Martin Luther King Speech

Inspiration

"I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land." (King). After the Civil War the thirteenth amendment was passed abolishing slavery. However, many still saw Black people as “second-class citizens.” “Segregation: the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other,” (Webster). Also known as the “Black Codes,” the Jim Crow laws were passed providing legal defense, and enforcement of segregation. These laws existed in the North but were primarily in the South. Whites were superior, African Americans being the inferior race.Violence was acceptable to keep Blacks in check, (Constitutional Rights). Civil Rights Activists worked for racial equality in the United States, one being Martin Luther King Jr. He spread his beliefs
about being diverse peacefully. King is an inspiration to me because of his non-violent speeches, marches and boycotts. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. He was a pastor of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. King attended Booker T. Washington High School where he skipped both ninth and eleventh grades. He was highly inspired by Gandhi's activism. His trip to India deeply affected him by motivating his commitment to America’s Civil Rights, (Bio.com). The teachings he gave about non-violence inspired both the Black and White community. "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community, which has constantly refused to negotiate, is forced to confront the issue," (King). Today he is an inspiration because of his non-violent speeches. “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,” (King). His most famous speech is the “I Have A Dream” speech. The demonstration was held on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. His peaceful speech changed public opinion and brought question to the Jim Crow Laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed because of the speech, (Bio.com). King spoke over two-thousand-five-hundred times, (History Net). The “I Have A Dream Speech” was his most famous speech. Another way Martin Luther King Jr.
inspired many was by doing peaceful marches. During these marches people were attacked. “Protesters were beaten, sprayed with high-pressure water hoses, tear-gassed, and attacked by police dogs…,” (HistoryNet). King’s goal was non-violence but his movements were often confronted with attacks. On March 7, 1965 a march planned from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, turned violent. The march is known as “Bloody Sunday” where demonstrators were severely injured. King was not in the march but made sure to be in the next one. On March 9, 1965 another march was planned with King included. The marchers attempted crossing the Pettus Bridge again. State troopers met them. Instead of confronting them, he knelt in prayer and turned back. Avoiding the previous catastrophe. The march aroused support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, (Biography.com). During some marches King lost support because of his “weak attempt at change.” Even in the face of danger King stood up for in what he believed in. His many peaceful marches brought attention and support to ending
segregation.
On December 1, 1955 42-year-old Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Parks was arrested for violating the Montgomery City code. This was the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. E.D. Nixon met up with Martin Luther King Jr. and other activist to set up a bus boycott. King was chosen to lead the boycott because he was young, and well trained. "We have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice," (King). Most people rode buses as their form of transportation. Joanne Robertson got women together and passed out flyers to organize the boycott. Fifty-thousand people were involved. People bought cars and became volunteered drivers. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted three-hundred-eighty-two days, ending December 20, 1956, (Bio.com). On November 15, 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled bus segregation being unconstitutional, This act of achieving equality brought the Black and White community together.
King’s motivational speeches, marches, and boycotts brought people together and made social change. He made public opinion of African Americans rise. Today he is an inspiration to all because of his peaceful Civil Rights acts. His powerful speeches let people know that we are a community of diversity. King made their voices heard. Not through violence, but with words. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Nobel Peace Prize. King was awarded a holiday. “Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January,” (TimeandDate.com).