Why Is Martin Luther King, Jr Famous - Term Paper Example

Martin Luther King, Jr Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) was a great man in the American history as he led millions in shattering the Southern segregation of races. He also accumulated political power for blacks and brought new and higher dimension of human dignity to black people’s lives (King & Coretta 7). He was an American civil rights activist, a humanitarian, a pastor, and a leader of the African-American civil rights movement. He was born Michael Luther King, Jr in January 15, 1929 in Atlanta to Martin Luther, Sr a sharecropper’s son and a pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist church Atlanta and Alberta Williams a pastor’s daughter. His name was later changed to Martin in 1934 after a German reformer Martin Luther. He was the second born in a family of three: elder sister Christine and younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams. He attended Booker T Washington high school in Georgia a segregated school where he graduated at age fifteen. Since he skipped ninth and twelfth grade, he joined Morehouse College without graduating high school. He graduated from Morehouse in 1948 with B.A degree in sociology. He then joined Crozer Theological seminary in Pennsylvania where he graduated B.D degree. Regardless of his class being predominantly white, he was elected as its president. He later joined Boston University in 1955 to study systematic theology and graduated with a Ph. D. While at Boston, he met Coretta Scott and married her in 1953. They were blessed with four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott and Bernice (Ramdin 1-28). Ramdin regarded King as a dominant force in the civil rights movement through his rhetoric and passionate advocacy for nonviolent protest (28). King gained his leadership skills while he was still a young boy as he was elected the president of his class despite it being dominated by whites. He also started questioning some aspects of religion at age thirteen something no one had dared do before. That meant he was not likely to follow people blindly but was to do what is right. He also observed his father working very hard as a child and vowed to emulate him. Though he was born during the Great Depression of 1930s, his father made sure they lacked nothing while other African-Americans were suffering. As a child, his mother also explained to him about segregation and discrimination; it was the duty of parents to do so. However, it is his separation from his white friend that made him vow to hate every white person from then on (King & Scott 8). Another event that his shaped his life during childhood was his experiences of segregation as he witnessed his father being ill treated by whites. At one time, he was called a ‘boy’ by a white policeman but he was not cowed. He reproached the policeman until he ran away. This was a great lesson for King, Jr which he was to apply throughout his life. At age Fourteen when he was returning from an oratorical contest with his teacher (Bradley), he refused to seat or stand at the rear of the bus but the teacher convinced him not to disobey the Jim Crow law of segregation. Being from a lineage of preachers, he believed in Christian teachings especially of loving your neighbors and as such he was determined to end segregation in America and achieve racial equality. His leadership style was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. King sought to emulate Mahatma Gandhi a social reformer in India who attained his goals with love and non-violence. He thus made a trip to India inn 1959 to learn more about non-violent resistance and gained a lot of insight which he used to lead civil rights movement. The first struggle for civil rights was the Montgomery bus boycott. At Montgomery city bus lines, the front seats were reserved for the whites. Blacks paid fare at the front, got off, and then boarded the bus through the back door to the rear of the bus to either sit or stand regardless of whether there were empty seats in front (Ramdin 31). However, in 1955, Rosa parks a seamstress defied Jim Crow laws by refusing to give up her seat to the whites. Her arrest sparked a lot of emotions and King organized other religious leaders to form the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to demand for right to freedom and self-respect. King was chosen president of the association and led the Montgomery boycotts which lasted for 385 days. He used Gandhian techniques to lead the boycotts (love and nonviolence). He also had the challenge of ensuring that blacks got an alternative means of transport as long as the boycott lasted. His achievement was accomplished when Montgomery buses were integrated in December 21, 1956 (King & Scott 9-10). In his struggle for civil rights, King helped to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was chosen the first president. The movement was very vocal in fighting for African-American rights. It was involved in planning and executing boycotts throughout the country such as in Montgomery, Albany, Washington and Memphis (Ramdin 101-113). Throughout the struggle, King insisted on nonviolence means and urged blacks to only defy the unjust laws and obey all other laws. Direct action involved boycotts and sit-ins although sometimes it became violent. His leadership was thus guided by Christian principles or moral law. By the end of 1959, King had devoted himself fully to civil rights movements. The next protest was in 1961 organized by Congress for Racial Equality against segregation in interstate buses. The protest involved freedom riders both white and black with