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Did Martin Luther King Contribute To The Rise Of The American Dream

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Since the 1600s, racism has been an overwhelming and significant issue in the United States of America. Before the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were not given the chance to live the American Dream because legal and social restrictions held them from receiving the opportunities they deserved. The American Dream, the idea of freedom, equality, and the opportunity for prosperity, is supposed to be granted to all Americans, but African Americans were not given this right. African Americans were denied job opportunities, the right to use public facilities, and basic civil rights because of their race. African Americans continued to face this brutal discrimination until key leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., strived to eliminate social, political, and racial discrimination between the 1950s and the 1960s. He wanted to break the legal barrier that restricted the integration of all races because he thought the idea of racial segregation was an indignity to God. His father imbedded the idea of hatred towards class …show more content…

was a prominent leader who fought for racial equality, while staying committed to his belief of nonviolence resistance. Without violence, King used the power of his words, protests, and boycotts to further the Civil Rights Movement. King led the most lauded civil rights protests in American history, desegregated public facilities, and delivered his famous speech during the March on Washington. Without King's help, the American dream would not be possible for African Americans because he brought national attention to the problem of segregation in an effort to end it. King’s accomplishments gave African Americans the opportunity to live a life filled with equal economic, political, and social opportunities. Although King was harassed, abused, and had multiple threats because he was the leader of this immense change, his determination for justice and freedom motivated him to successfully achieve his goal of racial

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King’s protest was known for being Non- Violent. This was still the case, however, Dr. King wanted more direct action. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor”. He noticed that those in power were not open to negotiations for the African Americans. He wanted to create a situation which left the opposers with no choice but to, negotiate solutions.

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Dr.King wanted all African Americans to be treated equally, he wanted freedom for his brothers and sisters. He urged people to stand up and push for freedom in a nonviolent way but the road to freedom was not easy. You had to be willing to lay down your life even if it meant you could end up dead, he states “Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of angry policemen...” (King 274) Dr. King describes the experiences of what they had to endure, these are the experiences the people who joined him had to face.

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In doing so, he fought for every other black child in America. That is really why Brown v. Board of Education was so important; it was about the children and their future. If children were able to grow up attending school with others who don’t necessarily look like them, they were more likely not to have a harmful bias about someone when they entered into adulthood. Changing people’s opinions when they’re adults is difficult because they’ve had decades to form them, that’s why it’s important for children to be brought up knowing everyone is equal regardless of color. Abolishing segregation in schools showed children that their skin color didn’t define their worth, and gave them the opportunity to attend schools that were well funded

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African Americans have had a troubled past in the United States. They had to endure slavery and fighting for their rights, and still aren’t always seen as equals today. Two major movements happened that paved the way for rights for African Americans, in the 1890s to 1920s, and in the 1950s to 1960s. African American leaders in the 1890s to 1920s laid a foundation for future civil rights movements by unifying African Americans and trying to get full rights and equality at once, while leaders in the 1950s to 1960s built on this foundation by taking a hands-on approach towards accomplishing smaller goals to achieve rights. Civil rights leaders of the 1890s to the 1920s led some of the first movements to obtain rights for Black people.

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756 Words | 4 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil right activist who fought for the right and equality of African American citizens. In his speech, he stressed that nonviolence was a more effective way to success. One of the rhetorical devices that was key was his persona. His persona showed his followers that with patience and persistence change will come. In his speech, King spoke about the march in Birmingham, Alabama, where he and his friend Bull Connor lead.

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King was very passionate about the civil rights movement. Dr. King emphasizes the need to hold strong through the movement here,”Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be -- and force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering.” This quote helps show that Dr. King was willing to keep on going no matter how long it took, until the civil rights movement was no longer a cause and was an effect. Dr. King shows just how much the rest of the world needs the Afr ican American race, here,”If something isn't done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed.” This quote shows that,in Dr.King’s eyes, without the African American race, the economy, and quality of life for everyone in the world would suffer drastically.

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450 Words | 2 Pages

King was a civil rights activist. For a long period of time African Americans were being treated unfairly. They didn’t have as many rights as others. Despite being oppressed King was able to protest peacefully. His protests were very effective.

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1125 Words | 5 Pages

He wanted to change the laws on segregation and stop the oppression of African Americans. He wanted people of color to have equal rights and

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624 Words | 3 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the African American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, he was known for his nonviolent movements and methods of protesting. This involved many African American citizens to take verbal and physical abuse from the police and not being able to do anything about it. He used his words to inspire the nation into taking action, instead of promoting violence. Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of thousands of United States citizen from all different backgrounds at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Kings uses ethos to point out why segregation was unjust and to justify why African Americans deserves the same rights as the white citizens of the United States.

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Dr. King and his supporters participated in non-violent direct action that included sit-ins, desegregations, and protest marches. Now although these protests revolved around being peaceful, someone always managed to get hurt and those people were usually the ones protesting. The African American protestors were the ones that got mauled by police dogs, hit with high pressure water cannons, and then thrown into jail. These were the harsh prices African Americans had to face, but they knew it had to happen. Through civil disobedience Dr. King and those who supported him changed the very society they were living in for the better.

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Dr. King was there to talk about freedom. This is a very common speech today. A lot of African Americans were all for their freedom and joined the rally to have our world stop segregation. Dr. King speech was very powerful and he hoped to change the minds and hearts of many American people. His words had a lot of impact on American’s after his speech.

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2006 Words | 9 Pages

King was able to bring a new energy to the civil rights movement. after the bus boycott, he continued protesting. His main goal was to allow blacks to have the freedom to vote without having to have literacy tests or paying a tax. He also made famous speeches like his “I have a Dream” speech where he said that he wants to see a world his children will no longer be judged by the look of their skin but by the content of their character. Many people believed in him and followed him.

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Today we still read that speech which moved hundreds of people. People also King by his role in the Civil Right’s movement. He had a huge role in it such as, letting people know about it, encouraging how important non violent protest are, and was a leader in the African-american Civil Rights movement. King would help set up boycotts, protest and marches. He had many achievements suchs as, Being an Advocate for non violent protest, Being a leader in the Montgomery bus boycott, of course his “I have a Dream” speech!

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806 Words | 4 Pages

Racism in America has been around for centuries however it was in the 1960's that the attitudes of many Black Americans started to quickly change and they realized they wanted equality. Out of this, The Civil Rights Movement emerged which was a peaceful social movement that strove for equal human rights for black Americans. The leader of the Civil Rights Movement is no one other than Martin Luther King Jr. In his book, Why We Can't Wait, King tries to convince Black Americans to realize their reality, remember their roots and important and mainly, to seek changes to social conditions and attitudes.

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This brought him to organize the March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Dr. King used his voice to prove others their perception of African American were wrong. He knew in order to get the attention of all racial backgrounds his voice would have to speak for the people as a whole not to seperate them by racial classes. Dr. King motivated people with his speeches and his initative to take actions against situations he wanted to see change from. His possessed qualities that leaders needed to have like; determination, responsibility, courage, and passion.

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