...ethnicity, religion, gender or social classes. We all deserve to have equal civil rights to life, liberty, and justice. In America, all black and white people of different nationalities and religions are supposed to have the same opportunities for education, better life and happiness. When we do not receive those civil rights, we start to think to protest. Historically, the "Civil Rights Movement" refers to African- Americans in their struggle for freedom and racial justice. Martin Luther King, Jr., emerged during the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement and became the most effective non-violent leader. He brings his nation to freedom on the basis...
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...Reflective Assignment The Political Nonviolent Activism of Martin Luther King Jr. I will focus on the life and the nonviolent political activism of Martin Luther King Jr. King Jr. is a world-renowned figure for his nonviolent pursuit of justice, equality, liberty and freedom for all, he worked tirelessly for racial equality and civil rights within the United States of America and his values of beliefs have been referenced the world over in similar pursuits. He is most well known for a speech he gave on the steps of Washington D.C.’s Lincoln memorial in 1963 entitles “I Have a Dream …” at the “March on Washington”. Section 1 (a) Montgomery Bus Boycott In the city of Montgomery Alabama 1955, it would not be surprising to see buses segregated by race; in fact city law to enforce it. When entering buses whites entered and sat at the front filling towards the rear, blacks entered and sat at the rear filling toward the front. If there were no more seats the next black person onto the bus was to stand, when the next white person got on the closest row of black people to the front were required to stand (Clayborne 224). The boycott began after a number of black women had been arrested for not vacating seats, the most recent before the boycott being Mrs. Rosa Parks (Phibbs). The boycott was organized and led by a number of now prominent civil rights activists along with Martin Luther King Jr., including but limited to: Ralph Abernathy, a leader of the American Civil Rights...
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...“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This was famous and inspirational quote spoken by activist and pastor, Martin Luther King Jr. He played a major role in black history and fighting for equality for all races. When thinking of Martin Luther King Jr., another person with very similar qualities comes into mind, Former President, Barack Obama. Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States who had many similar views and qualities to King’s. These two men have played a substantial role in shaping America into what it is today. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama both grew up in similar conditions and circumstances. They both raised in good conditions and grew up in households with their parents. Both men also came from middle class backgrounds. These two also graduated from some of the best universities in the Boston Area. Obama attended Harvard Law School in 1988 and graduated with great distinction in 1991. M.L.K. Jr. attended Boston University and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1955 when he was only 25 years old....
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...1960’s to 1970’s, North American politics was at a turbulent stage. America was experiencing a break-through of racial politics in the 1960’s, led by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Shortly after Canada also went through political turmoil in 1970 with the FLQ Crisis, which was addressed by Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Both leaders responded to crisis through action and by political writing. Martin Luther King’s political writing, “Letter from Birmingham and Pierre Trudeau’s, “Notes for a national broadcast, October 16 1970” both have similarities and differences. Both works address the public to deal with civil disobedience, the means to make political change, roles of government in handling civil unrest in democratic regimes and the responsibility for citizens to protest or disobey ‘unjust laws’. How ever both works are written from different perspectives. Despite their differences both works do well at complimenting each other since they share the same values. Martin Luther King’s arguments were addressing segregation and inequality experienced by African-Americans. The “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, jr.]’ written by the American civil rights activist is concerning the issues of terrorism and summons action to respond racial laws through non-violence in attempt to establish peace and end oppression. Acts of terrorism were, “unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches” (King, paragraph 6). King refers to Birmingham experiencing such high levels of terrorism acts...
