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Kelsey McCabe
Ms. Wilson
English I pre AP-Period 2
1 June 2010
Martin Luther King Jr. (A Man with a Dream)
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! ,” were the words and
dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. and his actions and leadership showed how much he wanted his
dreams to come true(King Jr.). On January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. was born
to his parents Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Martin grew up to be a reverend and a
Civil Rights leader. He married Coretta Scott and they had four children; Yolanda, Martin Luther King, III,
Dexter, and Bernice. He was assassinated on March 29, 1968 while leaving his motel room in Memphis,
Tennessee. Although he died very young King was known as one of the world’s greatest Civil Rights
activist. He led the Montgomery bus boycott, led the Washington D.C. march ending with his famous “I
Have a Dream” speech, and finally he was one of the main leaders of the African-American Civil Rights
movement.
First of all, the Montgomery bus boycott was a social and political protest against the city’s
regulations of racial segregation on its public transportation system. King along with other activists,
organized black customers of the Montgomery bus system to either stop using the bus or to refuse to
give up their seat in the front of the bus to a white passenger. The boycott was city wide in
Montgomery, