One such person was Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King was a renowned Black civil rights campaigner who played a part in several major campaigns such as The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the events that took place in Birmingham in 1963. He helped to get Black Americans equal civil and voting rights. However he was not the only person to help the advancement of black Americans. There were many other civil right groups such as SNCC, who helped organise The Sit-ins of 1960; NAACP, who also aided The Montgomery Bus Boycott; and The Black Panthers, a more Militant group whose main cause was to empower Black people.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in some of the most important racial desegregation groups. Obviously he was the leader of the Civil Rights movement as well He was a leader for the group called Montgomery Improvement Association. He was appointed the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which was created during the boycott and he became a prominent leader of the boycott - even driving some of the black community to work as the buses had been boycotted. He also was one of the leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was one of the leaders for the Selma Voting Rights Movement. These groups gained MLK a lot of popularity in the 1960’s.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in some of the most important racial desegregation groups. Obviously he was the leader of the Civil Rights movement as well He was a leader for the group called Montgomery Improvement Association. He was appointed the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which was created during the boycott and he became a prominent leader of the boycott - even driving some of the black community to work as the buses had been boycotted. He also was one of the leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was one of the leaders for the Selma Voting Rights Movement. These groups gained MLK a lot of popularity in the 1960’s.
It also had an enormous impact on the growth of America itself. Without slaves, we would have no America, because there would have been no one to do the work.. During America’s early years, as they still are today, three things that are ingrained deep into our nation are Capitalism, individualism, and racism. Although, racism is indeed frowned upon now and is much less pronounced than it once was, it continues to infect our society. Although, one could argue that there is more racism against white people now rather than “minorities” however, that is another subject matter completely and is just my opinion. Another key factor in early America’s success was the plantation system.
Curtis Long COMM 300 MLK Analysis This paper will analyze and discuss the “I have a dream speech” by Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. which was presented in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. The speech is about the failed promises of equality for all, focusing mainly on blacks. The speech culminated a civil rights march on Washington in an attempt to secure rights for African-Americans. The march, King's speech, and other boycotts and protests eventually led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed many aspects of discrimination. The reason that the speech had such a massive impact is due to the tense social mood of the time and it gave black activists a vision for the future.
The concept was that the defeated southern states would be rehabilitated and brought back to normal standing as citizens of the united states during this reconstruction period. The reality was far from satisfactory to most southerners and resentments over forced changes were very high. Into this charged atmosphere come the reconstruction or civil war amendments. The 14th Amendment (1868) addresses the birthright of citizenship so that the slaves freed by the 13th Amendment (1865), are made citizens by right of birth. The 15th Amendment (1870) guarantees all the voting privileges of citizens no matter which state they reside in (although did not go far enough in guaranteeing an absolute right without condition), "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on the account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Too many racial minorities are still excluded and segregated in America. Michaels argues that we are too focused on celebrating diversity and not spending enough time focusing on economic equality. However, Omi argues that “instead of celebrating racial and cultural diversity, we are witnessing an attempt by the right to define, once again, who the ‘real’ American is, and what ‘correct’ American values, mores, and political beliefs are” (70). Racial inequality and oppression has always been an issue. Although it has reared in different forms in America’s history, it has not gone away.
Between 1954 and 1968 in the country of America change was being heavily sought after in the area of black civil rights. Discrimination towards blacks was cemented into the law system, with the general public view from whites, especially in the south, agreeing with these. However the advancement of black Americans was the accomplishment of a progressive struggle which achieved much change for this suffering community. One man who was seen as an important figure for the ways in which change was created and the vastness of the support for campaigns which followed this main goal was Martin Luther King. I believe that the contribution of Martin Luther King was huge for the Civil Rights Campaign, however many important campaigners were overshadowed by King who possibly got too much credit when it was due elsewhere.
In order for racial equality to exist, African Americans must feel as though their needs had been met. They were fighting for economic equality, being able to vote without intimidation, termination of segregated public transport and places, to change attitudes, and the extinction of day to day discrimination on the whole. Although all these factors were covered by the Civil Rights campaign it is questionable as to what extent they were covered; and whether racial equality had been achieved by 1965. Before the Civil Rights campaign came about, the economic and social rights for black American's was almost non-existent. Black unemployment rates seemed to remain constantly higher than the corresponding sums for white people and even if they were successful in finding a job they wouldn't usually receive equal pay.
Martin Luther King Jr. states “Oppressed People cannot remain oppressed forever.” (Cahn, 2009 p. 387) As we have seen throughout history, this is a true statement. Oppression is not something that sits well with any type of person that is under the oppression. To resist the oppression, one must carefully chose those laws that they fill are unjust and oppresses them, and once they are chosen then one can make a stand against the oppression. Oppression is unjust law that limits the power of the people that are oppressed into feeling powerless. The United States fought of the oppression over the colonies in the late 1700’s by first peacefully protesting the unjust taxes waged against them.