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The civil rights movement in the USA
The US CIVIL RIGHT MOVEMENT IN THE USA
The US CIVIL RIGHT MOVEMENT IN THE USA
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The civil rights movement was a period in the United States in which African-Americans actively started to demand equality for themselves. It was a movement to end prejudice and segregation against black people so that African-Americans could live as freely as white people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a very popular civil rights leader during the civil rights movement—is considered one of the most influential people during this time due to his method for achieving equality. Dr. King believed that the only way to end segregation and attain equality was to nonviolently resist by using a principle of love as a foundation. His belief in this method of nonviolence resistance through an ethic of love stemmed from his Christian faith and Gandhi. Dr. King’s ethic of love helped establish non-violence resistance and integrationism because it allowed oppressed African-Americans to have understanding, acceptance, and love for their white oppressor. Without the ethic of love, nonviolent resistance and integrationism would not have been possible.
During the period of the civil rights movement, there was a lot of violence and prejudice toward black people. Some violence included church bombings and lynching and some prejudice examples included segregation and prejudiced laws. A young Martin Luther King Jr. describes a prejudicial situation he recalls between his father and a clerk while waiting in a shoe store: “I’ll be happy to wait on you if you’ll just move to those seats in the rear,” said the clerk politely. “There’s nothing wrong with these seats. We’re quite comfortable here,” the minister [King Sr.] replied. “Sorry,” said the clerk “but you’ll have to move” (Ramsay, Four Modern Prophets 29). The situation was prejudicial ...
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...n attacked by them. The ethic of love towards other African-Americans allows them to not retaliate because of the love they have for their African-American brothers and sisters. Because African-Americans seek to win the struggle for integration they cannot be selfish by wanting to protect themselves through self-defense. They must think to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of their oppressed people. When faced with an issue such as self-defense, the ethic of love is necessary to overcome such an obstacle and to uphold the nonviolent resistance.
Work Cited
King, Martin Luther, and James Melvin. Washington. A Testament of Hope. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1991. Print.
Ramsay, William M. Four Modern Prophets: Walter Rauschenbusch, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gustavo Gutierrez, Rosemary Radford Ruether. Atlanta, GA: John Knox, 1986. Print.
Martin Luther King believed in integration, he believed that everyone, blacks and whites should live and work together as equals. ‘I have a dream that … one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.' He held hope that one day black and white Americans would be united as one nation. This approach was crucial for engaging the white community. King was best able to expres...
Martin Luther King Jr. is considered to be one of the most prominent human rights’ defenders of the XX century and the speaker for non-violent social change. He believed that building power is the most important task facing movements for human progress because the human progress comes through the tireless efforts of people, who should use powerful and true weapon – non-violence – in order to achieve positive effects. King managed to achieve brilliant success in the battle for the liberty of blacks and not pour the way to freedom by rivers of blood.
The civil rights movement was a popular historical movement that worked to allow African Americans to have equal rights and privileges as U.S. citizens. The movement can be defined as a struggle against racial segregation and discrimination that began in the 1950s. Although the origins of the civil rights movement go back to the 1800s, the movement peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. African American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement from local to national levels. Many actions of the civil rights movement were concentrated through legal means such as negotiations, appeals, and nonviolent protests. When we think of leaders or icons of the movement we usually think of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Even though Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are important figures, their participation in the movement was minimal compared to other unknown or forgotten figures. Howell Raines’s, My Soul Is Rested, contains recollections of voices from followers of the civil rights movement. These voices include students, lawyers, news reporters, and civil right activists. Although the followers of the movement were lesser known, the impact they made shaped the society we live in today.
From December, 1955 until April 4, 1968, in the less than 13 years of Martin Luther King as the leader of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, African Americans achieved more progress toward racial equality in America than in the previous 350 years. Dr. King is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent activist of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in history of the world.
The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most important events of the history of the United States. Although many people contributed to this movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., is widely regarded as the leader of the movement for racial equality. Growing up in the Deep South, King saw the injustices of segregation first hand. King’s studies of Mahatma Ghandi teachings influenced his views on effective ways of protesting and achieving equality. Martin Luther King’s view on nonviolence and equality and his enormous effect on the citizens of America makes him the most influential person of the twentieth century.
