completely control them, what's the point in trying? Sadly, Dr. King has not lived to see his dream become reality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. He was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 39, by James Earl Ray. Dr. King was on his way to dinner when a bullet struck him in the cheek. Instantly,

During the 1800’s to the late 1960’s racial segregation and prejudice was common and widespread, racial segregation is basically separating between races and giving people benefits and rights depending on their skin color or ethnic background. This issue has been prevalent for far too long and the reason behind it is inequality in the country because of cultural differences and historical, African Americans do not have some of the rights that white skin colored people. Some of the most important right is the civil rights and the right to vote, this right taken away from the African Americans.

An individual named Martin Luther King Jr. has left a mark on the nation because of his hopes, dreams and his message that became a legacy. In 1960s Dr. King led the civil rights movement, his lifetime his work represented the fight for equality and nondiscrimination. The civil rights movement was created to help African Americans reach their full potential in life by gaining equality. His message still has significance today because it demonstrates the importance of individual action and teaches us that anybody can truly make a difference.

Many people saw him as a loyal man he would always count on others before himself. He was a leader, strong, and a noble person. In his early years he attended Booker T. Washington High School. He skipped ninth and twelfth grade without being properly graduated. He made it into morehouse college and the age of fifteen. This man gave the rights for blacks to be free and equal to whites he was known as Martin Luther King Jr. The Three main achievements Martin did in his life was helping in the boycott,getting people involved and, help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Our nation’s history plays an important role in American society, it sets forth the foundation on which our morals and values are based on as Americans. If we truly are one united nation under God, and our morals and values are based on what history tells us, why is it then that there is so much disparity among the American people. One reason is that our history textbooks and what we are taught by educational leaders only emphasize American Exceptionalism. The history of our nation is not fully disclosed, it omits the nasty and ugly parts. It is time that the U.S. let their skeletons out of the closet, the truth needs to be told no matter how ugly or nasty it is. The period in history known as the Nadir of Race relations, 1890 through the1960’s between whites and blacks is a prime example of American Exceptionalism.

His speeches were based upon his beliefs and the dreams of a better society. King had high hopes and spoke of his high hope for the black people. King didn’t make racial slurs against the white people, but he put the white and black people on the same level. He argued that every man, black or white should have equal rights.