It’s 2015 and we live in a world that still sees man and judges’ man by the color of his skin. Now let’s step back in time fifty something years ago. The lines have been drawn whites on one side and African Americans on the other. Where would you be standing, would it be on the forefront of the battle lines fighting for equality or shouting from the rooftops racial slurs and spreading hate? Through the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given to by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”(King, 2). Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American and is one of the many faces of the civil rights movement in the 60s. He was at the forefront of the movement on up until …show more content…
It would be easy to say that we live in a world where people are given the same opportunities and are able to overcome the obstacles placed in front of us, but that’s not the case. In an article by Max Krochmal it says, “At the core of all of it was the belief that human rights included not only the desegregation of public space, but also the right to improve one’s economic condition.”(Krochmal). However, that’s not the case, the South in 2010 contained the highest arrest rate in the nation and just under half, 47%, of these arrests were black (Tsia). The arrests varied from major crimes, like murder or drug smuggling, to minor ones like public intoxication or driving without a driver’s license. Compared to the number of white arrest, black men were 6 times more likely to be arrested (Tsia). The south containing 19 of the 39 million blacks, or 48%, of the nation’s blacks, is also responsible for many police brutality and shootings that have been taken to a grand jury and made national news coverage (FBI). The most recent one in the news today was in Ferguson, Missouri. The incident was that a black male was shot and killed for allegedly attacking a cop in his patrol car. Although the jury ruled the cop not guilty, many blacks around the country felt as if the cop shot and killed the young man unjustly. This incident caused outraged protesters to fill the street demanding equal rights and claiming that the cops are targeting the black community for
From 1954 to 1968 the Civil Rights movement was growing at a fast rate. During this time segregation and racism was alive and in full effect. More African- American people were starting to stand up and believe in the rights that wasn’t giving to them, and that they should be treated as equals. Although African-Americans had some freedoms the constant mistreatment, verbal and physical abuse was enough and it was time to take a stand to make a change. Great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X made a path way for the moment and even though the two had different views of handling the situation at hand. Malcom X was more of a fight fire with fire type of protester, and that the only way changes were going to be made was if we fight back. On the other hand Martin Luther King Jr. was all for peaceful protesting and that they can make a difference just by speaking words of encouragement to the people.
Martin Luther King, Jr., attempts the near impossible–to convince a country run rampant with racism that African Americans are human beings, and that they deserve to be treated as such. His speech is powerful and effective; his message transcends time with his ability to stir the moral conscience of the country as a whole while still delivering hope to the African American people. Though Dr. King’s words are poetic and eloquent, they demand action within the hearts and minds of all listening. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will not rest until, “all of God’s children,” can sing together, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at
Since the dawn of time, there has always existed the concept of good vs evil. Normally, this concept is used to explain two forces battling against each other in order to influence people’s actions. However, these concepts also exist on a realistic level; although the realistic form is based on race rather than morals. Like a recessive gene, black people were suppressed by the dominant gene, white people, in the 1950’s. With the white race oppressing the black race being a colossal dilemma, few people chose to solve it. Among them were Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. While King wanted to solve the problem with peace, Malcolm knew the only way to solve the dispute was fighting back. Malcolm X was born in 1925 in Omaha Nebraska, and was one
Out of the turbulent political climate of the 1960s, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as some of the most prominent voices of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Both religious ministers took up the fight to advocate for human rights and improve the lot of their fellow African-Americans. The two sought to achieve the same endgame, but differed greatly on the method in which to bring about the change they wanted. A few common threads that linked the activists were their emphasis on human rights, their challenge to the status quo of America, their roles as major spiritual leaders in their respective religions, and the martyrdom they endured for their cause. On the surface Malcolm X and Martin Luther King have many similarities,
In the 1960s, the nation was faced tumultuous times. There was racial tension between the white citizens and black citizens of America. Whites could not understand why the African Americans were so upset; they had their freedom from slavery and job opportunities. However, the African American was dissatisfied with the small crumbs of God given rights that all American citizens were entitled to. Two men propelled to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement as leaders; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Their agenda was to seek equal rights for all Americans. But both men differ on the approaches needed to reach these goals; one believed using nonviolence was the answer while the other advocated violence Many people argue that the
The Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's was arguably one of the most formative and influential periods in American history. Hundreds of thousands of civil rights activists utilized non violent resistance and civil disobediance to revolt against racial segregration and discrimination. The Civil Rights Movement began in the southern states, but quickly rose to national prominence.