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...FALL 15 FALL 15 Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle Dr. Mark Allen Organizational Behavior/Leadership (MBA-552) Harkaran Singh Hara & Aras Azarbay Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle Dr. Mark Allen Organizational Behavior/Leadership (MBA-552) Harkaran Singh Hara & Aras Azarbay 08 Fall 08 Fall Abstract The paper examines the myths associated with the life and leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the African-American Civil Rights movements of 1950s and 1960s and scrutinizes King’s depiction by the mass media as the sole significant leader of the struggle. It also examines the charismatic label associated with King’s name, his exceptional oratory skills and also his weaknesses as leader. The paper further discusses the contributions of King towards the civil rights struggle and also suggests us not to forget the contributions of leaders to the movement and the social factors which led to King’s rise. It also suggests some lessons we can learn from King’s life and relates his beliefs and methods to various scholarly works. Finally, it reflects upon the role of charismatic leadership and how it relates with transformational leadership styles in today’s business environment. About the Author This article which was originally published in the Journal of American History, 1987 is written by Dr. Clayborne Carson, who is a professor of American History at the...
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...demanding what belongs to them. However using power in order to concede civil rights was a struggle which was acknowledged by Fredrick Douglass “Without struggle there is no success”. To achieve advancement in African American Civil Rights, African Americans had to undergo a process of struggle. A rainbow is not made without rain; you can not want rain without thunder and lightening being accompanied by it. To achieve full civil rights African Americans had to pay the price along the way which was persecution, de-humanisation and scrutiny. Martin Luther King being inspired by Fredrick Douglass said “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor it must be demanded by the oppressed”. Martin Luther King certainly did demand as he wrote this from a Birmingham prison in a letter. If you are being enslaved it is the choice of the slave master to decide when to let you free, if freedom is a priority to the slave it is then their own responsibility to demand to be freed. This is the same with...
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...Martin Luther King, leadership, transformation, change. The research finds that Dr. King personified the four characteristics of transformational leadership. It also illustrates King’s leadership legacy through modern works on leadership. Few individuals have made such a significant contribution to the advancement of modern society as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Born into a family of Baptist ministers in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, Martin Luther King also became a Baptist minister and rose to national prominence through the organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and as leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid- 1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964, his leadership was fundamental to that movement's success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the southern states, and other parts, of the United States. Inspired by Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, King promoted non-violent tactics for social change such as the massive March on Washington (1963), although he never witnessed his dream of a United States in which all Americans would have racial and economic justice. King’s vision of racial justice and love, provided hope and opportunity to African Americans beset by daily hardship and injustice and the impetus to initiate far-reaching social and political change. His ability to transform the struggle for racial equality into a vision with understandable, concrete...
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...Morgan Newman Mrs. McLaughlin English Composition A 23 September 2013 Thoughts of an Outsider In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote one of his most famous pieces, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In his letter King is writing to the eight white Alabama clergymen, defending the strategies of the nonviolent battle of racism, and arguing that people have the rights and responsibilities to fight for what they believe is right. Martin Luther King’s letter is in response to the mischaracterization that labels him as a trouble maker or an outsider. One thing that King’s letter was very good at was staying very organized throughout his whole letter. He made it flow very well. He does a great job stating his audience then going into his main topics. King’s letter showed that it was obvious he reviewed all facts and concerns of all those involved. King was focusing on how he is not an outsider, all of his actions were timely, he did not want violence, he was not an extremist, and he was disappointed in the church. Their attitude towards his matter is that they all disagree with what King is saying. In the letter King did a very good job using the three main appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is when the author tries to persuade an audience to agree with an argument by using reputation and character of the speaker or writer. An example is, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state...
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...Martin Luther King Jr. lived is very important. What did he see when he looked out across America? He would have saw all the well-educated men and women. He would of saw how smart they were, how successful they were, but he would have also saw how they had no awareness, no means of understanding, no compassion, no morals, and how they were so close minded, that it blinded them to the point of ignorance and arrogance. Today, we are still carrying on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream and in addition, we as a society are now trying to apply his ethics to a new global...
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...On April 12, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was imprisoned in Birmingham, AL for coordinating nonviolent actions to protest segregation. Dr. King had a mission to put an end to the civil rights movement in Alabama. In order to stop him, a judge issued an injunction against parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing, and picketing. Dr. King was not dissuaded by the judge and marched in spite of the injunction, and was arrested in result. Days later, clergymen wrote an article condemning Dr. King for hypocrisy and breaking the law. In response to the article, Dr. King wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” in which he clarified the difference between a just and unjust law, stating we, as human beings, have “not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust...
