Martin Luther King Jr.: Words In The Hands Of A Leader

Nisah Tep
Kathy Cocke
English 10
April 14, 2023
Words in the Hands of a Leader “I’ve been to the mountaintop.” (Martin Luther King Jr). Martin Luther used nonviolent attacks to go against racism, giving African Americans civil liberties. And to do that he fought for civil liberties with words but with little action making him a peaceful leader who achieved his long term dream. Such nonviolent attacks were common, just like Abraham Lincoln and Mark Antony (from Julius Caesar). Their weapons were words. Speeches were used to their advantage, gaining support and love from their followers. And for that, Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. Sometimes it was assumed that weapons and violent attacks were the only solution however,

he led a group to find a pathway for African Americans civil rights. One scene was the March on Washington, the march was about a protest of jobs and freedom. It was a nonviolent protest, They wanted to be paid equally like white people do. It was successful but there were a lot of more challenges he had to face. Like getting arrested, even when in jail, he still fought for his dream. He wrote a Brmmingham letter inside his cell. The letter talked about taking responsibility to break unjust laws to take action rather than waiting for justice to come through the courts (Lesly). And that persuaded the public to do what he did in order for people to listen to them. Another was A Testament of Hope (Texas A&M Today) it was a nonviolent protest, people would protest about economics, black rights, and social policy. These protests were used as a no threat but have to be taken seriously. Later when he died, black rights gained the right to have education and employment in

was also an inspiration to him was Abraham Lincoln. He also led groups for civil liberties, and was successful. And he had a major impact on history. He claimed that “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” (Abraham Lincoln) means that success comes from sticking together and to do anything else invokes disaster (Current). He protested that civil rights should be applied to every U.S citizen. He did little action and spoke too much to where he became an important figure. He was the 16th president, his position alone wouldn’t have helped him if it weren’t for his kind act of words. Which helped him abolish slavery in every federal territory. He knew words were important and weapons weren’t going to help but cause chaos. So as a leader, he was a great inspiration to many people which led to other great