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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal 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. Not only did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have a dream, he had a vested interest in acquiring equality in the black community.
His nonviolent approach to obtain equality for African Americans had an immense effect on society as a whole. King believed that in order to make a change you have to start where you are, use what you know, and do what you can to make a difference. I support King s approach to gain equality. King demonstrated to America that though nonviolence might not be the approach we always want to take, because it will sometimes destroy our egos.
Through his faith in god it helped him to motivate us so that we could be the better race. It took more than whips, hoses, sticks, and segregation to keep Black America down. The government kicked them off the high horse to the ground, and as a Black Nation we jumped back on the saddle and rode on to victory. Dr. King started with the Civil Rights Movement, and from there he kept on going. This movement started with a phone call about Rosa Parks being arrested for not surrendering her seat to a white bus rider.
King and other leaders felt that a protest of some kind was needed. A meeting in the community was called, they agreed that the only way to fight back would be to boycott the bus company. The people in the locale agreed to participate and that started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As they continued to withhold patronage the white community fought back with terrorism and harassment.
The community complained and King told them, We must learn to meet hate with love. Although King s views were continuously challenged by blacks who had lost faith in nonviolence, his belief in the power of nonviolence protest remained strong. The boycott lasted for 381 days. It eventually took the United States Supreme Court to end the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the court declared that Alabama s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal.
King believed that the boycott proved that There is a new Negro in the south with a sense of dignity and destiny. The boycott was a great success. Nonviolence was the main focus that propelled King s basic philosophy on blacks gaining equal rights. King developed his philosophy of nonviolence for specific reasons. It is a natural response for human beings to defend themselves if they are physically attacked. So did he develop a philosophy that would appease White America?
Analyzing his philosophy I feel that this might calm or please White America but, was it right for the Black Community? Should African Americans have to beg and plead to gain equal rights, should we as non-violent demonstrators turn the other check and accept any and all physical attacks by those who opposed to Human Rights for Black people? In the struggle to gain equality if we were to fight back it would have meant the genocide of Black America. In America the land of democracy, Blacks should not have to take up arms to gain equality. The Selma to Montgomery March served as a stimulus for the Voting Rights of 1965, which made it possible for Southern Negroes to register and vote with little difficulty. This march was led by King and John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
It consisted of peaceful protesters who were viciously attacked by the police. They used tear gas, whips, clubs, and fire hoses on these innocent people. Over forty thousand protesters participated and over one thousand were arrested. The media had a large impact on this march. They showed how the police brutally beat the peaceful protesters for no reason. This cause won national sympathy and support for the Black community.
This was the strategy that the leaders used in order to show the vicious attacks on televisions. This was also the last mass demonstration of the Civil Rights Movement. The non-violent direct action approach is responsible for many of the charges affecting the status of Southern Negroes. Looking at this march, Kings nonviolent approach worked. It got him the media s attention. In stead of fighting a battle we turned the other check and took a beating.
Many people suffered. a young man was shot in the stomach and killed trying to shield his mother from a beating by a state trooper. This was one of the many fatal crimes that went on without justice during the march from Selma to Montgomery. I once again question: Is it really worth it? I ask myself. King has had a reputation as a savior and a great leader in the cause for the Civil Rights.
Out of all the Black leaders of his time he was probably the only one that white people claim to love as much as blacks. King was one of the greatest leaders in the history of Black America. If I had the opportunity to go back in time and hold the same position King held I would follow through the same way. I would continue that way because his efforts have gotten us where we are today. His philosophy on nonviolence has had a huge impact on society. We continue to this day both whites and blacks to use this method when demonstrating for other purposes, whether its gay rights, prohibit testing on animals, etc.
In retrospect we can safely say that even with the problems with Kings philosophy America is a better place because of King. Bibliography King Jr. , Martin Luther (1968). Where Do We Go From Here Chaos or Community? Boston: Beacon Press Lawson, Steven L (1997, 1991) Running For Freedom The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Meier, August &# 038; Rudwick, Elliot &# 038; Bracey Jr. , John (Ed) (1991). Black Protest In The Sixties New York: First Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc. Pinkney, Alphonso (1969) Black Americans Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. web
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Research essay sample on Martin Luther King Jr Civil Rights Movement
