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How Martin Luther King impacted the society of America
How Martin Luther King impacted the society of America
Effect of religious intolerance
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As children, a lot of people are taught about Dr.Martin Luther King and his dream to not judge others whatsoever, but what are they supposed to do when another person judges them or their community? They can’t necessarily retaliate, but they also shouldn’t let themselves be treated unfairly, so what do they do? It's a question that might often go through the minds of African Americans, Muslims, Jews, Christians, homosexuals and more people alike. Millions of people around the world are affected or oppressed everyday by ideas and reasons such as chauvinism, casteism, xenophobia, bigotry, sectarianism, and apartheid of any kind. I feel that the best solution to problems such as these would be through examples of peace instead of violence, although it can tough to try to think this way, much like a quote by James Earl Carter, “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.” …show more content…
Over the span of 54 years only very little has changed sadly, now more communities and even more people are treated unfairly due to their beliefs, races, skin color, and many other reasons. To make things somewhat worse, there are groups dedicated to doing these things that we see as offensive, but that they see as their right, however it is in fact their right. As of now there are somewhere around 917
On April 4, 1968 America experienced the tragic loss of one of its greatest social leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement who permeated American history as a man who maintained the importance of nonviolent social change. He fought racism within the public domain by pursuing school integration and basic civil rights for the African-American community. Thirty-one years after his death, America is forced to evaluate the exact implications of his legacy on modern society's attitudes towards race and race relations. Did the civil rights movement really promote positive changes in race relations? How far has American society really come?
We saw the Thirteenth Amendment occur to abolish slavery. We also saw the Civil Rights Acts which gave full citizenship, as well as the prohibiting the denial of due process, etc. Having the civil rights laws enabled African Americans to new freedoms which they did not used to have. There was positive change occurring in the lives of African Americans. However, there was still a fight to suppress African Americans and maintain the racial hierarchy by poll taxes and lengthy and expensive court proceedings. Sadly, this is when Jim Crow laws appeared. During this time African Americans were losing their stride, there was an increase in prison populations and convict labor, and the convicts were
It was not until the modern civil rights movement of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, a period that some call the Second that these discriminatory laws and practices finally began to give way. During this period, African Americans and their allies finally confronted long-standing oppression, injustices, and prejudices as a unified movement for integration instead it became a total liberation and identity movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s impact on the civil rights movement was nothing short of monumental. To say anything less may be considered sacrilege in the history of the United States. King’s liberal and Christian upbringing, comfortable and educated childhood, and his theological education all played a large part in his contributions to civil rights in America.
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.
During the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s, Martin Luther King, Jr. had become the “moral leader” and icon of the Civil Rights Movement. King had transformed into the martyr of the movement and spoke at around two hundred civil rights activism events a year. Still, King was torn between being the martyr for his people and showing support for other organizations with oppositional views. In Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, Taylor Branch illustrates the counter narrative of Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggles towards progress within the movement to the FBI, and the Kennedy Administration’s lack of involvement with civil rights, which blocked King’s progress as a successful black leader to prolong the unity of the movement.
As a leader in the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had to confront both the oppression of blacks in America as well as dissenters who objected to the timing and methods King advocated. Deeply involved in the civil rights movement, King rarely had time to respond to his critics. However, while confined to the Birmingham jail after being arrested during a civil rights demonstration, King had time to address several of these widely held criticisms that were the subject of a letter written by eight Birmingham clergymen and published in a local newspaper. In his Letter from Birmingham jail King’s eloquent and persuasive response to each of their arguments supported his belief that it was the right time for a full-scale civil rights movement. When we further explore the dynamics of the civil rights movement using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, it is obvious that although the general population may not have been prepared for sweeping social change, the time was right for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his role as Innovator to forge ahead in his pursuit of racial equality.
“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.” (www.brainyquote.com) Dr. King, a true inspiration, a true man, and a true hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspiration to me because he gave people freedom and equality. Without him, blacks and whites would of probably never been treated as equals. What would life be like without Dr. King in America’s history?
Now that it’s been concluded that racial equality has not been reached the question must be asked of what steps society should take to fight for it. Recently violent race riots have broken out all over cities in America, like the one in Charlottesville, Virginia. White supremacists and anti-racist protesters broke out into fist fights. These riots are exactly what Martin Luther King Jr advocated against. He believed that the solution to improving race relations was to love and respect all people not fight them in the streets.