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...America was built upon the principal of abolishing ties with a hierarchy that was suffocating and restricting their god given liberties. America is a success story that models how the often looked down techniques retaliation and social dispute can work towards a greater good. However, as time passes, whether we as a country choose to forget or there is a willing ignorance we have turned against the same fundamentals that made us a country and tagged it as "untimely", "disrespectful", and "pesky." Protests and civil disobedience no matter how peaceful and legitimate receive backlash for being "out of place", "not the time" and "disruptive." In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. as he sat in his jail cell in Birmingham Jail, "One of the basic...
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...All men are equal. At least that is what the Declaration of Independence states. Is the declaration stating that all males are created equal, or are females created equal as well? Many Americans believe that woman and men are not equal. Others believe that they are equal. In the working field, many believe that there is a wage gap. Do I believe that men and woman are equal? No, I don’t believe they are equal. However, I believe that each have their own positives and their own negatives. Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments to prove to men and women everywhere that women were not being treated equally. The Declaration of Sentiments, just as the Declaration of Independence did, defined a list of grievances. Martin Luther King Junior’s letter from Birmingham Jail is another example of a piece of work that lists grievances to better the treatment of a group of people. Stanton believed that these grievances were held against women everywhere. The list was adopted by the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Many of the items on Stanton’s...
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...My freedom cost many lives, and now it is my turn to pay back the debt to the men who fought for my beautiful country. My responsibility as a citizen to America consists of voting, respecting, submitting, and to serving my country. Responsibility is defined as the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management. Personally, I agree with that statement, but responsibility means more to me than just being accountable it means to fulfill your jobs, own up to your actions, but most importantly follow the commands given to us in scripture by God. When I think of America, I think of it’s history, and all of the battles and wars that were fought to bring us to where we are today....
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...Racism causes tremendous moral, cultural, and economic suffering to a country. When the seeds of hatred and ethnocentrism are planted and fostered in society, it negatively affects every area of life. In a relevant example, white supremacy in America extends over centuries, and even the abolition of slavery could not end racism. Instead, it permeated throughout society in other ways in a racial caste system known as Jim Crow. More than a set of laws, it was a way of life that kept people of color from exercising their rights as full citizens. Jim Crow sent a message that whites were superior to other races, particularly the black race, in all ways, including behavior, intelligence, morality, and social status. The laws were so pervasive that they regulated every aspect of life, including socialization, sexual relations, marriage, housing education, entertainment, use of public facilities, and voting rights. Those that took a stand against white supremacy risked threats, intimidation, violence, and murder. Legalized racism from the federal government continued in the United States until the late 1960s; however, states continue to pass racially discriminatory laws. (See my Hub entitled "The Current Status of Black America.") Racism does not allow for a collective contribution of its citizens, which I believe to be a critical component of a country’s development and...
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...Dear Mr. President, As you know, we live in America, a democracy. And in living in this democracy, the people have a responsibility to participate in things both civic and political. If we did not, this democracy would not work and America would not be the same. It is up to the citizens to speak up for what we believe to be able to help maintain this wonderful country. I write to you to request that we create a holiday for Billy Graham. I feel that Mr. Graham very much deserves a holiday in his honor for all his influences on America. He has performed countless sermons to about 80 million people and millions more over radio or television. For about 3 million people, he helped by guiding them in their decisions to join Christ and has given confidence to countless more Christians. Billy Graham, as you may know, has helped at presidential inaugurations and presidential funerals. He has been comfort in times of need and even influenced Christians during the civil rights movement by stating his belief that all people of America should be treated equally, including black people. The most honorable characteristic of Billy Graham is the fact that he does all that he does simply because he believes it is the right, Christianly thing to do. He has definitely contributed a lot to the Christian society and it would probably be very different without him, seeing as he was a major factor of developing contemporary Christianity. Not only is the Christian community different...
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