Dr King And The Civil Rights Movement example essay topic

King: The Man and the Prophet The date is August 28, 1963, and a mixed crowd of over 250,000 civil-rights supporters attending the March on Washington are assembled in the vicinity of the tallest monument in the District of Columbia, commonly known as Washington D.C. The Washington Monument is the name of the historical landmark located in the nation's capital. Segregation has drawn a line of deep ethical division throughout the country, and the March on Washington has been organized to urge support for pending civil-rights legislation. The crowd seems anxious, as if they have foreseen the momentous moment that is about to occur. A powerful leader and speaker has just been introduced to the energized crowd that is full of anticipation. The man of the moment is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and he is about to share his dream with America and the entire world. Dr. Martin Luther King's policy of nonviolent protest is considered by many to be the dominating force behind the civil rights movement of 1957 to 1968, even though his God given destiny as a prophet is often overlooked.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 1.4). On January 15, 1929, Michael Luther King Jr., later named Martin, was born to schoolteacher named Alberta King and Baptist minister named Michael Luther Sr. The exceptional intelligence level of young Martin became obvious in the Fall of 1944 when he left Booker T. Washington High School before graduation due to his early admission in Atlanta's Morehouse College program for advanced placement at the age of 15. In August of 1946, King began to exhibit his opposition to segregation with a letter that he wrote entitled Kick Up Dust. In the letter, King states that black people "are entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens" (King, 1946, 2).

The letter was written to the editor of a local newspaper named the Atlanta Constitution. The editor was so impressed that he had the letter published, and King received many favorable comments. King goes on to solidify his leadership and ministry credentials by graduating from Croze r Theological Seminary with a bachelor of divinity degree and delivered the Valedictory Address at commencement. By September King began his graduate studies in Systematic Theology at Boston University. In June of 1953, King married his soul mate, Coretta Scott.

On February 28, 1954, King officially kicked off a career of riveting sermons and speeches with a sermon he delivered at the Second Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. The title of his sermon was Rediscovering Lost Values. With this sermon King sounded an alarm to America and the world that "if we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover these precious values: that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control" (King, 1954, 40). In essence King was expressing how America and the world had unconsciously lost the value of the moral and spiritual foundations in which God created the universe and to turn back to a moral and spiritual consciousness. In his sermon, King expressed his ability to recognize the root of what is wrong in society and the world, and he was determined to wake up America and the rest of world to this realization. On December 1, 1955, a brave young woman by the name of Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to vacate her seat and move to the rear of the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to make way for a white passenger.

This would lead to a one-day boycott of the city's buses on December 5, 1955. Later in the evening of December 5th, in a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) is formed. Dr. King was somehow able to deliver a speech that was both militant enough to keep the people aroused to positive action and keep things within the control of Christian ethics. In his speech, Dr. King described the mistreatment of African-American bus passengers and the civil disobedience of Rosa Parks and also justified the nonviolent protest by appealing to the African-American Christian faith in love and justice and the democratic tradition of protesting legally. One of the characteristics of a prophet is the instinct to be a leader of a cause and a multitude of people who share the same beliefs and vision. Before the meeting was over Dr. King became the president of the MIA.

In January 1956, turmoil and persecution would begin to surround the civil-rights movement and its leaders, in particular Dr. King. On January 26, 1956, Dr. King is arrested for driving 30 miles-per-hour (mph) in a 25 mph zone. Then, to add insult to injury, Dr. King and his family also began to receive threatening phone calls at his home in Montgomery, Alabama. While delivering a sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, on January 27, Dr. King declares to his congregation that their city is "dangerous to live in-it's no longer safe" (King, 1956). This comment came after a weekend of violence in Montgomery, which included a failed attempt to bomb Dr. King's home with 12 sticks of dynamite. Dr. King also uses this opportunity to talk about his experience with a divine presence a year before, when God gave him the courage to face escalating threats of violence.

In excerpts of his sermon Dr. King also states: I realize that there were moments when I wanted to give up leadership of the pro-integration movement, and I was afraid, but God gave me a vision in the kitchen of my house and I am thankful for it. I went to bed many nights scared to death by threats against myself and my family. Early on a sleepless morning in January, 1956, rationality left me. Then, almost out of nowhere I heard a voice that morning saying to me: Preach the Gospel, stand up for the truth, stand up for righteousness.

Since that morning I can stand up without fear. So I'm not afraid of anybody this morning. Tell Montgomery they can keep shooting and I'm going to stand up to them; tell Montgomery they can keep bombing and I'm going to stand up to them. If I had to die tomorrow morning I would die happy, because I've been to the mountain top and I've seen the promised land and it's going to be here in Montgomery. The old Montgomery is passing away and segregation is dying (1956). This sermon would mark the day when King declared his full commitment to the civil-rights movement, and where he would gain strength to carry on in spite of persecution.

By January of 1957, Dr. King's influence in the civil-rights movement and America began to gain steam. Later, in February, Dr. King is named president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCL C), and on February 18, King appears on the cover of Time magazine. During the year Dr. King traveled more than 780,000 miles and made 208 speeches, highlighted by his first national address on May 17, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. Dr. King's speech was entitled Give Us the Ballot, which entailed minorities being given the right to vote in America. Hatred and persecution continued to seek ways to stifle Dr. King and the civil rights movement throughout the 1950's and 60's. Dr. King was even opposed by men and women of his own race.

A prime example came on September 20, 1958, during a book signing at Blumstein's Department Store in Harlem, New York, Dr. King was stabbed by an African American woman named Izola Ware Curry, who thrust a seven-inch letter opener into the chest of King. In a press release ten days after the stabbing Dr. King says, "First let me say that I feel no ill-will toward Mrs. Izola Curry and know that thoughtful people will do all in their power to see that she gets the help she apparently needs if she is to become a free and constructive member of society (1958, 2). King clearly shows that he is willing to live by the exact words of non-violence that he preaches. Later in the interview King states what he feels will be the rewards of continued non-violent demonstrations when he said, "I have been brought to see its wider social significance. I am now convinced that if the Negro holds fast to the spirit of non-violence, our struggle and example will challenge and help redeem, not only America but the world" (1958, 7).

The most notable and memorable speech by Dr. King came on August 28, 1963. The March on Washington was considered by many to be a total success in itself, but the crowning moment of the event was when Dr. King delivered his speech entitled I Have a Dream. The enormous crowd seemed to gain more energy and determination with every word Dr. King said. Not only was the speech inspiring, but it was also prophetic. As Dr. King shared his prophetic dream with America and the world, he continued to stare destiny in the eyes and never blinked. Despite constant persecution and spending time in jail, Dr. King and the civil-rights movement continued to grow and win monumental achievements such as, President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, King winning the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964, and President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Clearly Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was in the driver's seat of the civil rights-movement, and his influence quickly spread beyond just the African American race.