Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Fight for Integration Essay Example

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls,” (“goodreads”). His “I Have a Dream” speech took place in 1963 during the March on Washington. It was there that he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. Martin Luther King Jr.’s American dream was that all men should have god-given rights and have equality. To achieve this American dream, Martin Luther King Jr. faced many obstacles to overcome discrimination. Before Martin Luther King Jr. achieved his American dream, there were many obstacles in the way; it was not all fun and games. The first one was the difficulty to convince African Americans because they believed that they should fight back against discrimination. The police were also another obstacle Martin had to face. During the civil rights movement, the police would use dogs and fire hoses towards the blacks to settle boycotts that were conducted. However, Martin would never use violence back. Another problem that he faced was prejudice ideas. Many whites had opinions about African Americans that kept opportunities for them very limited. Martin never let any of these obstacles stop him from achieving his dreams of equality. Through all the difficulties Martin Luther King Jr. had to face, his American dream never changed. Martin wanted all men to have god-given rights and equality. He had to prove to his own people, the police, and the rest of America that it was possible to stand up for themselves without being violent. With this belief, Americans realized that the white society was in the wrong when it came to discrimination and violence because African Americans were not harming anybody. This helped Martin’s dream become a reality.

Work cited:
“Quote by Martin Luther King Jr.” goodreads. Otis Chandler. 28 Aug. 1963. Thur. 8 Nov. 2012.
Haberman, Frederick. “Martin Luther King-Biography.”