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Martin Luther King Freedom Analysis

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During the nineteenth century, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has shown us the genuine significance of the word freedom, leaving an indelible mark on America. During the Civil Rights Movement, King preached that nonviolence and civil disobedience are the only way to fight for freedom, effectively driving Blacks in their journey for the "unalienable rights" guaranteed by our Founding Fathers. “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline,” he urged. Freedom, he believed, is the ability for all mankind to think, speak, and act in the public sphere. Education is the key to thinking, speaking, and acting in a coherent and persuasive manner. Like the biblical parable in which Jesus preaches the benefit of teaching …show more content…

Freedom will not be given by those who are in authority and power; we need to take it for ourselves. This is martin Luther king’s general message, one that has universal application to all of us is irrespective of race. King understood that America was not free despite the claims of the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln. He believed that the principles that inspired the American Republic are sound. What he sought for the Black community was access to the public sphere so that Blacks might enjoy the benefits of politics inspired by freedom, justice, and equality, and bear the burden of responsibility for maintaining the American Republic for the long term. He encouraged Black and White Americans alike to throw off the yoke of immaturity and tries to spread freethinking throughout the world. He preached, “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand’s of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children”. Freedom, King realized, must include justice for all. He saw the very concept of “second class citizenship” fostered by segregation as a danger to the health of the American Republic, and a threat that undermined the legitimacy of the founding documents and the principles that inspired them. Social norms are not always acceptable. We have to stand up to the injustices that plague our

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On August 28th, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King held one of the most powerful and influential speeches in human history. The speech was held in front of more than 200 000 people and concerned the injustices of discrimination of African Americans which was taking place in the United States at the time. In his first statement he says: “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” With this introduction Mr. King firmly states what the essence of his speech will be.

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Since the 18th Century Transatlantic Slave Trade, Africans Americans have been confined to a box full labor, mistreatment, and abuse. Countries all over the world slowly understood that having a skin color other than white does not mean that you are less valuable as a human being. However, in the United States of America the idea of African Americans being equal to whites was unreal. Leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and key leader during the Civil Rights Movement after World War II, fought so blacks and whites could coexist and so the future could be brighter even if he was not in it. On MLK’s famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” MLK speaks with

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“Martin Luther King Jr’s Use of Authorities in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” In Martin Luther King Jr’s argumentative letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King argues his position on his nonviolent protests, segregation, and his disappointments with the church and Birmingham’s city officials. This letter was written to clergymen that called King’s peaceful protesting “unwise and untimely” (para.1). King explains his positions by providing examples that strengthen his argument. Overall King makes it clear that little has been accomplished in the civil rights movement to end segregation and the hatred Caucasians have towards African Americans.

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King’s letter is full of powerful and motivating quotes. King explained the topic of freedom and how it was difficult for the African Americans to achieve, he stated: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (68). The African Americans, specifically the leaders, went through extremely tough and painful experiences. According to King, for the African Americans to achieve freedom they had to fight for it, because the oppressors refused to give freedom to their victims. King knew this because of the many different painful experiences him and the other leaders experienced to receive their

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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (King, Jr.). Martin Luther King Jr. exceeded this “measure of a man” during his civil rights acts as a strong soldier in a very volatile time. During this time of “challenge and controversy” King made himself heard in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In some of his civil rights acts that occurred in Birmingham, resulted in him ending up in jail. During his time in jail, he wrote his also famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

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Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

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Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech had a great deal of logos and pathos appeals to persuade his audience to speak out against segregation and to give all men the rights they deserve. He often gave a clear line of reasoning supported by evidence in his speech, like when he says: “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”... America has defaulted on this promissory note, ... given the Negro people a bad check… which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” (King para. 4)

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As many of us have read, it is stated in Dr. King’s speech, “But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free.” (King 1). By reading this,

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King's constant claim that the Civil Rights Movement is a fight for justice, not only an end to racial segregation, supports this viewpoint. King's famous quote, "Injustice everywhere is a menace to justice everywhere," demonstrates his vision of the fight for freedom as a fight for justice. In other words, King understands that everyone's rights are at stake in the fight for freedom, not just those of African Americans. King's critique of the white moderate emphasizes the significance of initiative and dedication in the fight for freedom. Lukewarm acceptance, according to King, is more confounding than outright rejection since it downplays the importance of the battle and upholds the status quo.

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He writes that “one has not only a legal but moral responsibility to obey just laws” as well as “a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (Letter from Birmingham Jail). King asserts his belief to clergymen in his Letter to Birmingham Jail that he can urge people to obey laws like the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision (to outlaw segregation in public schools) because it is one that is morally right; in like manner, he can also urge people to disobey segregation ordinances because they are ones that are morally wrong. Essentially, he uses this idea as one justification for the civil rights activists’ demonstrations. To this day, King’s ideals in correspondence with the degradation that his people faced are commended by many people whether it be to achieve credibility or to express genuine support for what he represented. Solidarity reminds that even if someone holds power over you, you are not alone in your beliefs or in your supposed

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His teaching molded the black community into what it is today and it is continuing to evolve based on the teachings he gave that inspired leaders for many years to come. In an interview once he said “Anytime you beg another man to set you free you will never be free. Freedom is something you need to do for yourself and until the negro lets the white man know we are really ready and willing to pay the price necessary for freedom we will always be second-class citizens what he called 20th century slaves.” When the interviewer asked him what price he was talking about he said “ The price of freedom is death” This is something he was willing to pay for all his people.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

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"The Freedom and Equality" - Martin Luther King Equality, justice, and freedom are the defining moments of the civil rights movement. The purpose of Martin Luther King in delivering his speech "I Have A Dream" was to make Americans of all racial backgrounds aware of the racial, civil, and economic inequality that was taking place in the United States. The speech was used to raise awareness of the problems in American society regarding civil rights and to point out that racism and discrimination must be eradicated. Martin Luther King explains to the audience the equality that every race needs; he could appeal specifically to the patriotism of his listeners.

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The Meaning of Philosophy in the Theme of Liberty Quote 1: Martin Luther King Jr.: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (para.11.) This quote defines the role of philosophy as a way to examine the nature of human freedom and liberty from oppressive social trends in American life. King’s statement is based on the necessity of the philosophical examination of racism in the United States, which compelled him to pursue political activism to liberate African Americans from white racist culture. The “price” of freedom is the unique ability of human beings to make a philosophical choice about their own lives, which provides a context in which to examine

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Martin Luther King Jr once said, “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but do whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King is saying two important reasons that freedom is important... freedom is being able to have the right of education and not being judged on your race. Freedom means to have a right to education because having the right to education means getting a job, getting married, and getting to drive.

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