John Lewis Turning Points

Another important turning point in Lewis life was when he decided not to go to college. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go to college, but that Lewis felt that helping others were more important. On his application for the freedom riders, he wrote, “I know that education is important and I hope to get one, but human dignity is the most important thing in my life.” (Lewis 30) In other words, Lewis was willing to put his entire life on hold in able to help others and stand up for what he believed in. After being told no by his parents, he said, “In Nashville I’d meet people who opened my eyes to a sense of values that would forever dominate my moral philosophy—the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence.” (Lewis 70) So although Lewis didn’t get to

Martin Luther King Jr. gave arguably one of his most influential speeches on 3 April, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. This would be the last speech he would give to the American people before he was killed shortly after. The speech addresses the unfair treatment of African Americans and how they should respond to it. He talks about how he wants people to peacefully join together in full force in order to fight for equal rights. King talks about all of the successes the Civil Rights Movement has had so far and what his hopes are for future success. He explains all of the events he is thankful he had the opportunity to experience. It acts almost as a goodbye to all of his supporters and a reassurance that everything will be okay no matter what happens in the future. Throughout the speech he appears very confident that the Civil Rights Movement will have the success that he has intended. The speech was, in many ways, unique due to the fact that it seemed as though Martin Luther King Jr. knew that it would be on of his last speeches he would have the ability of making. It Throughout the speech, King uses ethos, pathos, and logos in order to effectively get his point out to his listeners.

John Lewis, even from a very young age wanted to become a preacher. “I’ll never forget my mother reading aloud to me the first words in that book…

One of Lewis’ earliest turning points in his life was when his uncle gave him his first bible. Lewis recalls, “Growing up, what I really wanted to be was a

While growing up, these major turning points reveal who John Lewis really is. Towards the beginning, one of the main points is receiving the Bible, and involving it in his life. In Pike County, Alabama, John grows up on his father’s farm. John states, “Growing up, what I really wanted to be was a preacher. An uncle gave me a Bible for Christmas when I was four,” (Lewis and Aydin 26). So at a very young age, John already had a hold a bible, but it was later in his years when he started to study it. Lewis states, “By the time I was five I could read it myself and one phrase struck me strongly,

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15 , 1929 and died on April 4, 1968. He was born Michael Luther King Jr. but decided to change his name to Martin. Both Martin Luther’s grandfather and father were pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Martin Luther carried on the tradition and served as pastor from 1960-1968 (Nobel Prize, 1). He was a big part of the civil rights movement for his race. In fact he was the most important voice in this movement. Dr. King is know for his nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice. Throughout his life he tried his hardest to make people understand that “all men are created equal”(American

It was after a group of young men start attacking to part of John Lewis’s group and eventually beating up everyone around. He declares, “I was not afraid. I felt free, liberated like I had crossed over” (Lewis and Aydin 1:102). The beginning of new era had begun, a new John Lewis who was not afraid of anything. His commitment with the movement was unparalleled. It shows how strong his personality is, maybe he is trying to say that nothing was going to stop him…. What was the worst thing that could happen to him? Go to jail? Again? Seems like he is always going to make his best effort to make this country a little bit better… just like he says, “We wanted to change America – to make it something different, something better.” (Lewis and Aydin 1:103). It was not about him or a reduced group of people, it was about an oppressed community that was suffering injustice as we can’t even imagine. Lewis also says, “The first of many” (Lewis and Aydin 1:103). Just in case we did not understand his first message, this one was clear and loud, he will keep protesting no matter what or who. Unfortunately, his parents did not in the same way as he did with the news of his first arrest. He tells us, “When my parents found out I’d been arrested and gone to jail, they were devastated. I was an embarrassment, a source of

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. (History) He was an activist, a fighter for civil rights, and was destined to a life of serving God as a pastor. His father and grandfather were pastors. He later followed in their footsteps and became the pastor of his father. Along with being involved in the church community he became a non-violent activist for human rights and the black communities during the times of segregation. Because he had graduated from high school, received his Bachelor’s Degree from Morehouse College, and then went on to get his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University proved that he was a well-educated black man. His education and strong beliefs for his race landed him as a chairman in the NAACP and in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. King sought

Listening to Martin Luther King’s speech changed the way Lewis viewed everyday activities, he felt like he was not doing his part by sitting on the sidelines. “Dr. King’s message hit me like a bolt of lightning. He applied the principles of the church to what was happening now, Today. It was called the Social Gospel and I felt like he was preaching directly to me.” (Lewis Aydin 56). Lewis could not get enough information on MLK, he had to go to the library and look up everything he could about this man. This changed Lewis by opening his eyes to a bigger better world. He felt that MLK was different from any other leader and that’s exactly what Lewis wanted to do, but didn’t know how so his uncle took him on a trip to Buffalo.

Early in John Lewis’ life he was exposed to scriptures in the bible which helped inspire Lewis further in life to be a better person. An early example of Lewis receiving these scriptures is seen when Lewis says, “An Uncle gave me a bible for Christmas when I was four… and yes, I do remember when I was four” (Lewis 27). What this statement is saying is at a very young age John Lewis was given a set of scriptures and they were so meaningful to him that he could remember when he received them. This can be evidence of a turning point in John Lewis’ life because this bible sparked something in him that he has remembered throughout his life. Further on in Lewis’ life he states, “By the time I was five I could read the scriptures myself, and one phrase stuck out to me strongly… Behold the lamb of God…which taketh away the sins of

The “social gospel” was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young, living on a farm. Leading him to the “social gospel” which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the “social gospel.”

The social gospel was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young farm boy. Leading him to the social gospel which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the social gospel.

During the civil rights era, there were many iconic figures who created everlasting change. Although there were many individuals who did such thing, there were certain people who caused more of a major impact than others during this time in history. One of those icons were John Lewis, who teamed up with Andrew Aydin to create the March trilogy. These pieces examined John Lewis himself and his path throughout the civil rights movement. There were numerous factors that led John Lewis to become the civil rights activist that he became. Some may argue that every factor helped him in an equal way. However, I believe that although every factor helped drive him to become who he set out

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the predominant leader of the Civil Rights Movement to end racial discrimination and segregation in the latter half of the twentieth century. As a world-renowned spokesperson advocating nonviolent protest, many of his speeches were centered on peaceful ways to change the unfair treatment and segregation of blacks. His hope was to use these methods of nonviolent protest so that one day all of God’s children, whites and blacks included, would live, and treat each other, as equals. On April 3, 1968, he delivered what would be his final speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters).

The aim of this report is to explore the internal strengths and weaknesses of John Lewis and the external threats and opportunities for this organisation. Secondly, it will explore how John Lewis could use this SWOT analysis to benefit them in the future.