There have been many great activist in history, fighting against the oppression of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr is famous for his “I have a dream speech” that took place on August 28, 1963. Dr. King led to the ending of the legal segregation among black and white people. In Dr. Kings essay “Three ways of Responding to Oppression," he clearly states three ways to deal with oppression. Dr. King believed the best defense against oppression being that of nonviolent resistance. The film Iron Jawed Angels (IJA) is also great example of oppression with the struggle to women rights in the United States. Mr. King stated that there are three ways of oppression that oppressed people deal with, acquiescence, physical violence, and nonviolent resistance. One must come out of their comfort zone in order to see new and in most cases better outcomes. Mr. King said, “In every movement towards freedom some of the oppressed prefer to remain oppressed”. This is exactly what happens in some cases, where the person prefers to continue with the unjust being done just because they know no other way or because they have become so accustom to that life style. For example, slaves started to get so use to being just slaves that they would not protest to try to have a better life style. Some did not think that they could have a better life, or even thought they did not deserve a better life since they had been told so many times. In the film IJA, they give a great example with the senators
Martin Luther King Jr. showed African Americans nonviolent ways to resist. He did not want African Americans to commit violent acts for their rights. For example, slaves resist by not picking cotton or picking below their usual amount. Resistant in nonviolent ways require people to find other ways to resist without fighting or hurting someone. According to Pitney, he believes King wanted African Americans “to resist white racism through nonviolent actions undertaken in a spirit of love” (Pitney 2). In other words, he wanted African Americans to fight for their rights but he did not want them harm someone else to get equality. For instance, if a white man was using racial slurs toward a
At the march on Washington, he 1963 he delivered his “I Have A Dream” Speech. In this speech he says “I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- 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.”(http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm)the. The people that helped him overcome this obstacle were the members of the Civil Rights Act. They overcame this obstacle by protesting, even though they got in trouble, and they were tortured. They were still hated by many but they still fought for
?The Ways Of Meeting Oppression,? by Martin Luther king Jr., gives an over view of how one man classifies his ways of dealing with oppression and how they were dealt with during segregation. . During the first half of the twentieth century segregation was the way of life in the south. It was excepted, and even though it was morally wrong, it still went on, as it there was nothing wrong with it. African Americans were treated as if they where a somehow sub-human, they were treated because of the color of their skin that somehow, someway they were different. Some African Americans began to ?tacitly adjust themselves to oppression?(King), or as King saw it acquiescence. Others began to stand up for themselves but in a matter that involved violence. There where those that stood up for themselves by using nonviolence resistance which was Dr. King?s ideal method of dealing with oppression. ?Nonviolence is the answer to the racial, political and moral question. . .the need for man to overcome oppression and violence. . .?(King). This captures both Dr. King?s powerful feeling and stance on nonviolence as the way to winning the respect of the oppressors. Like Martin Luther king Jr. I to have learned the strategies of how people deal with the three types of oppression which are: acquiescence, violence, and non-violence resistance, but trough historical instances and my personal experiences in the past.
Martin Luther King Jr. believed that there is “Three Ways of Meeting Oppression” and everyone falls into one of these three categories. The first category is acquiescence; to not accept something without protesting it. Mr. King
The issue of racism in the mid twentieth century played a huge role in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Throughout the 1960’s he gradually became a civil rights activist, participating in multiple boycotts and riots against
Martin Luther king Jr, and his followers stood for non-violent protests, despite being victims of threats. Although King was highly recognized, and praised amongst the black community not all African American’s agreed with his ideology of obtaining their civil rights through peaceful non-violence protest. Therefore other movements were created such as the Black Power Movement which was a group that emphasized that blacks should claim their civil rights through violence. Overall Martin Luther King Jr had an major impact on the civil rights movement, and will always be remembered for his famous impactful “I have a dream speech” which was his vision of black & white people coinciding with one another, and ultimately living in peace together where blacks do not have to worry about being judged by their skin color, but instead their actions. “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.”
