Leaders for social and political change
Michelle Clark
WGU
Themes in U.S. and World History
GKE
August 1, 2013
Leaders for social and political change
Over the course of history, there have been many battle stories, both political and social of how nations have become what we know today. Among these stories are those of social injustices, hatred, and racism, as well as personal and political struggles. From the many injustices our predecessors have overcome, leaders have emerged. Individuals who will forever be revered by millions and will hopefully continue to inspire our youth. Nelson Mandela and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. are two leaders that have greatly impacted not only their country, but the world. Both of these
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Like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. also had a vision of racial equality. He was a Baptist minister that led the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement from December 1955, until April 4, 1968. At the time of the civil rights movement segregation was prevalent in the southern United States. Blacks and whites were valued differently and considered a different class from one another. They did not share the same rights, and black Americans were treated unfairly. The most significant political change that occurred as a result of the actions of Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. was the legislature that passed the American Civil Rights Act in 1965. It was through this act that racial discrimination was eliminated, and made illegal. Finally black American people were afforded the same rights as white Americans. The right to education, public transportation and non-discrimination in the workplace was a reality, all because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would not give up, and persevered until the American Civil Rights Act was passed. This legislature allowed for the most significant social change of all, the end of segregation, which is directly the result of the actions of Martin Luther King Jr. In Dr. King’s own words, “The American racial revolution has been a revolution to “get in” rather than to overthrow. We want to share in the American economy, the housing market, the educational system and the social opportunities” (King Jr., 1966, p. 3). His dream is a reality
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of many African American citizens with his empowering speech about the equality of mankind and the desecration of man itself. Standing in front of 250,000 people on the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, King declaimed his views on equality and changed America in ways most leaders wish they could. The great and inspiring civil rights leader played a pivotal role in ending the segregation between African American men and women with his rhetorical language, leaving a great impact on America today. Through his wide range of ethos, pathos, and logos, as well as tropes, appeals, and scheme techniques, he influenced Americans to believe that all men, black or white, are created equal.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a well-known Civil Rights leader of the 1960s. King was born in 1929, and he changed and touched many lives during the span of his lifetime (McGuire & Hutchings, 2007). King was a Baptist preacher, and he won several awards for being a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (McGuire & Hutchings, 2007). King was also affiliated with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People better known as the NAACP. King’s mission was to make America believe in equal rights for all no matter the color of skin or gender. King led marches to stand up for minorities whose skin were not white. King wanted equality, and that is what he fought hard to get. King is
After Being Dragged out of their homeland, brought to an unknown country, and forced to be slaves, African-Americans saw a road trip to equality through the eyes of Martin Luther King, Jr. Even after being emancipated from slaves to citizens, African-Americans were not ready to wage the battle against segregation alone. The weight which African Americans carried on their back, was lightened when they began to see what Martin Luther King, Jr. brought to the table against segregation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the single most important African-American leader of the Civil Rights Movement and was responsible for dramatically improving the chance of equality for African-Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the key individual, which helped
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.”
A lot of acts happened during the civil rights movements. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the main host of most of the acts that happened during this time. He dedicated a decade of his life to see if he could pursuit racial equality and social justice. He fought for what he believe in and that’s what I think most of us individuals need to do for change to
Dr. King was looking for support from members of society in order to create an effective change in society’s ethics. Moreover, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s large audience and public movement used nonviolent tactics, such as sit-ins, marches, and freedom rides to put the Civil Rights Movement in action. Before directly acting against the law, Dr. King had used other means to try to obtain justice for all; he used the four basic steps of a nonviolent campaign to decide how he would approach this cultural issue of racism: determination of whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action (King 1). After the first three steps of his nonviolent campaign proved to be ineffective, he decided to seek direct action through a large demonstration of civil disobedience. Dr. King had a tremendous impact on the segregation issue in not just Birmingham, but the entire country, by leading the Civil Rights Movement, which eventually helped influence anti-segregation legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that affected a massive population of the entire country. Although Dr. King’s journey ended in his assassination, his relentless passion for equal rights was empowering to many and helped to create a more just society.
