The Civil Rights Movement: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This movement redefines the idea of what it meant to be free in America. Faced with racial discrimination, social prejudice and poor services, the minority groups realized that they had to fight for their rights. Studies by McWhorter

Civil rights was an important American issue through the late 40s through the 60s. During this time period Baseball was “America’s Pastime, “and a major social get together for white Americans. However in 1947 both of these event were combined when the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Jackie Robinson a chance to play professional baseball. Jackie Robinson is the target of my biography. Robinson not only was the first African American baseball player, but he also had a hall of fame career, and eventually had his number retired by all of Major League Baseball. It is important to know about him because he helped accelerate the civil rights movement in America. Although his entrance was brutal with the abuse he received and the obscenities that were yelled at him. He helped the transition to not only make African Americans accepted in professional sports, but also to help the acceptance of African Americans in the civil rights movement.

When people hear the word Civil Rights Movement, two men automatically come to their minds, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. While both these men had very different views and ideas, they also shared similarities. Part of the reason for their different views was because one was in the South and the other was in the North. Martin saw a Dream that could be fulfilled in the South and Malcolm saw a Nightmare, which would never end in the North. Martin and Malcolm were raised in very different homes. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta; his family status was that of the middle class, he never experienced poverty or hunger like Malcolm did.

The Civil Rights movement occurred from 1954 to 1965, in a time of great change. The Civil Rights movement had a lot of dissention, with different groups and people using different approaches to achieve the common goal of gaining rights for African Americans that were being denied to them. Outside of the Civil Rights movement there were those who actively opposed the movement and tried their best to see its goals not come to fruition. Some of those who opposed the movement’s goals were George C. Wallace, those part of the Southern Declaration of Integration, and everyday people and police officers. Some of the black leaders who were part of the Civil Rights movement were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael.

Civil Rights’ Activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his speech, “I Have a Dream” argues that African-Americans are fighting for equal rights and Martin Luther King uses many resources of language to promote his message of equality. He supports his claim by first using rhetorical appeals to promote his message of equality and the using imagery to create depth in his message of equality. Martin Luther King’s purpose is to inform and describe the segregation that was going on in the U.S. in order to help African-Americans gain their equal rights. He creates a hopeful tone for African-Americans and people who wanted everyone to have equal rights.

As the civil rights movement progressed in the 1960's, Martin Luther King Jr. was already appealing to people's hearts. Fighting against racism in America, he believed that the only way to achieve long lasting results was through peace and non-violence. However, Malcolm X had different values. He believed that to accomplish his goals, he needed to do whatever it took to achieve them. Although they both have very impactful marks on the world, Martin Luther King Jr. stance on racism was much superior to Malcolm X's.

Time and time again we have seen the act of civil disobedience being a success. The most notorious being Martin Luther King Jr. and his endeavor to bring about the Civil Right's Movement. However, Martin Luther King Jr. was not the only one to demonstrate the positive effect civil disobedience can have on a nation. People like Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Henry Thoreau, those involved in the Boston Tea Party, and many others exhibited the potential of civil disobedience.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Civil Rights Activist Minister for the African American. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 along with different awards. Martin was the middle child of Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and entered a public school at the age of 5. In May 1936 he was baptized, but at the time he didn’t really believe in that religious stuff. 1941 in the month of May Martin’s grandmother Jennie had died while watching a parade against his parents’ wishes when she had the heart attack. Once Martin had gotten the news, when he got home he attempted suicide by jumping out of their two story family house. He attended Booker T. Washington High school, which he skipped both the 9th and 11th grade due to being so ahead in learning. At

Throughout history, people have made sacrifices, changes, and big decisions that later sometimes result in something grand. These grand occurrences can either be good or bad. Usually as time goes on these events and most well-known people of this time are highlighted in history classes for students to learn and to honor those of that time. However, some of the smaller people that contributed to historical events aren’t as highlighted as those that were seen as the big leaders. For example, in the American Revolution, the people that usually come to mind are George Washington, Paul Revere, and Thomas Jefferson. What about the people who were injured, scared and killed because of this bloody war? They seem to be forgotten until they are highlighted once again. Another example of a person that was not really highlighted for their actions is Nina Simone. She made an impact on the Civil Right Movement that not many other artist or celebrity would have done. When you think of the Civil Rights Movement the first three that come to mind of course are, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Rosa Parks. So, when someone hears the name Nina Simone the two most common responses might be “Who’s that?” or “Oh the singer?”. But what is forgotten is how she, at such a high level, put her reputation at a risk. Nina Simone was a very well-known singer of the 1950s and 1960s especially for her song “Feeling Good”. She didn’t just use her popularity for fame and money but to express

A african american man with a dream. A american baptist and activist who was a leader in the african american civil rights movement. Also known as Martin Luther King Jr. In 1954, Martin Luther King Jr became a pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama. He was always passionate about his race and he civil rights. In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to provide new leadership for the burgeoning civil rights movement.

Since ministers from the black church rose as formal charismatic leaders in the movement, there was not a situation in which a woman could be a charismatic leader.

“Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American Civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968”(“Martin Luther King Jr.”). For many years people have celebrated a day known as “Martin Luther King Day” in honor of a man who stood up for his beliefs and stood up for his race (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). Many observe the third Monday of January as a regular day, while others observe it as a day to remember a man who changed America. But how did Martin Luther King contribute to the civil rights movement and what was the result of his actions? Of the prominent civil rights leaders of his time, Martin Luther King (MLK) was the most influential.

By the start of the 1960s, most Americans had in view another emerging Gilded Age. The charming John F. Kennedy turned out to be a president that the United States needed to see. He was in his abilities as a president and a man. His poise looked to establish the tone for the next decade. However, that Gilded Age never arrived. In contrast, by late 1960s the nation seemed to be on the brink of collapse. During JFKs’ presidential campaign commenced he established an ambitious domestic agenda exceeding Truman’s New Deal and called it “New Frontier,” a compendium of laws and restructurings that could remove inequality and discrimination in the United States. However, the New Frontier contended immediately with the refusal by a Congressional Democratic majority group of Southerners who despised the plan and did everything possible to block it.

The 1960’s remains as one of the most controversial decades of the twentieth century. It would be bright with hope and dignity, see the liberal state attain its mightiest reforms, reach up until the Obama administration, and end in discord and disillusionment. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement were strong, John F. Kennedy had liberalism steered towards the future, and the deaths of both iconic heroes would alter each revolution too soon.

On Monday, May 16, 2004, our teacher, Mrs. Shugar told us to write an essay about whoever was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She then ran to her desk and grabbed a stack of papers. She gave everyone a piece of paper, it was a list of people who did some amazing things during the Civil Rights Movement. I immediately started to scroll down the list and stop at a name that made my heart skip a beat. I stopped at the name Ida B. Wells. I didn’t know why but there was something about her, so I looked her up. She led an anti-lynching group during the Civil Rights Movement. I needed to know more about her, so I took my dad’s new time lapse machine and jumped back to the year 1980.