Dr.Martin Luther King Essay, Research Paper

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 & Rudwick, Elliot & 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.

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