Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King standing in front of 250,000 people. (http://mentalfloss.cachefly.net/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/400martin_luther_king_jr.jpg)

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (King) These words ran through the minds of people of all races, all of whom share the common goal of giving civil rights to all Americans, regardless of their skin color. The man who inspired them, who’s actions can be described as superhuman, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King fought through many hardships in his life including many people telling him what he can and cannot do. He was told he could not sit down on a bus next to a white man, even if there was no other seat. He was told he could not share the same restroom as a white man. He was told he could not use the same drinking fountain as a white man. He was told, that he was not allowed to vote unless he was educated, and literate. All of these things were told to most African Americans at the time. However, Dr. King realized enough was enough, and that he would take a stand. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought to make other people’s lives better in a selfless and nonviolent manner which inspired millions of others to do the same. His powerful words have brought together many with the common goal of liberating the United States from the grips of racism. That is why he is an amazing hero.

MLK as a child. (http://joecrubaugh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/MartinLutherKingJr01.jpg)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta King. As a child, Dr. King excelled in school and was outstanding at public speaking. His father was a pastor at a local church, and taught his son most of what he knew about public speaking. His father’s teachings helped him to lead the push for African American civil rights. This push for civil rights is often considered to have started on December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus. Rosa Parks’s arrest led to the bus boycott, which encouraged blacks to not ride buses and travel by other means for the time being. Another important day in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life was on August 28, 1963, when he led over 250,000 Americans of all races on a march to Washington D.C. He wanted to prove how serious he and his followers were about this cause. At the end of this nonviolent protest, his followers gathered near the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to over a quarter of a million people. Five years after this historic event, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead as he stood on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero because he helped liberate the United States through his powerful speeches, impressive public speaking abilities and his nonviolent strategies for change. Creighton University says; “His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities” (“Biography”). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent strategies proved to the government that he was going to act professional and not going to start an unnecessary physical battle. This philosophy changed the way some people thought about their movement, and helped to get people to support this important cause. Bourgoin goes on to show Dr. King’s involvement in the civil rights movement: “The African American minister and Nobel Prize winner Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), originated the nonviolence strategy within the activist civil rights movement. He was one of the most important black leaders of his era.” (Bourgoin) Dr. King is a hero, because he saved African Americans from years of continued racism and hardship. He realized that physically attacking the government would gain the African American community no respect and may even cause the government to strike back harder. Many African Americans were growing tired and exhausted for not receiving the rights they deserved. These innocent people fighting for what they believed in may have died had it not been for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, King held them together long enough to win civil rights for African Americans.

Dr. Martin Luther King is a hero because he led others to help in the struggle for civil rights, and because his actions were superhuman. UXL biographies state some of his lifetime accomplishments; “King had witnessed the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It forbid racial discrimination in public places such as restaurants and theaters. Over the next year, King and others worked to end the use of poll taxes and literacy tests that prevented many African Americans from voting” (“King, Martin Luther” UXL). King achieved many accomplishments in his short and difficult life. He led the movement to end segregation in many public places and the movement to stop discrimination to African Americans while voting. These discriminatory voting laws included poll taxes and literacy tests. Poll taxes required people to pay a fee to vote, which many African Americans could not afford. Also, literacy tests required people to read an excerpt from the Constitution which was hard for many blacks who were segregated in school. He fought for what he believed in, and that makes him a hero. Willie explains how anyone can be a hero; “By exalting the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr., into a legendary tale that is annually told, we fail to recognize his humanity — his personal and public struggles that are similar to yours and mine. By idolizing those whom we honor, we fail to realize that we could go and do likewise” (Willie). Many people forget that Dr. King is just a man. He fought for many causes and helped millions of people, but he is still only a man. One so often thinks of Dr. King as some kind of superhuman that one forgets that anyone can go out and make the world a better place. However, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero because he is one of the few that has decided to take a stand and fight for what he believes is morally correct. Through Dr. King’s life, he developed into more then just a person; he developed into a hero.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired millions of people to nonviolently revolt when the government treats a group of people unfairly. UXL biographies goes on to show how Dr. King controlled the anger of blacks; “More than any other person, King directed the anger of African Americans into a nonviolent movement for social justice. His work helped bring down many of the barriers that separated African Americans from equality” (“King, Martin Luther” UXL). Martin Luther King led by example, and proved to angry African Americans that direct nonviolent actions such as boycotts and protests work. He inspired them to stick by his side and to achieve civil rights the honorable way, the way people would remember forever. The way Dr. King turned the anger of hundreds of thousands of African Americans into something nonviolent and productive is truly heroic and inspiring. Palomar College also adds that Dr. King influenced other modern day heroes; “César Estrada Chávez was able to accomplish his goals through the philosophy of non-violence that he inherited and followed from leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King” (“César”). Dr. King’s nonviolent strategies for social change not only inspired the average Joe but also inspired other heroes such as César Chávez. César Chávez pushed for a better life for Latino migrant farm workers. He was inspired by the way Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. earned African American’s civil rights through nonviolent strategies. César applied Dr. King’s strategies to his own situation and won Latinos many rights. Without Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent philosophies, César Chávez may have never won Latinos the labor rights they truly deserve. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most important figures in American history and one of it’s greatest heroes. He preached many different important lessons during his life, but the most important thing he can teach anyone is that violence is never the answer.