Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ronald Reagan: Servant Leaders
“If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.” – Ronald Reagan
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But, the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Both men were correct in these statements and both had strong convictions to do the right thing. President Ronald Regan and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were each known for their ability to use their words to express their feelings and to serve those who depended on them in a time when strong leadership was not only expected, but also necessary. According to the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, a servant leader is one who “enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world (What is Servant Leadership? n.d.). When one looks at the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ronald Reagan, there may not be a strong correlation between the Civil Rights leader and the Actor turned President, however there are some striking similarities between their motives as servant leaders.
Humble Beginnings and Faith in God
Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois to John and Nellie Reagan, who owned a business in Dixon, Illinois. His mother taught him how to pray as they attended a Disciples of Christ church and his family taught him the importance of small-town values, which included a strong work ethic, the importance of education and tolerance, helping your neighbor and being committed to God and family (Ronald Reagan Foundation, n.d.). He attended Eurek...
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Ronald Reagan. (n.d.). The White House. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan
Ronald Reagan Foundation. (n.d.). Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from https://www.reaganfoundation.org/
Ronald Reagan: Biography. (n.d.). Biography.com. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198#awesm=~oBTMwxXcnng2EE
Vox, L. (n.d.). The Long Battle for Martin Luther King Day That You Didn't Know about. About.com African-American History. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/africanamericanculture/a/History-Of-Martin-Luther-King-Day.htm
What Is Servant Leadership?. (n.d.). Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
26 Mar 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr>. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes. brainyquote.com. BookRags Media Network.
Ronald Reagan grew up with an alcoholic father, Jack Reagan (“Life Before the”). After his death, Ronald’s mother, Nelle, nurtured and encouraged him and his brother, Neil (“Life Before the”). Nelle taught her sons that alcoholism is a disease and she did not want her boys to blame their father for the bad habit (“Life Before the”). Growing up with an alcoholic father made Ronald take a different path and become the well rounded man that he was. In his high school years, Reagan excelled on both the football and basketball teams. Reagan even acted in plays, and he was also a writer for the school newspaper (“Life Before the”). Reagan was also an excellent swimmer, he worked as a lifeguard and according to newspaper reports, he rescued 77 people from drowning (“Life Before the”). He had lots of integrity and he had the commitment to do what is right regardless of the impact. Reagan was even the student body president which shows his early leadership qualities.
President Jimmy Carter was born October 1924 in a little town called Plains located in Georgia. As a young boy, he grew up in Archery a little nearby community and Jimmy Carter was drawn into farming just the same way his father James Earl Carter was. His family was surrounded by peanut crops, politic talk and being faithful to the Baptist religion. While he attended school in a public school of Plains his father took care of the crops and worked as a business man; his mother Lillian Gordy Carter was working as a registered nurse.
"Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt." Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. fdrlibrary. Web. 20 Nov 2013. .
“Life of John F. Kennedy.” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 04
When comparing two essays, there are many different aspects that the reader can look at to make judgments and opinions. In the two essays that I choose, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 'Letter from Birmingham Jail', and FREDERICK DOUGLAS'S 'From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,' there were many similarities, but also many differences. Some of them being, the context, style, structure and tone. Many times when readings or articles are being compared, people over look the grammatical and structural elements, and just concentrate on the issues at hand. I believe it is important to evaluate both.
Mikelson, Thomas J. S. “Cosmic Companionship: The Place of God in the Moral Reasoning of Martin Luther King, Jr.” The Journal of Religious Ethics 18, no. 2 (October 1, 1990): 1-14.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist who played a very important part in the American Civil rights movement. Martin Luther King’s work still continues to serve as a superb example of leadership. Some leadership qualities he demonstrated were being able to persuade others without force. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to convince millions of people to support his dreams through nonviolent protests and speeches. He gave people something to believe in. Another leadership quality that Dr. King Jr. was to embrace fear. He taught people it is better to admit your fears so you are able to be courageous in spite of it. Getting everyone involved was another leadership quality that he displayed. Martin King Jr was able to involve so many people because they all felt they were part of a bigger
Meanwhile, on the other side of the revolution there was a young man known Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The revolution in which he was leading was a revolution rather different than the one of Malcolm X. Dr. King’s revolution was one in which all blacks and all whites could work together. He spoke of this in his infamous speech I Have A Dream. Though the two leaders were rather different, they fed off each other’s roles, which in turn provided possibly the strongest leadership since the Harlem Renaissance, until the death of Malcolm X.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who have fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Garrow, David J. "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Ronald Reagan was born on the 6th of February, in the year of 1911. His birthplace was Tampico Illinois, where his mother, Nelle Wilson Reagan, and his father, John Edward Reagan, had raised him. His father who everyone called “Jack” was a shoe salesman with many struggles with his job. These struggles caused Ronald to grow in a family that was not economically viable for many things. To save a little money his mother taught him how to read when he was five years of age. Afterwards he still went to be educated at his local public schools. (Reagan 2020 - Ronald Reagan Biography 1911-1980.)
In history we know that no two men are alike but, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were phenomenal people and leaders. Both had visualized some type of change in the future, yet were not literally able to see it. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X set out to bring a sense of confidence to blacks all over the United States. Their main purpose was to help instill black’s power and strength so that they could overcome racial disparity and prejudice that surrounded them, but both of them had very unique and distinct different ways of promoting their message. Martin was more geared and focused on equality and wellness of the world as a whole, a Malcolm X’s personal interpretation of the world was very well blinded by anger, bitterness, and the desire to get revenge at the expense of the world that he thought treated him unfairly.
Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy were two very commendable men. They were two very different men that I feel had the same incredible amount passion for human beings. Both Dr. King and President Kennedy had such high hopes for this country and regardless of the sad and devastating time era, they both spoke with much poise and compassion. I truly believe they are exactly what this country needed and still needs to this very day.
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.