For additional help in understanding his reasoning and thought processes, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson, can give one a sense of exactly why King had such a strong religious background. In fact, the first words of the writing state “Of course I was religious. I grew up in the church. My father was a preacher, my grandfather was a preacher, my great-grandfather was a preacher, my only brother is a preacher, my daddy’s brother is a preacher. So of course I didn’t have much choice” (Carson 1). Furthermore, this work is special because it combines hundreds of King’s writings in order to make a first person narrative of his life. The book skips no part of his life and includes his thoughts and feelings
One believes that the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s made America safer for all races, but in fact, racism and discrimination are still big factors that continue to plague films, music, and even video games. I the article Race the Power of an Illusion, Dalton Conley says, “the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s really marks both an opportunity and a new danger in terms of racial relations in America. On the one hand, the Civil Rights era officially ended inequality of opportunity. It officially ended de jure legal inequality, so it was no longer legal for employers, for landlords, or for any public institution or accommodations to discriminate based on race. At the same time, those civil rights triumphs did nothing to address the underlying economic and so...
One of the world’s best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), synthesized ideals drawn from many different cultural traditions. Recent studies of him emphasize the extent to which his ideals were rooted in African-American religious traditions which were then shaped by his education. The image of a social activist and leader was the result of extensive formal education, strong personal values and licit ethics. This excellence in leadership can be traced to his character which is shaped by his moral values and personality. We look at MLK and these traits to reveal the rationalization of his rise to transracial leadership in our society. Through studying the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr., we learn that his moral values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, achievement and peace were what motivated him. King is not great because he is well known, he is great because he served as the cause of peace and justice for all humans. King is remembered for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of skin color. This presence of strong moral values developed King’s character which enabled him to become one of the most influential leaders of our time. Integrity is a central value in a leader’s character and it is through integrity that King had vision of the truth. The truth that one day this nation would live up to the creed, "all men are created equal". No man contributed more to the great progress of blacks during the 1950’s and 1960’s than Martin Luther King, Jr. He was brought up believing "one man can make a difference", and this is just what he did. Integrity has a large effect on what we think, say and do, it is through King’s thoughts and actions that enabled so many people to have trust and faith in him. Through King’s integrity he believed that America, the most powerful and richest nation in the world will lead the way to a revolution of values. This revolution will change the way society views itself, shifting from a "thing-orientated" society to a "person-orientated" society. When this occurs, King believed that racism will be capable of being conquered and this nation will be "Free at last." King’s unconditional love for all humans was another value that strongly influenced his character and allowed him to have such excellent leadership ability.
...or southern blacks to vote. In 1967 the Supreme Court rules interracial marriage legal. In 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead at the age of thirty-nine. Also the civil rights act of 1968 is passed stopping discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. In 1988 President Reagan’s veto was overridden by congress passing the “Civil Rights Restoration Act” expanding the reach of non-discrimination laws within private institutions receiving federal funds. In 1991 President Bush. signs the, “Civil Rights Act of 1991”, strengthening existing civil rights laws. In 2008 President Obama is elected as the first African American president. The American Civil Rights Movement has made a massive effect on our history and how our country is today. Without it things would be very different. In the end however, were all human beings regardless of our differences.
“If society exists through relationships with one another, then it is guided by the rules of conduct that apply to those relationships” (Pearson 18). The authors explains about the expectations of college students in a classroom. There were three students who would not stop talking during the lecture. The rest of the students encouraged them to stop talking. The professor did not have to tell the students to quiet down. Instead, the other students told them for the professor. Racism can also be like this situation. For an example, Adolf Hitler is the professor, the quiet students is Germany, and the talkative students is the Jewish community. Hitler does not need to kill the Jewish community, instead, his country does the killing for him. To solve racism with social norms, a larger group who is not racist can tell and teach a smaller group how not to be. The smaller group will notice the larger group is not racist and may
Out of all the changes in our history, some of the most significant changes that have made an impact include; women’s rights, civil rights and religion. Women and people of color have made several steps toward earning equal rights over the past forty years. World religions are as diverse as the individuals that participate in them.