Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay

On the first day of school, sophomore year, my history teacher presented me with the question of "Who is your hero?" I didn’t have a hero, and until then I hadn’t thought about the subject. Later in the year, my eyes caught a quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the bulletin board which stated somewhat to this effect, "Do not merely be a thermometer that records the ideas and principles of popular opinion; but rather a thermostat that transforms the mores of society." Out of all the quotes that had been posted over the year, it was this one that caught my attention and captured my emotion. When I would read it, I felt as if something inside me had been sparked. Little did I know that this man whom I had

All through history governments and empires have been overthrown or defeated primarily by the violence of those who oppose them. This violence was usually successful however, there have been several situations, when violence failed, that protesters have had to turn to other methods. Non-violent protesting never seemed to be the right course of action until the ideology of Mohandas Gandhi spread and influenced successful protests across the world. Non-violent methods were successfully used, most notably, by Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela.

As more people are exposed to the arguments of these protesters, pressure mounds onto the government to see the problem and respond to it. In fact, in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. stated that “not … a single gain in civil rights [was made] without determined legal and nonviolent pressure.” Additionally, these individuals are not negatively affecting society because they express the utmost respect for the law and advocate for change peacefully while fully accepting the consequences of their actions. They risk enduring denunciation by the media and being labeled as radicals by others. King describes the process of a nonviolent campaign in his Letter from Birmingham Jail: “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.” The self-purification aspect of the nonviolent campaign emphasized an acceptance of the consequences that come with breaking the law such as “[accepting] blows without retaliating” and “[enduring] the ordeals of jail.” The right to peaceful protest respectfully allows these individuals to express their concerns and influence other people with their ideas.

In today's society, the foundation of civil uprisings have been constructed on the principles of both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.. Even though we are in the 21st century and have overcome numerous events, today we are still fighting the obstacles that both these men had fought during their lifetime. Unfortunately, equality for everyone is still not a concept that has been reached in America, but due to innumerous protests many great outcomes have risen. Both Gandhi and King fabricated a method of non-violent protesting that only benefits the protestors because they give authority no reason to intervene. If authority was interfere against the protest, then the cause would rise in popularity and aggrandize. Although this type of

According to the authors of, “Protesting 101”, most protests are ineffective because they have no follow-up action. Protests themselves can spread awareness, but can be considered nothing other than a nuisance to those in power. Although, having multiple groups marching in the streets, for a worthy cause can feel accomplishing. Not having a firm plan on the issue being fought can resolute in a waste of people’s time and efforts.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s (MLK) was a every influential person he led the civil rights movement to bring equality to people regardless of race. He had a strong belief in nonviolence this is why MLK fought for the civil rights movement which lead the society we have today. His dream was halfway fulfilled and we can say halfway because still today in society even though there is no segregation, people still judge and still think wrong about others. In this paper show that his dream is some what fulfilled and people of all gender, race and creed are mostly able to live in peace however there are some states that have not embrace equality.

To begin with, nonviolent protests have been successful, Martin Luther King, gained the support of some of the whites  by using the non-violent methods of Gandhi. Unfortunately, some people did not see it that way and decided to take action. For example, Bloody Sunday

Peaceful resistance to the law helped end segregation, helped form better working conditions, helped women gain the right to vote, and saved children from the bad conditions from the factory jobs they had. This shows more good than bad coming from protesting in the past and even if most don’t believe it in the modern day as

The best way to determine the effectiveness of peaceful protests is to look at it effectiveness against other forms of protest. The best example of this was during the Civil Rights Movement during the mid 1900’s when both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X sought change in two very different ways. While they both advocated for the equality of all citizens in the US, the had very different goals about this equality and very different means of achieving their goals. Growing up in a hostile underprivileged neighborhood, Malcolm X believed in achieving violence “by any means necessary”, including violence if necessitated. He also believed in the principle of separate but equal, believing that blacks should achieve equal status by only helping each other. Martin Luther King Jr. took a drastically different approach, advocating for the use of passive protesting and “weapons of love” to achieve equal status with the goal of integrating all races into a peaceful and harmonious society. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream was eventually realized as it garnered a great deal more support and was more successful than Malcolm X’s often more violent approach.

