Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King example essay topic

Dr. Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham Jail is a very controversial and disputable letter. He is trying to show the reader how bad African American people were oppressed in the civil rights movement in a more critical way of thinking. Where in the movie "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize". They show the civil rights movement in a more realistic and physical way. What he is also trying to show the reader is that discrimination and racism is a problem in society and it must be fixed. Martin Luther King's views about the racism in the local areas of the south were more dedicated to help racism decline, but his views when he gets to the north become more excessive and demanding.

His views from my standpoint are right and wrong, if you promote these non-violent demonstrations and rallies why are they turning into riots and looting of the streets. Dr. King's views are also right by him wanting to bring peace and brother unity between white and black races throughout the nation. Throughout the civil rights movement Martin Luther King shows his determination and drive by overcoming unbeatable odds. For example, When Dr. King was put in jail in spring of 1963, for no legitimate reason. He wrote a letter to the Clergymen of Birmingham about the strong racism and segregation that was present in that community.

Also in writing this letter Dr. King states that there are four steps to take in a non-violent campaign. Dr. King has done and completed all of these steps, but yet injustice still remains in that town. In the movie "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" it shows how the civil rights movement really was. The movement was very violent and there were riots and fights in the streets daily. Racism in the movie is shown in a more physical aspect, but in the letter from Birmingham Jail racism is shown in more of a mental and political aspect. "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize", is a movie that mainly concentrates on Dr. Martin Luther King's presence in Chicago and Detroit.

These two cities are known for there strong racial and very segregated backgrounds. Chicago is well populated area where over one-forth of the city was African American. The streets of Chicago were the battlegrounds of all the racial and violent actions. Police Officers soon did not have enough resources to control all of the crowds, so they eventually had to bring in the National Guard to assists in restoring order. This was ordered by Mayor Richard Jay Daley, who was one of the most powerful men in America at that time. Chicago is known for the start of the "Freedom Movement", of which the primary goal is to give African Americans the equal right to purchase a home wherever they want and to get out of the slums and the ghetto.

Daley was against the "Civil Rights Movement" and the "Freedom Movement", but he did not show it publicly because he would lose supported voters from the people of Chicago. The city of Cicero played an important role in the future of the civil rights movement due to its all white economy. Cicero was a place where about fifteen thousand African Americans worked but they did not live or own a home there. Most of the Cicero community was all white and very against the civil rights movement. Reverend Jesse Jackson was a leader in the freedom movement and wanted to have a non-violent march through the city. At this time Dr. King had come to agreements with the city of Chicago about the need for racial segregation to decline, so in return Dr. King was told to stop the march through Cicero.

Jesse Jackson was told of the news to call off the march, but he and some thousand people still marched through the city on that day. They soon became the targets of objects thrown by the onlookers on the side of the road, and this time the marchers threw the objects back. The movement now shifted to Detroit, where a few African Americans achieved some political power but not much. Detroit was particularly prone to having many residents who were African American and either unemployed or underemployed. Detroit's police force was mainly all white and was known for incidents of police brutality in the streets. On July 23, 1967, police officers staged a raid on a party held at an illegal after hour's club.

The raid quickly turned into a confrontation between white police officers and African American residents. Over the next several days rioting broke out and looting began to occur. After five days, forty-three people had been killed and hundreds of others were injured. The Detroit riots were a major eye opener for many of the people of Detroit and its political figures. I think the main point in the movie "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" is that the civil rights movement was not just about rallies and demonstrations, it was about freedom and the equal opportunity for all African Americans. The people of those cities showed that they wanted that freedom more than anything, by standing up for themselves when they were put in unbeatable situations.

In the letter from Birmingham jail Dr. King is showing how bad the nation was becoming and how most political figures were allowing it to happen. He wanted the people who read the letter to realize the importance of rejecting segregation and racism because it is taking over the country and if it is not stopped soon we will be a divided country just because of race and color.