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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