King as the chairman of the coordinating committee. Despite being beaten and arrested on various occasions, King and his men were not about to give up. As King often said, “we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope” (King & Scott 23). In 1963, lunch counter sit-ins were organized in Birmingham by SCLC and King was arrested in the process. While in jail, he wrote the famous “letter from Birmingham jail” urging protestors to continue with their peaceful protests. Their persistence resulted into negotiations with white city officials to reach a settlement. This was an achievement for King (King & Scott 11). Also in 1963, SCLC organized the March to Washington to force the government to pass a new federal legislation for full integration of blacks into American society and for jobs and freedom. It was the largest gathering in history so far and it is where King gave his moving speech. The “I Have a Dream” oratory speech on August 1963 at Lincoln memorial moved the masses greatly. King was regarded as a communist and therefore a subject of FBI investigations. King asserted that he had a dream that was deeply rooted in the American dream. That “one day, the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal” (King & Scott 95). He was advocating for equality among all races as entrenched in the constitution and the founding principles of the nation: equality, liberty and pursuit of happiness. He thus foresaw both races sited together as brothers, freedom and justice in Mississippi, where his children would live peacefully without being judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. He claimed that 100 years since the declaration of independence, black man lived in exile in his own land and it was time to grant him citizenship rights. He quoted his famous saying that “we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” (95).This speech helped to change people’s attitude and facilitated the passage of Civil Rights Act in 1964. Another achievement of these struggles was the passage of Voting Rights Act of 1965. King believed in love for neighbors and enemies as the bible teaches. His love was not restricted to African Americans only but to all Americans whites and blacks and mankind as a whole. For him, “love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend” and “a man who wont die for something is not fit to live”(King & Scott 18-23). He thus believed men must assist their fellow men and whole humanity and feel a sense of responsibility to the society. As such, he also advocated for economic rights for example, through the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. To stress the need for helping others he used to say that “the ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience , but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (24). He was against the evils of poverty, racism and war. He therefore began his controversial fight against the Vietnam War which gained him a lot of foes including President Johnson. However, nothing was going to stop him as for him “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” (95). At riverside church, New York City on April 4, 1967 he gave the “Beyond Vietnam” speech to urge citizens to condemn the war. The time had come for people to speak as silence would have been betrayal. In his last days thus he devoted his time to fighting poverty and war. His last assignment was in Memphis, Tennessee where he had gone to lead the protests against mistreatment of sanitary workers in 1968. On April 3, 1968 he delivered his final speech “I’ve been to the mountaintop” insisting that he was doing God’s will (Ching 18-20). He also urged African Americans to stay together and maintain unity. He repeated the saying “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” He acknowledged the difficulties entailed in search of justice but for him it did not matter because he had been on the mountaintop. On April 4, 1968 a sniper shot and killed him at his hotel Balcony. Before he died in October 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in civil rights and bringing world peace. He saw this as an encouragement to work harder to achieve his goals of freedom, justice, and equality (Ramdin 32). Martin Luther King, Jr may be dead but his legacy remains edged in people’s hearts. He stood for justice whatever the consequences since he was just doing the will of God. Conclusion Martin Luther King, Jr was a courageous man who stood for justice. He was a great leader and an activist who never abandoned his course until he achieved his goals. During his time, he led millions of African Americans in shattering Southern segregation of races through love and nonviolence means. He was following the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi an Indian social reformer. Through his leadership he was able to end segregation in many states such as Montgomery and the nation as a whole through the passage of Civil Rights Act 1964 and Voting Rights Act 1965. He gained masses through his writings and speeches and his famous sayings which were very enlightening. For his efforts he was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1964. In his final years he struggled to achieve economic as well as civil rights and also justice for humanity by condemning the Vietnam War. However he was assassinated in April 4, 1968. Works Cited Ching, Jacqueline. The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. USA: Rosen. King Martin Luther III and King Coretta Scott. The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. 2ed. New York: Newmarket Place, 2008. Ramdin, Ron. Martin Luther King, Jr. London: Haus, 2004. Read More