Martin Luther King Jr.: The Civil Rights Movement

“One day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” Because of the color of his skin, Martin Luther King Jr. could no longer play with his friend which motivated him to change the laws against African-Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a time when black and white people were not treated equally. As a young boy, King became banned from playing with his friend just because he had a different skin color. This encouraged King to stand up against these laws in a peaceful way and to make sure that people became judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Because of his determination, Martin Luther King
Jr. accomplished many amazing things that changed the way Americans think about different ethnicities forever.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929 (Martin). During this time, the unfair laws kept black and white people apart (A). Because of the laws, the Caucasian and African American people could not go to the same stores, schools, or parks (From). In his childhood, King would play ball with his friend (From). Martin and his friend had different skin colors which, during this time, had not affected King yet. As a young boy, the laws never affected King much until he had a huge turning point in his life which changed him forever.
Because of the laws, Martin Luther King Jr.’s friend’s mother said that she would no longer allow her son to play with King. Martin Luther King Jr.’s mother did not believe in these laws and she told King that he is as good as anyone else (From). Because of this event, Martin Luther King Jr. did not like these laws (A) for he believed, that people of all skin colors should have the option of going to the same schools and parks (Martin). After this time in his life, King wanted to prove that God created everyone equally, so he peacefully began to stand up against these unjust laws of segregation.
“ One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King).
Unlike in the past when King did nothing to change the laws, Martin Luther King Jr. managed a massive civil rights movement and formed drives for black voter registration, desegregation, and better education and housing all over the South, in 1963 (Martin). Because of his actions, The Montgomery Improvement Association chose King to lead their organization. They intended to end racial segregation in public transportation, but during the course of his actions, became arrested and jailed. While in jail, someone bombed King’s home and many people threatened his life. In the end, the Supreme Court decided to outlaw all segregated public transportation in the city. Contrary to his childhood, Martin Luther King Jr. became increasingly sensitive to the forms violence could take and became associated with the antiwar movement in 1967. King did many things in his life to try and change the laws, and because of his tenaciousness he achieved many of his
goals.
Martin Luther King Jr.
achieved many goals and made multiple changes to society in his lifetime. Because of his courage, Martin Luther King Jr. stood up against the law tranquilly and made various changes to the law that helped America develope. King lead the Montgomery Boycott and helped the Voting Rights Act get passed (Martin). With his trust in the Lord, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote many amazing speeches, but none as great as his I have a Dream Speech. King’s speech inspired many American people and is one of the most marvelous speeches in history (Martin). Out of the goodness of his heart, Martin Luther King Jr. changed America for the better and helped people finally see that everyone is
equal. “I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” As a young boy, Martin Luther King Jr. became drawn to changing the biased laws because of the separation between him and his friend. Martin Luther King Jr. left behind an amazing legacy like none other. Through his truthfulness in the Lord, he changed American’s way of thinking about other ethnicities and equality. He was a great man who inspired the people of America, not only in the past, but also today.