1965 Alabama, during the times of Jim Crow Laws and desegregation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and six hundred individuals traveled fifty-four miles from Selma to Montgomery in a peaceful protest. Dr. King has always been a strong righteous man who fought for what he believed in. He was the one that had all the answers and did not waver when faced with the white men that threatened to end his life. Following the teaching of Ghandi, Dr. King led the Civil Rights Movement and demanded the equality they deserved. “We the People” should include all the people, not just some. Selma gives us an interesting take on Martin Luther King; it shows us both the hero and the man. The movie Selma introduced to us what we don’t always see in history when discussing …show more content…
This King is the one who led African Americans to having their right restored to themselves. The King we see is peaceful in history, choosing non-violent means to get his way. However, this scene shows us an angry King. A man that is angry with the deaths that have been brought upon during their fight for equal rights. We see the King we have known since we started learning history as well as the King who makes you question how “non-violent” this man truly was. He was non-violent, I agree, but this man did not sit idle while his fellow men sacrificed their lives. His speeches show us that his words were quite radical, meant to stir up the people and encourage to not take this injustice and brutality sitting down. As the movie continues, we see another instance of Dr. King’s weakness. The FBI faked a tape of King cheating of Coretta and sends it to her. We see the toll that this movement is taking on their marriage. This strain on their marriage shows the weakness that King constantly is faced with. He decides to push back the march in response to this, stating that he needed to be at home with his family. However, Coretta does not give up on him. She even joins him on the march to Montgomery. “…The constant closeness of death…”(Selma, Coretta). Several men, white and black, are dying on the streets due to the fight for civil rights. Coretta is …show more content…
Selma gave us an in-depth look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the man. We saw his high points, and we saw his low points. This King is not the one that we see in our history. This is the true King that several people need to see to understand how serious and difficult the Civil Rights Movement was. Even in the 21st century, we are still fighting in our own Civil Rights Movement. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson believed that equality was possible in the United States and was not one to give up on what he wanted. In ways, he and Dr. King were similar in that aspect. Selma gives the historical discourse that shows that the history books won’t always tell us everything. King was a fighter all the way up to his death, and his voice and message continues to fight with us to this day. King’s faith in the Christian God is what kept him moving. “His truth is marching on!” (Selma, King). He was a pastor first and foremost, so his faith in his religion is what pushed him to become the man he came to be. This Dr. King in Selma is the true Dr. King. "...I'm no different than anybody else. I wanna live long and be happy...but I will not be focused on what I want today. I'm focused on what God wants. We're here for a reason, through many, many storms. But today, the