Martin Luther King Jr.: Taking A Stand In History

Topic: Martin Luther king Jr. General Purpose: To commemorate Specific Purpose: To commemorate Elizabeth Blackwell Thesis Statement: According to Martin Luther King Jr. Biography, Martin Luther king Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. I. Introduction A. Attention Material: “I Have a Dream.” Those were some of the famous words Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1963.

Epic heroes are commemorated as being someone who commits improbable feats. They aren’t superior, but they oblige to deeds they feel are right. Non-oblivious to the horrid racism going on around him growing up, Martin Luther King Jr. alleviated and dedicated most of his life to what he could change as an adult: segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the characteristics of an epic hero because he was competent of great deeds, he signified humility, and possessed supernatural help.

For more than a year, the African-American community in Montgomery successfully boycotted the city bus company, Montgomery City Bus Lines, which resulted in the loss of much needed revenue to support the city expenses. The Bus Boycott was the impetus for many whites to act violently towards African Americans in Montgomery. Being an avid member of the NAACP, King became much involved in the boycott. King's non-violent approach towards the boycott obviously drew a lot of attention. King's home in Montgomery was firebombed by openly racist members of the Ku Klux Klan [KKK] (Norrell 1). Seeing that the bus

As a few white passengers boarded the bus and the white sections were already full so the driver shouted back at four black people including Rosa Parks “Move y'all, I want those two seats”. As this demand was made by the driver 3 of the bus riders obeyed to what was shouted back, however Rosa Parks remained in her seat and was determined not to move. She was arrested following the bus drivers order and fined ten dollars. This, however small incited a great wave of bus boycotts which in Montgomery black people chose not to ride the bus for a period of 381 days. This still to date is known as the moment in which the civil rights movement started to gain headway. It was the will of one woman who decided it was time for black people to take a stand and from this point on Martin Luther King was assigned to take this boycott on. Although he was assigned to take this on people also felt as he was young, fresh and people had not formulated enough of an opinion of him, there was little room for him to be hated yet so he posed as the right figure to lead this. After the many days of boycotting the case of this transport issue in Alabama went to the Supreme Court. Here it was decided that segregation was declared as unconstitutional so segregation by law was no

In Martin Luther King Jr.s book, Stride Toward Freedom, he has discussed how the people of oppression have dealt with the conditions they are being put in. Within the book King will explain three ways that people have chosen to handle the issue. Using chronological order, King will demonstrate his thesis that acquiescence, violence, and nonviolence are the three behaviors of the oppressed. Throughout the book the use of description, allusions, and word choice can all be found.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an astonishing activist that inspired a numerous amount of people with his speech. Dr. King was great because he displayed some traits. Some of the traits that he possessed were leadership, determination, and bravery. He was a man that preached about justice and wanted peace. Everyone can make a change and keep the dream alive by doing what Dr. King wanted. Which was to allow freedom to ring and to all come together as one.

During his confinement in Birmingham city jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a man of patience and virtue, wrote, “…we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive” (Ali-Dinar). Throughout his life, King led peaceful protests to further equality and justice in the African American community; many were opposed with police brutality and fierce discrimination. Had it not been for the media, which broadcasted to Americans nationwide, the eyes of the public and the President would have remained shut to the continuing unequal treatment of the law and violent oppression that many African Americans faced. Despite attempts to halt their movement, the protesters

The Civil Rights Movement had several pros however there are cons to every situation. The suffering of people were cured by the medicine of the great personality that still stand as the role model of the world, Martin Luther King Jr. He cured the people with the speeches they delivered and the letters they wrote. The letters and speeches delivered during this movement had been very inspirational in which it made more people want to become a part of this immense movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was very inspirational but had different ways to handle things than other civil rights movement leaders. MLK Jr. was a very big contributor to the Civil Rights Movement but he said everything through “The Letter from Birmingham”. The Civil rights Movement

Due to that success the Montgomery Improvement Association, led by a young minister named Martin Luther King Jr., planned a permanent boycott until their demands were met. They asked for courteous treatment, seating on a first come, first serve basis, and black bus drivers for mostly black bus routes. Businesses and private homes started to feel the effects of the boycott. Whites started to fight back. Blacks were arrested for walking the streets. Dr. King's home was bombed. The boycott lasted eleven months before there were any positive results. The Supreme Court ruled that segregation on Alabama buses was unconstitutional. The boycott was an astounding success and it brought Dr. Martin Luther King to prominence. 1

Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful and courageous man who used a non-violent manner to stand up for all that he believed in. King Jr. sought for equal rights for African Americans during his life. He not only participated but led many of the acts to push equal rights such as the bus boycott, antisegregation campaigns, the March on Washington, and civil rights rallies throughout the United States. Due to his strenuous work for equal rights, King Jr. was one of the major reasons for the passing of the Civil Rights Bill in 1964 (Bennett). Martin Luther King Jr.’s hard-working, dedicated personality is one of the predominant reasons that there are civil rights in the United States; if it

Fear and prejudice are two significant factors that people let subdue their emotions and beliefs. Throughout history and all the way to current day, the people and groups who never surrendered to fear and prejudice were the ones who prevailed. With that, one should never surrender to fear or prejudice, regardless of the cost.

In addition to Biography, this article tells us, “The bus company refused to back down and so Martin Luther King helped to organise a strike where coloured people refused to use any of the city buses. The boycott lasted for several months, the issue was then brought to the Supreme Court who declared the segregation was unconstitutional.” ( Biography Online). The boycott was very powerful and got a lot of attention so the Supreme Court eventually got involved. One final source told us, “ During the boycott King’s home was bombed, but he persuaded his followers to remain nonviolent despite threats to their lives and property.”

This broke the strict segregation of colored and white people on the Montgomery buses. The bus company refused to back down so Martin Luther King helped organise a strike where African-Americans refused to use any of the city buses. The boycott lasted 385 days and it became so tense Martin Luther King’s house was bombed. He was arrested during the campaign, which the United States District court ruling that ended segregation on all Montgomery buses. Martin Luther King’ role in this boycott made him into the best known spokesman of the civil rights

Martin Luther King is an extraordinary man who has accomplished great thing in his fight against injustice and segregation. like Selma and other cities it was clouded in a storm of racism but Martin Luther King came and reduced it to ash. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” (Martin Luther King) and I think of that wondering if I can live up to those words. Back in the 20’s through 60’s racism was at it’s strongest and it got worse. Martin Luther King had a role model that shaped Dr.King into the man he is and that was his father. Dr. King has achieved many accomplishments and fought many political fights to get Civil Rights.

A Biography of Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream…" are the famous words stated by Martin Luther King