Martin Luther King Jr: Segregation Essay
In the work 'Martin Luther King Jr: Segregation Essay' we will talk about a historical activist of America Martin Luther King Jr, and research his influence on segregation and racial discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr played a crucial role in civil rights activism in America. He was born on 15 January 1929. During this time there was a large amount of racial discrimination and segregation toward black people and their beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr, however, did not agree with segregation between the black and white communities. During his lifetime he was able to change the policies on Montgomery buses which led to the change of the laws on racism and segregation. These achievements were able to give the black people of America the change they needed.
Martin Luther King Jr was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born into a family of clergy which made them quite religious. By being fairly devout Christians, King Jr grew up with morals and beliefs valued by the church. He didn’t believe in segregation and he wanted to make a change. At the age of 17, he decided to become a Baptist minister at his family's church. He started by speaking to only a few people at a time but the public was drawn to his message and he began to see large crowds at his speeches. By getting people to acknowledge and listen to his message he was able to sway their opinions on the current laws for black people. At this time he also began looking at the work of Mahatma Gandhi and how he led a successful non-violent campaign for the independence of India. This got him thinking about how he too could lead a non-violent campaign for the liberation of the black communities. Since King Jr is also a black male he would have experienced racism firsthand and this also would have encouraged his beliefs on equality and how crucial it was to put an end to this discrimination. He wanted to give others who were also experiencing racism a voice and this led him to join the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP).
In January 1954, King Jr and his wife Coretta moved to Montgomery, Alabama for a job opportunity at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. From there he joined the NAACP. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a Montgomery bus for a white man. She was arrested after this, at the time she was also the president of the NAACP. When King Jr heard what had happened he proposed a meeting with the black civic leaders and ministers from his church. At the meeting, they all agreed on holding a non-violent protest against the treatment of black people on Montgomery buses. This boycott was very successful at first and people stopped using the Montgomery buses. But Montgomery’s city leaders were agitated by King Jr’s work with the NAACP and the Ku Klux Klan started sending malicious letters and phone calls to King Jr. After this, the leaders of Montgomery made it illegal to boycott and people began going to jail for protesting. Even though King Jr was presented with challenges he persisted and in one of his speeches he stated: “We have no alternative but to protest”. On 15 November 1956, almost a year after the boycott started it ended when the US Supreme Court stated that these laws were “unconstitutional”. The implications of King Jr’s efforts were permanent widespread social structures concerning bus travel. This then led to him feeling more empowered and thus he established the Southern Christians Leadership Council (SCLC).
It was after the boycott that the SCLC was established by King Jr and other black ministers in his region. The SCLC focused on protesting for civil rights and helping people integrate. King Jr was asked by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to join one of their protests in Atlanta. Whilst King Jr was there he was arrested and sentenced to four months in the Georgia State Prison. During his time in prison, his supporters tried to get him out by contacting the two presidential candidates at the time - John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Only Kennedy responded to the plea from his followers. He said that he would do as best as he could. Soon after this King Jr went up for bail. When he got out of prison he went to Kennedy who was now the newly elected president and they both spoke about the civil rights bill and what was going to happen moving forward. Kennedy said that he also wanted to help with the civil rights bill but it was a very slow process. Through this experience, King Jr was able to achieve a positive relationship with Kennedy. The implications of this relationship were that King Jr now had an alliance with someone with significant power, who was willing to listen to King Jr’s concerns around civil rights. This ultimately led to a rise in awareness of the movement at a national level.
In 1963, King Jr and the SCLC decided to focus on a new movement labeled ‘Project C’. This was directed towards Birmingham, Alabama, specifically ‘whites-only’ lunch counters in stores. The shop owners were getting mad at the fact they were losing business so the state court ordered an end to all of the protests. But King Jr prevailed through this challenge and continued protesting. This led to him getting thrown into solitary confinement. Whilst he was there he wrote his ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’. Riots broke out in Birmingham and this made Kennedy realize how necessary it was for the civil rights bill to pass. So he urged congress to start working on the bill. The SCLC and King Jr decided to organize a march in Washington to put pressure on Congress to pass the bill. This march was held on August 28 1963 and it consisted of 250,000 people. This is where Martin Luther King Jr expressed his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Although this was just a march this led to a significant change to the legal obligations of all Americans. This legal change is known as the Civil Rights Act and it was instituted on July 2, 1964.
It was four years later that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on Thursday 4th April 1968. He was shot whilst he was on his motel balcony in Tennessee at 6:05 pm and he was declared dead at 7:05 pm. Since King Jr was killed and at the time he was such a big influence for black communities there was an uproar after his death. In 100 cities there was severe property damage and there was a death toll of 40 people. King Jr’s death also led to others dying too but even though people were dying his message was spreading more than ever before. As a result of his assassination, his message was amplified which was most likely the opposite of what shooter the intended, and thus King Jr was deemed a martyr. The implication of his death was that his message was spread faster all through America and the world.
Martin Luther King Jr managed to accomplish a lot in his short life. He left behind a big message too. During his lifetime he was able to get the civil rights act to pass in Congress and helped get the Montgomery buses to change their policies. By doing this he helped people integrate and his message continues to help discrimination today. He now serves as a role model for all people, especially people who face racism and discrimination. As well as all people who are fighting for their civil rights. In his lifetime he made significant and life-changing progress for the black citizens of America then and now in today’s day. King Jr has a lot of things dedicated to him, one of them being a high school in California named after him as well as various other schools across America. He also has a day devoted to acknowledging his accomplishments and how he has helped change America for the better. On this day people usually go to parades and marches. This day is marked on his birthday and it is an American holiday. This day honors what he did to make the world a better place and what he did to help the black communities. King Jr left behind an immense legacy and he will be remembered for all the good he did for the world.
Many groups of people had different opinions and criticisms of the change he was trying to make and his beliefs. One of these groups was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). They believed that white people were superior to people of color and that white people should have more privileges in society including access to education and better employment opportunities. While black people should only be employed in lower-level jobs or used as slaves. This opinion allowed people to have power over black people and their communities. If King Jr were to succeed in his cause and bring about widespread equality throughout America the KKK would lose that power and they would have to disband. Another group with criticisms of Martin Luther King Jr was the White Citizens Council. Although the Council’s name sounds more official, they had very similar opinions and beliefs as the Ku Klux Klan. As such, if Martin Luther King Jr’s desired changes were to come into effect the White Citizens Council also stood to lose the same level as power and social standing within the wider American community.
Malcolm X was also an individual who was critical of Martin Luther King Jr. Unlike the two groups mentioned above Malcolm X’s criticism was focused on the manner in which Martin Luther King Jr was attempting to institute change. Where Martin Luther King Jr was trying to bring about change in a non-violent fashion. Malcolm X believed that the black community had the right to and should fight, even violently for their cause. Despite this criticism, he didn’t have anything to lose or gain unlike the two groups above.
By contributing to the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr was able to give black American citizens the chance to be themselves in their own skin. The evidence suggests that he did make the world a better place by getting civil rights institutionalized in America. He also helped many communities who were facing adversity and racial and social injustices. Martin Luther King Jr’s most notable achievement was his ‘I have a dream’ speech and what followed it. Despite many challenges he persisted and made the world a better place. If we conclude, then we can say that the topic 'Martin Luther King segregation essay' is very important and relevant even in our time.