This letter addressed the criticism he received while peacefully protesting. It was also a response to the injustices he witnessed and experienced while visiting the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Birmingham branch. He explains how he and the SCLC organized their plans of nonviolent action for change in not only the segregated schools in Alabama, but for the discriminated people of America. Dr. King declares, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied” (344). He states that African American people have waited more than 340 years for constitutional and God-given rights (King 344). His pleas for recognition of the mass injustices and his assemblies of nonviolent actions caused a wave of changes to occur across the country. His teachings and actions paved the way for African Americans and other minorities to be given the opportunity to exceed expectations and not to be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. One such person became our 44th President.
Martin Luther King jr. was one of the most influential persons of the 20th Century. He is the father of the modern civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom as well as peace. King practiced everything that he preached, he did not preach or speak values that he himself did not follow. He established himself as a pastor that was not afraid of hard work, guiding the middle-class congregation to public service. For example, Peake, Thomas R. author of "Martin Luther King, Jr.” states, “He encouraged his parishioners to help the needy and to be active in organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)”. I think that kings motivation for wanting to help people, originated with his fathers guidance as a child. King was devoted to the nonviolent method, which was encouraged by both of his parents during his upbringing. Kings influence was so vast, america as a whole recognizes his birthday as a national holiday, in the celebration of his influences in addition to a national monument made in his honor.
After reading Myhre, Chapter 9, Social Activism and Engagement, religious convictions informed the work of Malcom X in many ways. During Malcom X’s first couple years of life, his father was shot and killed, mother was placed into a mental establishment and his brothers and sisters were split into separate foster households. To me, this is the main reason why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X had completely different views in not only politics, but religious beliefs. About six out of ten men who have been in prison for great amounts of time have had a troubled childhood. As you know, Malcom did not have your average day good youth being in a foster home, and all. When someone is in prison for a while, they have much time to think about
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” The message that Martin Luther Kings Jr. was trying to get out to the whole world was that even though individuals have the right to have freedom, it doesn’t necessarily mean that freedom should be used to be bitter or hateful toward other people. Directing that hatred toward others because of their race or gender doesn’t provide a positive avenue for change. From my observations, and what I have learned in school, Martin Luther King, Jr was justified in his teachings because even though he wasn’t considered a “slave”, the African American population was still being excluded from all of the rights of an American Citizen.
During one of his many famous speeches, Martin Luther King expressed his feelings about the mistreatment of African Americans by iterating these powerful sentiments, " Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." It’s no secret that Martin Luther King Jr spoke his mind about segregation and racial injustices. In fact, King was one of the main reasons that the Civil Rights Act was put into effect. Martin Luther King Jr influenced and acknowledged many controversies of the time, often times gaining enough popularity on an issue to solve it. Undoubtedly, Martin Luther King Jr left a lasting impact on the 1960s era by delivering the most influential speeches of all time, through his peaceful protests/marches, and
A study published last year found that “African Americans are almost three times more likely than white people to be killed by the police's use of force”(Buncombe). African Americans in today’s society, lose their right to no discrimination.The Universal declaration of human rights states that. “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race ” In the year of 2017 “Police and law enforcement officials killed at least 223 black Americans in the year, according to a Huffpost analyst of data compiled by the Washington post and the Guardian”(Huffpost). In the midst of police shootings,terrorism, discrimination, etc. Racism has been and is the cause in these situations. Consequently, people are often judged because of their race or the colour of their skin. The reason for why our society acts this way is shown due to the neglected acts against the moral lesson of the book. As the world continues to evolve, changes need to be made to not only protect a group of humans, but also to protect the universe and
Imagine living in a world at which you are harassed and abused just because of the color of your skin. Since the beginning of America’s existence, Whites have had this strong hate towards the black population. The whites wanted to continue to have the power and control in their hands. In order for them to achieve this, the white southerners came up with the Jim Crow laws to prevent the African Americans from achieving their god given right of being free and equal. This did not end the African hope of becoming equal. After many years of mistreatment, African Americans knew that change in society was necessary. The members of the black population have been enslaved, beaten, abused, neglected and just taken advantage of, since the end of the civil war, even into present times, African Americans have struggled for equality and rights that white Americans often take for granted. Arguably, no post-war struggle was larger or more significant than the movement to eliminate the Jim Crow laws from existence in the South. As a large portion of the Civil Rights movement, many works are dedicated to the efforts put forth and the ensuing results, including “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka”, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, “Black Revolution”, “Bigger Than a Hamburger,” and the act from Rosa Parks.
Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for economic and social equality.
Education is a crucial part of an individual’s life. Quality education promotes one’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development, acquiring the skills to be a productive member of society. Dr. King was an advocate for the true practice of education, as education “enables a man to be more efficient, to achieve the increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life” (Nieto 3). Dr. King’s college years impacted his social activism, because Dr. King did not only acquire the knowledge, but he critically analyzed the information he learned about Gandhi’s nonviolent method and applied it to create a better world to live in for all races, genders, and classes of people. Dr. King was a “man who made a commitment to actually apply what