Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

many people still did not want to change. It took a strong leader, a person who believed in peace and justice for blacks, and Martin Luther King Jr. was that man.

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.

Dr. King tussled with the cares of life looking for solutions, concern for his family, and stood up for righteousness, justice, and truth. Dr. King knew what he was up against was daunting and knew enough to call on the name of Jesus. Dr. King believed in the power of prayer even through the countless number of threats he received and even arrested he stood unyielding for what is right, justice. Dr. King refused to sink in the quick-sands of racism and abhorrence. Dr. King realized that he had to alter the mindset of society if change was to come.

Dr. Martin Luther King is a very passionate, motivating and an inspiring speaker. His “I Have a Dream" is a perfect example of pathos. His speech had so much passions that it filled the audience with so much emotions. Even though there is a strong presence of pathos, than logo and ethos. They are very much present in his speech.

August 28, 1963 (Eidenmuller) marked a very important day in history that had an impact not only on America, but the whole world. On this day, Martin Luther King Jr. presented his well known I Have a Dream speech that aimed to eliminate racism, inequality and discrimination. He strongly believed that one day people would put their differences aside and come together. So, what happened to that dream? Along with other equality initiative ideas, they rarely make it past the idea stages or end in the actual eradication result. It is clear to us that even after 51 years, our societies still struggle with accepting full equality. Within those 51 years we have made a mass amount of progress but, a common thought would be that after this long the issue should have been eradicated. Two essays that can be used as an example of proof that racial inequality still exists in our society are, Black Men in Public Spaces by Brent Staples and Who Shot Johnny? by Debra Dickerson. In these essays, both provide solid evidence to support their main goal with the use of different writing styles, tone, and rhetorical devices to display how African Americans are perceived and treated by society.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in 1929. He was born in the shadow of his father and eventually became the Baptist minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956. While he was the head of the church, he led a boycott of Alabama’s segregated bus system. Dr. King was also the spokesman for the American civil rights movement that ultimately led to him being honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1963, while he was incarcerated in an Alabama jail, he read a statement that had was issued to him by his fellow clergy men that questioned the wisdom of his tactics used in his non-violent movement. The statement also sympathized with the goals that the civil rights movement had set forth. Dr. King advocated and practiced nonviolent civil disobedience, which critics argued that the law should be obeyed even by those who worked to change it. In formulating his reply to the statement, King used tattered scraps of paper that were lying around and a smuggled in pen from lawyers to compose the open letter titled “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”. The letter was heavily circulated in many liberal magazines and newspapers until it reached a million copies and became the single most famous document of the movement. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

Dr. King often wondered whether he really was up to the rigors and the task of leading the nonviolent protest. He often stressed to his colleagues that he as an individual was not really crucial to the protest, that if something ever happened to him, or should he step away, the movement would continue to move ahead. Finally, it seemed clear that it was something inside of him saying he had to stand up for what’s right and also stand up for what justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights Era, advocating for the Civil Rights Act’s passage and eventually passage of the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s. In his capacity as a Civil Rights leader, MLK delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech after the march for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. His speech was delivered on August 28th in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In his speech, MLK made sure to emphasize the hope that many African Americans had in the United States. Furthermore, MLK makes it clear that hope to him is defined as, “Sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners can sit down at the table of brotherhood… that Mississippi will someday be turned into an oasis of freedom and justice… that [his] children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” (King, 219) MLK’s sense of hope is shared by his need for the humane and equal treatment of African Americans. Moreover, MLK stands and speaks in front of Abraham Lincoln’s National Monument, alluding to the historic signing of the Emancipation Proclamation which abolished slavery. The significance of this allusion helps to show the progress that has yet to be made, the fact that African Americans 100 years later still need to fight to be treated like human beings. MLK hopes to lead a movement which will see the abolishment of segregation between people of color and white people, as well as the right for African Americans to vote and reform their

Dr. Martin Luther King is considered the formative figure in the modern fight for civil rights (Honor Martin Luther King's Legacy , n.d.). He became a legend in his own right by leading a large group of people in his movement who were inspired by his “I have a Dream” speech, which resonated across the nation. People that he met, addressed, encouraged, or influenced, followed him knowing there would be a light at the end of the tunnel to end segregation. Dr. King wisely used his knowledge and experience to solve a myriad of issues without trying to cause further public distress or troubles. Even though his followers were often at odds, he was able to corral them to overcome their burdens. Dr. King’s attributes have inspired me in many ways.

On August 28, 1963, in a monumental moment in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his powerful “I Have A Dream” speech in front of a crowd of over 250,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. The year 1963 is of particular interest to me because it comes just 3 years after the end of the 1950s, a period that to this day receives mixed analysis when examined. To many the 1950s was considered to be America’s so called ‘happy days,’ but to others like Martin Luther King Jr. and the thousands of civil rights protestors that followed him and other leaders, the 1950s marked a period of social injustice and racial oppression. “I have a dream...” said Dr. King “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’” (King, 1964) It was not even a year later after delivering these famous words that on July 2nd, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Civil Rights of 1964 into law which permanently ended legal discrimination against individuals based on race, gender, nationality, and religion. While we would all love to say that the story ended there as Americans graciously accepted the new laws and lived out the rest of their lives in harmony with all other Americans, that is not the case. In 1965 peaceful African-American protesters in Selma, Alabama were beaten and assaulted by white policeman in what was later

This theme of unarmed truth and unconditional love is also one of the major themes in the poem On Being Brought from Africa to America which was written by Phillis Wheatley in 1768 while she lived in America. This poem is about a slave who was brought from Africa to America. Mercy converts the slave to Christianity, which she did not know anything about while she was in Africa. The poem contemplates the writer’s belief that anyone, despite your

King and by doing so, won the support of 75% blacks. King urged for Kennedy

Dr. King had the courage to face the risk and pursed non-violent call to arms. He led a social movement of equality during a time when he wasn’t supported by most. He was threatened and despised by many but he did not show reluctance or even shaken. In fact, he encouraged others by telling them cold facts

Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American social activist and baptist minister who spoke and fought peacefully for equality and human rights for African Americans. He led many protest such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, those of which he helped bring out the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. King was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Thought he was assassinated in 1968, the remembrance of him became a U.S. federal holiday in 1986 and still continues to be celebrated throughout America. King once said “ I️ 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.” Through his inspiring ‘I Have A Dream Speech’ he spoke these words. This speech marked the beginning of a new era in black history and has also become one of the most important speeches in the history of America. Within his speech, he flawlessly demonstrates the use of ethos, pathos, and logos to support his claims against racism and segregation in America.

He spoke of how “one hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” referring to how even after all the movements such as Black Lives Matter, racism and inequality still exist and are prominent in today’s society. Similar to Ta-Nehisi, King also wanted his kids to live in a world where they will be treated just like all the white kids, with fair treatment, the same rights, and equal opportunity. It is through people like King that a nation is able to take bigger steps in the right direction. When people are able to put their fears aside, they are enabling oneself to stand up for what is right. By Martin Luther King Jr taking a stand against what is going on the country, he was able to light a fire under other people and encourage them to speak up against what they believe is wrong. He not only inspired the people of his generation to take a stand, but set a precedent for the generations to follow.