The use of peaceful protest creates a positive impact on free society. In the First Amendment the people of the United States are given the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, among other things. The founding fathers recognized the need for people to be allowed these rights so that the populace could share its opinions with the people in charge of the laws. This goes back to Socrates’ philosophy of getting “to the foundations of his students' and colleagues' views by asking continual questions until a contradiction was exposed, thus proving the fallacy of the initial assumption”, an idea that is still followed today. Many powerful figures in history, like Martin Luther King Jr and the Freedom Riders, have exercised these rights

By dictionary definition, to protest is to make a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something. In many cases, protests include aggressive and even violent actions to show people's disapproval to government choices. The article, “Why Street Protests Don’t work,” says that aerial photos of anti-government marches routinely show an intimidating sea of people furiously demanding change. And yet, it is surprising how little these crowds achieve.” The article goes on to prove that for the majority most street protests are not successful. Sometimes these uncivilized acts help solve issues but more often than not, they only create more problems. Although some may strongly disagree, protesting does not normally work because aggressiveness does

Some of the most commonly cited examples are Mahatma Gandhi’s salt marches in India or Martin Luther King’s speeches and protests. Rather than focusing on these examples, I would like to focus on a more recent example of peaceful protest. No protest is completely free from violence, due to the high amount of emotional stress and tension during times of oppression. Peaceful protests can be categorized as “non-violent” if its figureheads or platform itself state that they are a peaceful group and participate in strictly peaceful movements. Non-violent protests are important because they paint the authoritative power as the one acting incorrectly, while causing the protesters to look like the victims. Violent protests always result in a

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man,” as stated by Mahatma Gandhi, a proponent of civil disobedience. Brilliantly defined in his mind as self-control gives one more power than what any violence could do as giving into violence is easier. Protests take place for humanitarian reasons and for looking out for the little guy. They are done and meant for the welfare of the cause in order to gain rights or achieve a goal. In the following paragraphs explains how beneficial peaceful resistance is to a free society. How the rally of people brings more people to the cause and bringing more people in can launch controversy and change forethought

In history there have been many peaceful protests. For example, the women’s suffrage movement and the famous stand taken by Rosa Parks in the bus against segregation. In a free society that allows these protests (such as the United States) they can be very profitable in bringing about positive change. The women who were imprisoned because of their stand on equality eventually brought voting rights for all women. Rosa Parks inspired a movement which gave African-Americans the right to sit on a bus like every other person. Out of this movement came our modern society where all races are allowed to coexist as one.

At the heart of every protest there are grievances, such as inequality, feelings of relative deprivation, or injustice. A protest is an objection by words or by actions to particular events, policies, or situations. Protesters can publicly make their opinions be heard or take direct action to make changes. Research suggests that feeling part of a group which you distinguish as deprived is particularly important for engagement in protest. If you’ve ever sacrificed your Saturday to attend a political rally or protest, you’ve probably wondered if your effort really made a difference. There have been many worldwide issues that have led to protesting. Protests throughout history have had major influence on changing political structure, for example, The Boston Tea Party, French Revolution, Vietnam anti-war protests, and Civil Rights marches are just a few that come to mind. The effectiveness of protests depends on the subject of the protest and the manner in which it is conducted. Well-organized, nonviolent protests effect change by keeping issues in front of the public and building public sympathy for the cause and was very effective for the civil rights movements. The cause has to be considered significant by mostly all of the general public for a strong turnout and to be somewhat effective. Organized protests which end in violence or public disorder can do harm to the cause, even if the protesters instigate the violence or if they just respond to it. Protesters lose their