Martin Luther King Jr.'s Fight For Equality

Freedom, equality, justice three simple words that’s what they seem to us but what about to those who had to fight to obtain their freedom? To them having Freedom, Equality, and Justice meant having a future, not living in fear, and pursuing their dreams. Many African-Americans formerly enslaved believed that after the civil war they would be treated like equal citizens. The results they got wasn’t what they expected, instead many people used ignorance, racism, and self-interest to spread racial division. By 1900, new laws and old customs in the North and South had created a segregated society. This condemned African- Americans to second-class citizen ship. There was A man who was tired of seeing all of this racial injustice. Martin luther king jr a man fighting not only for himself but for others. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses strategic support by applying Rhetorical questioning, and similes in his writing, to open the church leaders' eyes to racial injustice and convince them to take action against it.

Dr. King had a “dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” He gave his famous “I have dream” speech at the nation’s capital with 200,000 supporter asking for a peaceful change. Martin Luther King showed patience when he stated “I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land!

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

Martin had many great accomplishments. One of his great accomplishments is when Martin lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Martin and a group of men were discussing how they could get people to get together to help stand for what is

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality...I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” These famous words by the honorable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. best capture his frame of mind and the hopes he once held for the African American people during his fight for civil rights. King was an activist, pastor, and strong leader whose actions played an integral role in the advancement of the African American people as a whole. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, King spent the overwhelming majority of his life leading the African American Civil Rights Movement by using his very effective non-violent approach. Based off of his strong Christian beliefs, King led a multitude of boycotts, protests, marches, and speeches over the course of his life. These include the Montgomery Movement as well as one of his most famous speeches, the “I Have A Dream” speech.

“ If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” (King). Martin Luther King Jr. is a name many know. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in a very religious family, with his father being a pastor, and all. He was galvanized by his father and became a Baptist minister and social minister after he attended Boston University at the age of 15. He, later, married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953, a woman who mothered his four children, Yolanda King (1955), Martin Luther King III(1957), Dexter Scott King (1961) , and Bernice King (1963). He was greatly motivated by many great people such as Gandhi, Lincoln, and many other well-known males. King played a tremendous role in the civil rights movement. He was a great leader who inspired many people, during and after his lifetime. A huge role model for many people to this very day, and generations to come. He was an inspiration and role model because he used nonviolence to fight for equal rights, he never stopped fighting for what he believed in, and because he was a voice that convinced people that “all men are created equal.”

He changed the lives of many people, black and white. During the Civil Rights Movements, People of color or “blacks” were treated badly because of the color of their skin. Most white people looked at African Americans as if they were animals. It was not fair to them, they didn’t like it. Colored people could not drink from the same water fountain, eat at the same restaurants, or even go to the same place as white people. Most white kids weren’t even allowed to talk to blacks, let alone play with them. Schools were nothing like they are today. No white parent in the south wanted their child to go to school with a black person; so children were separated. White children got better education, better food, better jobs; they got better things than people of color. King tried his hardest to change this.

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.

The way peaceful black men get treated today is prevalent to King. In 1963 Dr Martin Luther King Jr, was arrested for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham Alabama. In the “letter from Birmingham jail” he talks about his nonviolent protest steps, and the excessive force he received from Birmingham police officers,” you wouldn’t commend the policemen if you observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negros.” (2017). Similar to King, Eric Garner also experienced excessive force by police that also lead to protest from the community.

Why? What did the Black race do to deserve this? Martin Luther King Jr. knew that was happening in the daily lives of the Black community was not okay. He took a stand and used his preaching and public speaking abilities to try to make a change. Martin went to jail several times while trying to make a difference during his protest for racial equality. With his act of courage, strong willingness, and positivity, he and the people that followed continued to push forward for the justice and equal rights that they deserved. Martin Luther King made an amazing effect on the world’s racial equality towards Blacks that caused the community's atmosphere to reunite as one race.

The Civil Rights movement was extremely important to our history. The fight for equality started long before the 1960’s for African Americans. Tennesseans fought to keep blacks and whites separated. Freedom was hard to come by in Tennessee and many whites opposed the “freedman.” Black Tennesseans fought for their right to vote back in 1867 and won. However, this was not the end; soon the Klu Klux Klan came into play as well. These years were just the beginning in the fight for equality in Tennessee. Tennessee was very much involved in the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Cynthia Fleming makes this clear in her article, ‘"We Shall Overcome": Tennessee and the Civil Rights Movement,’ where she discussed the involvement and impact

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.

“I have a dream 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.” This was a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. He believed in the idea of equality for all men, in a world where a black man and a white man can walk together side by side, a world without segregation, jobs and equal pay for the people. Martin Luther led one of the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of the United States. As a civil right activist, he stood for equal rights for all people and he led a great march of over two hundred and fifty thousand civil right supporters for quality and the end of racism in the United States. His speech “I have a dream” paved the way in setting a decisive moment for the American civil rights movement in the country.

How would you feel if you were discriminated based upon the color of your skin? Imagine you were treated differently and poorly because of it. A man by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. had enough and began to stand up for his fellow brother and sister. He came to Birmingham, Alabama, probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States, to help address this case. Dr. King was jailed for his movement for racial justice(1). While confined, he wrote "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" addressing the issues of segregation to a group of people called clergymen. Clergymen were the white leaders of the community. King says he is not happy with the criticism and wishes to negotiate with the city

During the 1960s the United States of America would experience the new civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr was one of the many leaders of the civil rights movement, he would lead protests and would speak to the public. In 1955 in a speech King would speak about Rosa Parks and her arrest in Montgomery for refusing to get up from her bus seat. Rosa parks was a citizen of Montgomery. She was well respected in the community and was a good Christian citizen. She was a well known civil rights activist. When the civil rights movement began to grow in the 1950s and 60s she became known for her refusal to give up her seat for a white man. She would be arrested, and Martin Luther King Jr would support her actions. Like King Rosa Parks would become a public figure and provide a face for the movement.