Martin Luther King Jr. started a revolution in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in change. He wanted to put an end to the Jim Crow laws which gave Negroes economic, educational, and social disadvantages. These laws made white people more superior than the blacks. Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice was heard when he chose to boycott these laws after a woman by the name of Rosa Parks was arrested because she
King, Jr. was a strong believer in the fact that every race should be treated equally to one another. As Edward Berry stated in his own Rhetorical Analysis, “Doing Time: King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail””, King dreamed of a time where whites and blacks could be equal (111). Some of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s largest achievements through this movement where the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and obviously the Birmingham Campaign. He gave his all into this movement and on April 4, 1969, at the young age of 39, was assassinated because of his belief in racial equality and gave his life for the Civil Rights Campaign. Like Martin Luther King said in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, “I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom far beyond my own hometown (1). And that he did. Which is one of the biggest reasons that he is so widely remembered in the United States of America and
One of the many influential people in American History was Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a pastor in the Baptist faith, but he also was a leader in the advancement of colored people. During Dr. King’s time, segregation was at an all time high throughout the nation. But Dr. King, didn’t believe in violent protest, instead he insisted non-violent protest was the way to go. Dr. King held multiple speeches in multiple states about civil rights in America, until he reached the national level. On August
In a dark world, a time full of hate, hurt, and segregation, a man stood out against those injustices, Martin Luther King Jr.. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very strong activist in the civil rights movement. King was a pioneer of the “no violence” and “no harm” era of protesting. He became a leader for African Americans and whites who opposed the idea of segregation. These people wanted change, they stood together as brothers and as Americans, all led by the great qualities of Martin Luther King Jr.. On the road to civil rights, King had many quotes that had given people hope, trust, and faith and many are still used today.
Martin Luther King Jr. always knew everyone was equal. No matter what race you are, you are just as equal as the person beside you. Ever since Martin Luther King Jr. was a young boy, he had a church background. Martins father was a pastor. As Martin got older and went to college he actually turned against ministry. Later on down the road Martin decided to take a bible class. This class changed Martins thoughts. After King graduated college he became a minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist church of montgomery, and a social activist. Age 26, was Martin Luther King Jr.’s first leadership of civil rights. His first mission was after Rosa Parks got arrested. Martin got a call from a group named Montgomery Improvement Association. The group had chose Martin Luther King Jr. to be their leader. Of course Martin wanted to help, so him and Nixon met at the NAACP to plan the boycott. The Montgomery bus boycott ended up lasting 381 days into December 1956. Finally the U.S supreme court ruled that the segregation law was unconstitutional. Montgomery buses were integrated. This was Martin Luther
From 1955 to 1968, Martin Luther King was a major leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Brought up in the midst of traditional Southern Black ministers, King’s childhood was surrounded with the strong racial prejudices of the South. As a middle class southerner, he built an armour of righteousness and equality around himself and it was these strong values that influenced his decisions in life. We judge significance in various ways - how important a person is to us, how important they were to others and how they changed our life's for the better or worse. Therefore, when we begin the debate, I strongly believe that Martin Luther King-(King) was extremely significant in some areas of the Civil Rights Movement. Such as his powerful
Martin Luther King Jr. aspired to change the course of history for the United States by terminating racism and segregation. Both had been prevalent for previous centuries and King followed in the footsteps of those who desired the goals that
Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. were two prominent Americans to struggle against racism, discrimination and they too had to suffer quite a lot for Black emancipation. Martin was one of the most famouse an African-American leader and human rights activist who demanded an end to racial discrimination against blacks in 1964. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was the youngest to hold it. Assassinated on April 4, 1968, and fought for freedom and human rights. Luther was concern to rejected all violence types.
America in the 1960s was not the finest time for African Americans, especially in the South. There was racism, injustice and inequality. However, the ‘devotees’ of the civil rights movement were dedicated and passionate about making a difference. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those pioneers that remained true in what he believed in no matter what the circumstance.