Martin Luther King, His Trace in Civil Right
“Great man is world historical individual who makes a profound difference in the course of History and fundamentally changed moralities, national principles, and system of law.” (Staloff, 1995)
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia as son of the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King's father was born "Michael King," and Martin Luther King, Jr., was originally named "Michael King, Jr.," until the family traveled to Europe in 1934 and visited Germany. His father soon changed both of their names to Martin in honor of the German Protestant leader Martin Luther. (Wikipedia, 2009)
Like Martin Luther who has made a great revolution against unjust deeds of Churches, King also has made things that can be possibly called revolution against disrespecting Civil right of Black people.
He founded lots of movements and campaign which try to build up morality by enhancing and promoting the rights of black people in USA. (But, his works focused on not only Black people but also civil right of other group of people whose rights were not respected.) His revolution was quiet and soft but really strong. He followed non-violent activism of Gandhi.
In 1957, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with other civil right activists. This group purposed to harness the moral authority and organizing power of black churches to conduct non-violent protests in service of civil right reform. (Wikipedia, 2009)
With SCLC, King has gone through many movements and campaigns such as Albany movement which is considered as a key lesson in tactics for the national civil rights movements and Birmingham campaign which was strategic effort to promote civil rights for African Americans.
In 1963, King and other leaders of civil rights organizations had a march in Washington. This is so-called “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. During this march, King delivered his most famous speech “I Have a Dream”
This is a part of King’s speech “I Have a Dream”:
"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."
This speech electrified the crowd and King was considered as most dangerous and effective Negro leader.
Until King was assassinated, he has made a lot of impact on civil rights movement that rebuilt the crumbled morality in USA. He has changed the wave of racial discrimination and engraved his trace on History of Civil Right.
King’s dream which did not seem to be achieved is being achieved little by little. In 2009, Barak Obama became first black president of USA, and there are still many movements for Civil rights following King’s footmark.
According to Hegel, the Owl of Minerva begins its flight at the falling of the dusk (Marie Hughes Warrington, 2009). Truly the value of Martin Luther King Jr. could be fully understood at the end of his days.
Great man makes changes in History and solves problems that world faces. Now we see those what the one of the great men dreamed are being achieved.
“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.”
—"I have a Dream," Speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963
“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to life our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
—"I have a Dream," Speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963
Sources:
Marie Hughes Warrington (2009). 50 Key Thinker on History New York: Routlege
Staloff, D. (1995). The search for a meaningful past philosophies, theories and interpretations.
NY: The Teaching Co
Martin Luther King JR., (August 11, 2009). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:54 August 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
Carolyn Garris (2006) Martin Luther King's Conservative Legacy. American Founding and History, Retrieved August 17,2008 from http://www.heritage.org/Research/AmericanFoundingandHistory/wm961.cfm
IMHO your story is about a great man in Hegelian terms. Perhaps you could polish your transition from fact to fact to weave a better narrative.
ReplyDeleteDo you think a revolution and civil disobedience are one and the same? Can there be a revolution without violence?
I think a revolution is different from civil disobedience. a revolution happens when citizens become realized unjustness of ruling classes. Actually not every revolution brings important changes in History, but there are still many revolution which cause social development and changes which should have been in History.
ReplyDeleteBut civil disobedience as I know brings internal conflict and split that weaken the society. As a citizen, there is civil right to enjoy. But at the same time there is also responsibility to obey his governement and ruling classes in order for state to stand firm. So I would take a negative view about civil disobedience.
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I believe that there can be revolution without violence. Martin Luther King Jr. has proven it.
However I also say that there are revolutions that should be with violence and tough actions.
Like, Franch Revolution, there are the case the violence was necessarily needed.