Here is your essay on Martin Luther King Jr !
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia of United States. His significant contribution towards African-American Civil Rights Movement has made him a legendary and an icon in American history.
Martin was a clergyman and he became an activist and leader in the civil rights movement at the very early stages of his career. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 was responsible for the organization of civil rights activities throughout the country. His speech “I have a Dream” which revolutionized the Civil rights Movement as he led the march on Washington in August 1963 is still remembered as the greatest speech that was delivered before 250000 people present and millions more watching it on television. He talked about Freedom of the American Blacks who had suffered and not seen any independence after long promises by American leaders and rulers.
He talked about “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” for Blacks as they were enjoyed by the Whites in America. His speech had no mention of violence and revolt but it created a wave of protest and high spirits amongst the Negro community that was finally able to realize its freedom.
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Martin’s father was a minister and his mother was a teacher at school. Martin was a brilliant student at school who loved to read books, play baseball and football. Martin began his life as a Baptist leading a scholarly life at a Church in Montgomery, Alabam. He analysed several great movements of the history and revolutionized the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans based on the learned principles. He realized that economic disparities were the root cause of America’s social problems. He also planned a Poor People’s March before his assassination to reinforce redistribution of wealth by the downtrodden section of the society. He became the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association because he as a leader looked beyond political conflicts. He articulated the hopes and dreams that led to all events of the Civil Rights Movement. He won noble prize for his active involvement in Civil Rights movement in 1964.
Martin Luther King Jr. graduated from Moorhouse College in the year 1948 and he dreamt of becoming a minister like his father. While he was doing his PHD from Boston University, he married Corretta Scott in 1953. He was lucky to survive the two bomb attacks that were done by throwing bombs on to his porch. His book “Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery Story” was published in the year 1958. Martin along with his family moved to look after his father’s old church, Ebenezer Baptist Church. He also protested against the segregation in the buses.
Martin’s earliest effort against racial indiscrimination was the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. The incident that sparked the movement involved a 15 year old school girl in Montgomery refusing to give up her seat to a white man as per the racial laws called the Jim Craw laws that enforced racial segregation. The school girl, Rosa Parks also faced arrest on the charges and this motivated Nixon and king Martin to plan and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasting for 385 days and during this period, the king was also arrested once.
After the establishment of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) by prominent civil right activists like Martin, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, Joseph Lowery and others, consistent non-violent protests to reform the civil rights continued.
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All these protests aimed at challenging the existing system of southern segregation based on Jim Crow laws. The marches led by activists and others focused on right to vote, labor rights and other civil rights for blacks. These non-violent protests helped in the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965 Voting Rights Act which became a part of the laws of United States. He and his protests faced continuous criticism on accounts of insulting the existing system of racial disintegration that was present in the African-American system.
King along with SCLC also got involved in Albany movement in November 1961. This movement attacked all aspects of segregation and drew the whole nation’s attention towards the need to end segregation. Birmingham Campaign was also started by the SCLC to protest against racial discrimination and economic disparity in the nation.
Mass arrests were invoked and even young adults and children actively participated in the demonstrations. It was his arrest during this movement that the popular letter from the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was composed by the king to trigger a movement that could bring about the social change.
Poor People’s Campaign marks another significant effort by king and the Conference in Washington that ultimately lead the Congress to create the ‘economic bill of rights” for economically unprivileged Americans. The opposition was to Congress’s act of spending the military funds with generosity which was hostile to the poor. He argued that society required reconstruction and issues like racism, poverty, militarism and materialism need be fought against.
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In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot by an escaped convict, James Earl Ray while the king was giving a speech in Memphis, Tennessee before a huge crowd and he died on April 4, 1968. A camp was also established by the demonstrators who setup a camp called “Resurrection City” for six weeks. Race riots prevailed in the cities of Washington D.C., Chicago, Baltimore, Louisville, Kansas City and others after the assassination of king.
King Martin Luther Day is celebrated in January in United States which marks his birthday and is observed as a national holiday in order to pay tribute to his exemplary work.