How Did Martin Luther King, Jr. Fight for Equality?
Introduction:
The goal of my thesis is to find how Martin Luther King, Jr. uses his literary power to achieve racial justice for the ancestors of modern day African Americans. To do so, I will read two booksâone of them is A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., and other one is Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. I will also read the âI Have a Dreamâ speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. While reading, I will scrutinize how he has been trying to accomplish his mission and the kind of persuasive power he uses to make his argument in his writings. Â I will use relevant resources of the college library and internet to compare my findings with the critics to write a meaningful essay.
To begin with, I will define two crucial words âfightâ and âequalityâ of the thesis topic; because the meanings of these two words are somewhat different than their literal meaning in connection with Martin Luther King, Jr. This clarification will be helpful to understand the nature of fight Dr. King had been fighting and the kind of equality he had been longing for. The word âblackâ will also be defined to avoid misunderstanding. After that I will include a short biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
After necessary critical analysis, to synthesize, I will state how Martin Luther King, Jr. uses his literary works as a weapon to educate the crowd and convince the authority to act for a noble cause. In conclusion, I will mention whether the issues Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed are still present or not and where his ideal may be applied these days.
Fight:
Usually âfightâ refers to a battle or combat. It may also mean an angry argument or disagreement which may sometime produce a violent situation. But the âfightâ that Martin Luther King, Jr. actively advocated was not violent in any manner. He protested the racial segregation in a peaceful manner and had been trying to achieve the citizenship rights for African-American community.
Equality:
âThere is not even a common language when the term ‘equality’ is used. Negro and white have a fundamentally different definition.ââMartin Luther King, Jr. states. However, the word âequalityâ refers to the equal rights of all human beings disregarding color, race, or ethnic background. In other words ‘equality’ refers to racial equality in American society where all citizens enjoy identical rights and privileges.
Black:
The word âblackâ refers to the ancestors of modern day African-American people. In his writings, Dr. King has used this word along with other two words âslaveâ and âNegroâ to indicate the very same group of people. Now-a-days, to identify this ethnic group using âblackâ, âNegroâ, and âslaveâ is considered derogatory. However, I have the used these words only to quote the original statement and/or to maintain the original mood of literature.
Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist preacher, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement in the United States of America. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His actual name was Michael King, Jr. He was the middle child of Michael King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Though he grew up in a loving environment, he was not completely immune from racism and segregation. He had been through, since his boyhood, numerous incidents of class superiority and derogatory social policies which left a long lasting negative impression on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. entered public school at age five. He attended Booker T. Washington High School and skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades. He entered college when he was only 15 years old. Martin Luther King, Jr. achieved his degree in Sociology from Morehouse College, Atlanta in 1948. After going through a difficult time and mulling things over he finally decided to be a Christian minister and became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. He completed his Ph.D. in 1955 when he was only 25 years old.
Throughout his life, Martin Luther King, Jr. actively strived and leaded the African-American community to establish their rights. He delivered several speeches, wrote many essays and letters, and joined in road marches and sit-ins for racial justice. To recognize his nonviolent effort for social justice, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1964. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at Memphis, Tennessee. He was only thirty-nine years old and had a wife and four children.
Literary works and equality:
(a) Where do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community
This is a book written by Dr. King that is divided in chapters with subtitles. In this book he discusses what was achieved until 1967 towards racial equality and then indicates on-going activities to gain social justice.
The book begins with the achievement news of voting rights of blacks. Dr. King then mentions the Supreme Court decisions of 1954 on school desegregation. Before this legendary ruling, race relations in the U.S. had been dominated by racial segregation. The Topeka Board of Education, Kansas permitted districts to maintain separate elementary school facilities for black and white students. In 1951, a class action suit was filed against the Topeka Board of Education. After a long legal battle, the Supreme Court ruled that in spite of identical quality in segregated black and white schools, segregation by itself was harmful to black students and it is unconstitutional.  This ruling paved the way for integration and the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. admires the rulingââthe decisions indeed mandated a profound degree of genuine equality.â His response to the verdict gives us a sense of understanding about the kind of equality that Martin Luther King, Jr. has been fighting for.
In his book Martin Luther King, Jr. also portrays his white counterpart. Majority whites were against him though there were few white Americans who joined him in quest of racial equality. There were sympathizers among average white Americans too. He appreciates their support but âthis is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanityââhe criticizes. The reason of this criticism is that the most white Americans, he mentions, were for easing social injustice towards blacks but not for true equality.
(b) âI Have a Dreamâ
This written speech was delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. This speech has been an effective and uplifting means of inspiration. In his sermon-style speech, he calls for unity and brotherhood disregarding color or race.
Dr. King states that blacks are still segregated though the slavery system was abolished hundred years ago by an executive orderâthe Emancipation of Proclamation. He mentions that blacks are deprived of enjoying the constitutional rights and calls for the end of segregation of citizenship rights immediately. He reminds the audience that to achieve the justice and racial equality, they must not make their âcreative protest to degenerate into physical violence.â Dr. King is not speaking specifically to white or black Americans, but to the country as a whole.
