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Martin Luther King Research Paper

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Martin Luther King, Jr. first stepped into the national spotlight in late 1955 when he led the African American’s in the Montgomery, Alabama’s bus boycott (Biography.com Editors). King experienced racism in his earlier years of life and claimed he had always wanted to do something to make the world a fairer place for African Americans (Col). On the night Rosa Parks, a colored woman, was arrested for violating the Montgomery city code by not giving her seat to a white man, King met with the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other civil rights activists from the area so arrangements could be made for a citywide bus boycott (Biography.com Editors). In this meeting, he was elected to lead and be the official …show more content…

Having all these qualities made King believe he was the man for the job as well. In the first speech, he gave to this group he said they had no other motive but to protest, for he believed colored people had handled the situation with an amazing patience and should not take a violent approach at all. He ended this speech with, “But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.” The colored people of this community trekked to their homes through the snow, struggled to get to work when there were scorching temperatures, took harsh verbal abuse, and were attacked violently for 382 days. He had an innovative and skillful way of persuasively speaking to the protestors and put a jolt of energy into the fight against the struggle Montgomery was facing. Thanks to the suffering financial state of the city’s bus lines due to the boycott led by King and the Supreme Court’s ruling that “separate is never equal” in the Brown vs. Board of Education case, the United States Supreme Court ruled segregation of seating on city buses unconstitutional in November of 1956 (Biography.com …show more content…

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on his hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. Because of King’s tragic death, the “I Have a Dream” speech returned to the forefront of public memory with his legacy. His death also caused great shock, violence, and controversy to spread in African American communities across the nation (History.com Staff, “Martin Luther King Jr Assassination”). Because of the violent outbreaks, more than two thousand people were injured, twenty thousand people were arrested, and the damages are estimated to be three hundred eighty-five dollars today (Risen). Because of this national mourning, President Lyndon B. Johnson called upon congress to pass the civil rights legislation so it could be sent to the House of Representatives for debate. It was only a week after King’s assassination that President Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act of 1968 making it the last significant achievement written by the legislative branch in the civil rights era. Even after his death, King’s life’s work inspired the supporters of the Civil Rights Movement to persevere through the struggle for equality with him as their leader spirit (History.com Staff, “Martin Luther King Jr

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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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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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King was a very influential man and sought after one goal, equality and the freedom from oppression that the African Americans in the United States endured day in and day out during this time period. King instituted many marches, rallies, boycotts, along with numerous prayer and worship sessions during the civil right movement. His work in the field of human rights enabled him to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King states, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” Oppression, hate, and racial injustice plagued our nation and stood out as one of the most compelling and long-term social wounds during this time period.

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Arguably the most significant civil rights activist in American history, led the boycott to victory. Consequently, the U.S. Supreme Court declared racial segregation for public transportation as unconstitutional. Here by, "***INSERT LAW -QUOTED**** BROWDER VS GALE 1956

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination Essay Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the age of 39 on April 4th, 1968. He was a very important, if not crucial part of the ending of segregation. After his assassination, there was a massive public uproar, including various protests, burning and looting, and an overall widespread anger among African American citizens. When assassinated, he was standing on the second story balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

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Although King had countless followers during the Civil Rights Movement, he warped their minds to believe that his decision was the right decision. King was just another African American who was a part

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For example, on December 21, 1956, the Montgomery city buses were required by law to desegregate. Meanwhile, he and other black leaders came together to shape the “Southern Christian Leadership Conference”(Contemporary). This was when King became a president of SCLC; however, he died before great changes could be made. Finally, he became a leader where he journeyed all over the country and gave speeches, helping to build communities of blacks and whites who could live together.

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In addition, he joined movements. He “joined Dr. Martin Luther King’s nonviolent campaign in Birmingham in 1963”(Simon). Dr King was also an advocate for civil rights, he had a series of campaigns promoting equality. During some of the campaigns, people had gotten arrested. It takes courage to join a movement, especially one where you can get arrested.

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Later in life, I realized that Mr. King did a lot of African-Americans, he had many other important influential messages. His message was about the racial equality and the economic equality. Everyone in the states really deserved a good amount of money so they can support themselves and their families. His last speech was in support of the bus driver 's strike which is located in Memphis, Tennessee. While Mr. King was in Memphis for that trip in 1968, a man shot him on a balcony outside of his motel room.

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The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr In early April 1968, shock waves reverberated around the world with the news that U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. A Baptist minister and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King had led the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s, using a combination of powerful words and non-violent tactics such as sit-ins, boycotts and protest marches (including the massive March on Washington in 1963) to fight segregation and achieve significant civil and voting rights advances for African Americans. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era.

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But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” the next day at 7:04 pm, Martin Luther King Jr. was pronounced dead at St. Joseph 's Hospital. As the leader of the civil rights movement and one of the most influential men of his time, Martin Luther King Jr. lived a dangerous life. There were many people who could have wanted King dead, conspiracies point to the government, facts point to James Earl Ray. Conspiracies began taking shape as soon as the trials started, most were presented with a lack of definite proof.

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Martin Luther King Jr. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” this quote has a meaning in standing up for yourself as in for freedom , equal rights and justice. Martin Luther King Jr took one of the main roles in the Civil Rights Movement as in saying in the quote he used for Americans but different races all around the world. Martin Luther King inspired people to do things back then and now modern day just like he inspired the bus boycott in the Civil Rights Movement standing up for equal rights. Martin Luther King Jr Impacted a lot of people lives not just African Americans. The Civil Rights Movement gained attention and respect in most states.

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Without the step of the Boycott, not as much attention would have been brought nationally. The Montgomery Bus Boycott stimulated activism in the South and gave King national attention as a rising leader. “A turning point in the life of Martin Luther King was the Montgomery Bus Boycott which he helped to promote. His boycott also became a turning point in the civil rights struggle – attracting national press for the cause.” (cite)

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Introduction: The civil rights movement of 1954-1968 has made a huge impact on the history of African-American equality. All the great leaders of the movement have gone down in history for their courageous work and outstanding commitment to the civil rights movement. One of the most famous of the activists was Martin Luther King Junior (1929-1968) . King is still remembered today for his legendary speech entitled “I had a dream”.

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We have all heard the phrase, “make yourself feel at home.” In Homeric times, this phrase was meant literally. Today, we have our own form of hospitality and although it may not be as extensive and as serious as it is portrayed in the Odyssey, today’s hospitality is still relatable to those times. Hospitality was expected of all guest and host relationships. Xenia held both social and religious importance, as it was believed in ancient Greece that any person could actually be a god in disguise.

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