Essay #4
Wayne Ford
Between the post-Civil War period and the 21st century, freedom has always had its challenges. Since the idea of freedom was not passed down from the creator and is a vision of mankind, you can see the pitfalls and loopholes in the way that the United States has come to define its freedoms. Many people fighting for freedom had the right ideas in their minds and were justified but the measure sometimes fell short. The six people or groups I have chosen to focus on are Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., The Ku Klux Klan, The Black Panther Party and Malcolm X.
I would like to start with Abraham Lincoln because I feel he is the beginning of the change for racial equality even though his proclamation of freedom for the slaves did little to actually free the slaves. But just as any good book, you have to start on page one. Lincoln did not see the black as an intrinsic part of American society. He even opted to take all freed slaves and ship them to Liberia. Even the Emancipation Proclamation that he materialized for the country only went so far. Through the ill doings of mankind, most of those freedoms were never realized.
Frederick Douglass chose to protest for freedom through peace. He was an
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He was a Baptist minister and an activist who led the Civil Rights Movement. He chose to peacefully protest for freedom. In December, 1955, he led the first black, non-violent demonstration in the United States and led a 382 day boycott on the bus systems where black people would not board bus transportation but would walk everywhere they went. In 1957, he became the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and that is when he delivered the speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 250,000 people – “I Have a Dream”. He was the youngest man to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize and he used the prize money to further civil right
Powerful movements require powerful leadership. During the 1960s a push for civil rights developed, and African Americans took various positions. Two strong leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X approached the Civil Rights Movement using different methods. Their speeches reflect the disposition of their tactics. In his speech, “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King, Jr. focuses on applying his non-violent philosophy. On the contrary, Malcolm X projects himself in an aggressive tone reflecting the attitudes of Black Nationalists in “Ballot or the Bullet.” These speakers demonstrate their objectives and tone through their use of diction and syntax.
He delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in which he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. He was then assassinated on April 4, 1968 in which is now a holiday to where he will always be remembered for his great deeds in solving equality between the blacks and whites. The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 prohibited segregation and discrimination in employment and other areas.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous civil rights activists in the history of the United States. He gave several important speeches and promoted non-violent protests. His most famous speech was “I Have A Dream”, around a quarter of a million patrons, black and white, attended this empowering speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. The reason his speech was vastly successful in the movement against segregation and injustice was because of its repetitiveness.
Later, due to the events of the boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. emerged and was the movement’s “most effective leader” (Clayborne Carson). He is known for his nonviolent tactics and his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Martin Luther King Jr. was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and later became the president of the SCLC in 1957 following the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Besides becoming an enormous influence in President Abraham Lincoln’s decision to bring in black troops to serve in the Civil War, Frederick Douglass was an intelligent and strong human being who strove to truthfully make a difference in America. He proved that with determination, drive, and incredible amounts of effort that anything is possible and ready to achieve. He taught himself to become a wonderful public speaker by reading different texts aloud in order to be as clear and influential as possible through his words. He was also a stronghold for the rights of everyone around him and fought for those who were not able to have a voice of their own. Without his influence on America as a whole, the 200+ years of the terrors of slavery may have continued for many more years, and the nation we live in today could be completely
Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist and a great man he stood up for others. He had a lot of people who liked him and a lot who did not like what he did. Frederick Douglass had to give speeches and he argued for what was right. Many people found his speeches empowering while others didn’t.
After he told his story, he was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. Many of the men on the counsel were very impressed and said that he had the fearlessness of William Lloyd Garrison. In one of his many incredible speeches he said the famous quote “ We have in this nation the element of domestic slavery. The Republican Party think it wrong-we think it is a moral, a social, and a political wrong… that affects the existence of the whole nation’. This quote shows how in Douglass point of view that it was the North’s calling to go into the South and stop slavery. Not only did Douglass think that slavery was a moral wrong he felt like the process of slavery hurt the Nation as a whole. Douglass wrote books published articles in magazines and did whatever he could to try to get the message out to the American people that this wicked, cruel process that went on in the South was like a beast if it was unleashed it could mean trouble for everyone. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’1-Fredrick Douglass: This quote talks about how the more you fail the greater the chances will be that the next generation or the next generation could possibly succeed. Fredrick Douglass voice at first was not heard but it gradually increased until it was like a roar and everyone knew what his message was. The key reason as to why he was a major abolitionist was that he knew firsthand what it felt like to be an American slave. Frederick Douglass would continue his active
Hundreds of years ago, the country we now call the United States of America, was built upon a single principle; That single principle was freedom. Frederick Douglass was an American abolitionist, a social reformer who sought to end slavery. Before slavery was abolished in 1865, slaves were not treated as humans, they were simply seen as property that could be worked to death. Families were ripped apart, people were working all day long, and humans were being whipped to work faster, this was the life of a slave. With these tragic events that happened to slaves, Frederick had a goal. Frederick wanted to abolish slavery once and for all, and for America to acknowledge slavery was a sin.
Frederick Douglass fought valiantly for the ideals of freedom, to ensure that the Declaration of Independence would be upheld to the natural law that it professed. Being an extremely educated man, Douglass held differing views from other African Americans about the Constitution, declaring that the belief that the Constitution did not support the institution of slavery. Also, Douglass had frustrations with the Revolutionary War, since it promised freedom to black people, but in reality did not live up to it.
Since the creation of the United States, the meaning of freedom has changed to meet changing attitudes. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic and civil rights inequalities. There are different meanings for freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the US had certain periods of time that lived up to the ideals of freedom such as the Gilded Age. In opposition, the US has also had periods of time where our ideals of freedom failed to meet the requirements of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the US entered the Cold War and led to the anti-communism period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted
When he escaped to New York and became free, he didn’t live a life full of fear hiding himself nor did he just find himself a good job and live his life only helping himself. Frederick Douglass committed his life to creating a better society where everyone would be treated equally. He once said, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.” This means he didn’t just help people if he thought they were good, or if they agreed with his views. He would help anyone to accomplish things that would be beneficial to society.
King was an excellent speaker and preacher at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama and rose in the ranks at the beginning of the movement during the Montgomery Bus-boycott. His teachings encouraged more peaceful movements such as sit-ins; the freedom rides and the famous Selma-Montgomery march for voting rights. Some of this call for peaceful change can be seen in the quote by King when receiving his Nobel Peace Prize,
Martin Luther King Jr. born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Martin Luther King Sr. (1899-1984) and Alberta Williams King (1904-1974). He was an American Baptist minister who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the progression of civil rights using nonaggressive civil defiance. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led the Albany Movement, a 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia which failed to make a difference in racial disputes, but helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered famously for his speeches during the civil rights movement, including the famous “I have a dream” speech, and “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Martin Luther was born January 15 1929 as Michael Luther King Jr., which was later as we all know changed to Martin. He came from a long line of pastors. From 1960 to the time he died, he was a co- pastor at Ebenezer baptist church in Atlanta Georgia. He received a B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College. He studied at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania for three years. While there he was selected to be President of a predominantly white senior class and was awarded B. D. in 1951. He studied at Boston University for two years receiving his degree in 1955. In Boston he married his wife, Coretta Scott. He had two sons and two daughters. In 1954 he became a member of the National Association for the Advancement of colored people. He then became the first colored man to lead a nonviolent demonstration. During the boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, and he was subjected to personal abuse. In the eleven year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million
Martin luther king is most greatly known for his “I have a dream” speech but there is much more to Mr. Kings life than just that. King led many Civil rights movements since the mid 1950’s using his words and non-violent tactics such as boycotts, sit ins, and protest marches to fight segregation.