Martin Luther King, Jr. uses many large and descriptive words in his speech. Dr. King also have used some rhetorical methods that include repetition, metaphors, inspiration, identification, and persuasion in his speech. For instance he uses a metaphor âAmerica has given the Negro a bad check.â A âbad checkâ refers to the empty promises or constitutional rights that are not fulfilled yet. There are several lines that he repeatsââI have a dreamâ, âWith this faithâ, âLet freedom ringâ, and a few other lines. Metaphors and repetition of statements make his appeal to end racism and discrimination more obvious and powerful. He was effectively able to convey his message that made this speech to be one of the greatest public speeches in American history.
(c) âEquality Now: The President Has the Powerâ article in The Nation
This is a magazine article by Martin Luther King, Jr. that appeared in The Nation on February 4th, 1961. The article consists of a few directives and proposals, openly addressed to the President of the United States, to stop the improper practices of federal government. This literary work is well-organized, easy to comprehend, and intellectually written for a more inclusive America.
Dr. King starts his article by saying, âThe new administration has the opportunity to be the first in hundred years of American history to adopt a radically new approach to the question of civil rights.â This masterfully written line may be considered being a bid to make even the President go through the forthcoming discussion, be compassionate, and consider the appeal that he will be making. Before Dr. King goes into details, he warns that if the President fails to realize the seriousness of the matter America will be considered as a âfossil nation morally and politically.â This comment draws the President more inclusively to scrutinize the content of the article.
Dr. King advises that the new federal government must lead in accelerating âthe intolerably slow pace of civil rights.â He states that changes are required in all areas of judicial, executive, and legislative braches. The government collects taxes from all citizens and hence, the money generated from tax must be used equally for the benefit of allâincluding the blacks. However, discrimination is a regular practice in distributing the government wealth and the government supports this unfairness. In this article Martin Luther King, Jr. develops an organized and precise description of the areas where the racial segregation in government is widely practiced. He suggests the President how to thwart the trend immediately.
In legislative area, President can take offensive action âto pass meaningful lawsââDr. King suggests. The President can use âmoral persuasionââthat is, not participating in any activities that constitute segregation. The most effective weapon that the President can use is the Executive Orders, according to Martin Luther King, Jr., to end discriminatory practices within the departments of federal government. Dr. King seems to prefer the President to use this ultimate power for immediate termination of all discriminatory government policies. He has been advocating for the use of Executive Orders so seriously that most of the article comprises of where these orders can be applied and how effective they will be in eliminating the problems.
Martin Luther King, Jr. concludes his article stating that democratization is a powerful weapon earning world respect. But, referring to the 1946 report of Presidentâs Commission on Civil Rights, he denounces, âdemocratic ideal not so inevitable.â
Synthesis:
Throughout his political life, Martin Luther King, Jr. had been relentlessly striving to establish citizenship rights for African-American people. His letters, books, newspaper articles, and speeches are basically dramatic but factual comparisons between underprivileged condition of blacks and the equal rights assured in Emancipation of Proclamation, Declaration of Independence, Constitution of United States, and the Bible.  Marin Luther King, Jr. advised his followers to adhere to nonviolence under any circumstances. He states, âNonviolence is a powerful demand for reason and justice.â He supported the philosophy of Gandhi of India who leaded the nonviolent civil disobedience movement in the Indian subcontinent and South Africa against the British. Gandhi said, âThrough our pain we will make them see their injustice.â Martin Luther King, Jr. eventually becomes a follower of Gandhi by saying, âChrist furnished the spirit and motivation while Gandhi furnished the method.â
Another reason Martin Luther King, Jr. did not support the idea being violent for his cause because blacks have âneither the resources nor the techniques to win.â He realized that he also needed the support of average people to win his battle. After the Watt Riot of California in 1965, he condemns the incident and states, âBlack Power was heard through the land and the white backlash was born; the public became infuriated and the sympathy evaporated.â
Conclusion:
Martin Luther King, Jr. argues that âall men are created equalâ; henceâeveryone should enjoy the same privileges and share common resources of the without any discrimination and/or segregation. But he was not fully able to eliminate racial segregation from America. His assassination put a huge dent on the ârenaissanceâ of African-American people of United States of America. But his vision and mission must not be ceased in establishing equal rights for black and other minority groups, such as immigrants. Dr. King has a dream, so does the immigrants. Due to this similarity, immigration may be the next field where the vision and mission of Martin Luther King, Jr. can be applied.
Works Cited
01. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
02. Carson, Claybone. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle. The Journal of American History. 1987. Web. 25 Nov 2011. http://www.jstor.org/pss/1900032
03. King, Jr., Martin Luther. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?. New  York, New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
04. Martin Luther King Jr. Center. 2011. 21 November 2011. http://www.thekingcenter.org
05. “Martin Luther King – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 27 Nov 2011. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king.html
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