As mentioned earlier, different people treat unjust law cases differently since they are affected in other ways. Even among the Negroes the reactions varied. There were Negroes in the community that had “adjusted to segregation” because they were “so drained of self-respect and a sense of somebodiness”. Others were so oppressed by the injustices that reacted in violent ways. Mainly these people were in need of a leader that would explain to them why a nonviolent campaign would be more effective. Furthermore there were some “middle class Negroes who have become insensitive to the problems of the masses”. Then there were the white people that are in the oppressor’s side and did not care about the problems. Last, surprisingly enough, there were some exceptions to the rule. Some white people “may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture”. “But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom.”
Martin Luther King was a major activist and leader during the civil rights movement. He referred back to the scripture and God as an important component in his speeches and allowed the Bible to help lead him and the people towards equality for all races. The movement brought on grave brutality towards the African Americans people, they were publicly abused and harassed because of their skin color. Throughout his leadership Martin Luther King maintained a "nonviolence" slogan which the activists took seriously due to the trust they had in King's word. King's life revolved around his Christian faith, it gave him the courage, language and the sense of community to intensify the activists to gain justice and equality for all.
The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s was a mass mobilization and unification of people from varying backgrounds fighting for equal rights and equal opportunity for Black Americans. Black male leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. preached about equality and challenged people to consider social injustices within society. The leadership qualities and influence of Dr. King are undeniable. His rhetoric united Black America and identified their entitlement to the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Dr. King’s inspiring speech for Black’s to “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”, motivated White and Black
Martin Luther King Jr. was a key figure in the fight for the equality of African Americans. King had a great impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and had a nonviolent method of achieving what he did. Dr. King is a well-known Civil Rights Activist who gave his life for his cause. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, he addresses his fellow clergyman on the topic of segregation and the protests against it. King is well known for his nonviolent protests, and even the participants of the event have to ask themselves during a period of self-purification, “‘Are you able to accept blows without retaliating? ', and ‘Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail? ' “(King). King believed that nonviolent protest were better to use because "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue," (King). King believes that nonviolent tension is
Martin Luther King was one of the greatest civil right activists in American history. Martin Luther King impacted American society in many ways and one of the most important things he did for America was weakening racism in America. At the time when he was living, colored people living America were treated differently with white people. For example colored people needed a pass to go through certain places, they could not go to the same school as white people and it was much harder for colored people to get a job compare to white people. Martin Luther king thought these were wrong. He also thought these were against American dream. For him American dream meant every people having equal rights, opportunity and freedom. What was happening in America were completely against these. To fix this problem, Martin Luther King moved around the country and did nonviolent protest and organized a peaceful marching which attracted national attention showing brutality of police that were trying to stop the march. Martin Luther King also delivered a lot of speeches that inspired many people all over the world and one of his speeches include “I have a Dream.” One of the most famous speeches in America. In this speech he clearly explain his own opinion of how he think everyone should be treated
The purpose of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s was for blacks to achieve rights equal to those of whites. While this was the common goal, there were differences in the methods used to achieve them—the nonviolent and violent approach. People such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for the use of nonviolence. On the other hand, people such as Stokely Carmichael supported the use of violence to achieve these aforementioned goals. While the ideas behind Carmichael’s interpretation of Black Power—such as unity and self-pride—are essential, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent approach is most effective for the task.
A small number of people throughout history have had the opportunity to influence a nation of people, change their lives, and be a true symbol hope. The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has and will forevermore inspire how American society views equality. Dr. King was a religious leader and Civil-Rights activist in America when segregation was threatening the nation's stability. Looking back at King's life, it can be seen how he portrayed his goals for equality, enabled the country to rally against discrimination by becoming a martyr, and created a legacy for future generations of Americans to follow.
The civil rights movement in the 1950s-1960s was a struggle for social justice for African Americans to gain equal rights. One activist who became the most recognizable spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr, a christian man dedicated to the ideas of nonviolence and civil disobedience. Although the Civil war had officially abolished slavery, blacks were still treated as less than human for many years after. Martin Luther King Jr has positively impacted the world with his peaceful protest approach to gaining social justice; but with the increase of hate crimes being committed, I believe individuals today need to pick up where King left
Whenever people discuss race relations today and the effect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, they remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was and continues to be one of the most i...
What is love? If someone were to ask you to define it, chances are you might say love cannot be defined. That statement might be true if there weren’t different levels of love. A person might not love their parents the same way they love their husband or wife, or their child. Love differs between different levels of both action and feeling, and in order to understand or define love one must discover each level. Martin Luther King felt the need to address such an issue, and felt that the working idea of love was important to the philosophy of a non-violent protest. Throughout this essay, I will explore the dimensions of King’s love ethic and focus on the sources that helped shape his development.