John Lewis Speech Analysis

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John Lewis David Katz Lebirs; Per 3 05/1/17 Born the son of a sharecropper, John Lewis saw segregation first hand while attending segregated public schools. While growing up in Pike County, Alabama, he was inspired by Civil Rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. ultimately influencing him to join the Civil Rights Movement. As a young man he began to volunteer for Freedom Rides which was a movement by Civil Rights activists who protested segregation at interstate bus terminals. Lewis was one of the few individuals to launch the Freedom rides. Here, Lewis was beaten severely by angry mobs for sitting in seats saved for white riders. In this quote from John Lewis, he shares his fears in sacrificing his life for his work; “I thought I was going to die a few times. …show more content…

When the march refused to turn back, protesters were beaten. During this police brutality Lewis was assaulted and suffered a fractured skull. Through Lewis’s relentless work ethic and inability to give up, he was able to gain support for the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnston months later. John Lewis showed no mercy in his motivations towards abolishing segregation, he suffered beatings, and ridicule. Lewis used tactics of peaceful protests and his powerful voice to convey his message. His message was always simple and the ways in which he had his voice heard was powerful. As if Lewis hadn't done enough, he kept on working as an activist. Lewis arranged and spoke at the historic March on Washington in August 1963. Lewis went on to lead the federal volunteer agency, ACTION, appointed by President Jimmy Carter. Five years later, John Lewis went on to win his first congressional race. He still serves as the US representative from the Georgia's Fifth District. To this day, John Lewis’s life’s accomplishments are celebrated and praised. Just six years ago, President Barack Obama presented John Lewis with the

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