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream (1963)” speech, he addresses the idea that in order to fulfill the premise that “all men were created equal,” the people of the nation must work together to move past the injustices inflicted on African Americans in order to ultimately grant them their civil rights. King’s claim is supported by first repeatedly alluding to historically renowned milestones in the fight against oppression and illustrating numerous metaphors to create an emotional connection with his audience. King’s “dream” that he frequently mentions is the nationwide unification to work toward a common goal in order to bring integration of all races and coexist without oppression. By establishing his goal, he creates an earnest
The I Have a Dream Speech is the most iconic speech that came from this era. King talked about how this condition they are in is shameful, something people should be embarrassed of. He referenced to the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal”. He also mentioned that it is not only all in the hands of black people, but white as well. There was a sense of unity in this speech (I Have a Dream).
One of the most important civil rights leaders in American history was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King fought for freedom, equality and peace, which helped our nation in the best way. During his time he fought for liberation using nonviolence and passive resistance while he preached equality to the people. However, on August 28th, 1963, Dr. King preached a message of nonviolence in hopes to achieve social change. This speech expressed his feelings and perspectives of the unjust events during the 1900's. Dr. King proposed that African Americans had
Three ways of meeting oppression, is a speech that was prepared and presented by the late Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. king was a civil rights activist in the nineteen sixties who is accredited for being one of the biggest leaders in the fight for African American equality. Known for his approach of being civil disobedient, Mr. King delivered many speech’s which aimed that we as a people should be non- violent in our quest for freedom. His most famous speech “I have a dream” which was delivered in Washington D.C at the Lincoln memorial, is one of the most famous speeches in history to date. In three ways of meeting oppression, Mr. King characterized the ways in which we as people can overcome being treated like the lessor class by, acquiescence, violence, and non-violent resistance; Even though it has been shown that the approach of the non- violent has become the way of thinking, I believe if change is not shown, violence the next solution.
On August 28th, 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. He spoke passionately for 17 minutes on his views about human equality for African Americans at one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in history. King played a major role in ending the segregation for African Americans. His rhetorical language left an impact on America. Through his use of appeals like ethos, logos, pathos, and other rhetorical techniques. He influenced Americans to believe in the notion that all men are created equal.
On August 28th 1963, Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. made his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the speech, King confronts the mistreatment of the African American community and the lack of free will they contain in society. Throughout the mid-1900s, the Civil Rights Movement took place, influenced by centuries of cruelty towards the African Americans.. The most influential speech in the modern era was said in front of thousands of Civil Rights activists who all shared a common goal; to fight for the respect and to be treated as equals within the United States.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream Speech” to a large group of civil rights marchers gathered around the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. Martin Luther King Jr. is a great example of how displays of anger must be controlled in order to be effective and lead to good outcomes. Throughout his entire speech he appeals to the emotions of the audience. By addressing that even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed to free the slaves, and many years later they are still not free. He is constantly reminding the people of color that they continue to be the race being segregated and discriminated by the white people. He blames the white people of being prejudice viewing
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Three Ways of Meeting Oppression” Dr. King gives us three ways in which oppressed people such as African Americans dealt with their oppression. The first one is acquiescence in which individuals let themselves get dragged into their own oppression. If one accepts their oppression it simply means that they are proving to the oppressor that one is inferior. The second way that oppression is dealt with is violence. Violence does not solve any issues within the oppressed it only causes more issue as well as hatred. Finally the best way one should deal with oppression should be non-violent resistance. According to Dr. King it will work against the oppression not the oppressors themselves. Although I
During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s a black man by the name Martin Luther King Jr. help with the gradual advancement of Colored People to remove them from the second class of society, and to be treated as equals among their white peers. On August 28th 1963, a speech titled “I Have a Dream” written by Martin Luther King Jr was preached at the Lincoln Memorial, in commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln had passed a hundred years earlier freeing the black slaves. During this speech King effectively got his point across to thousands of Americans, and lit a spark of hope to all African Americans, all with his moving words and rhetorical devices used in his speech.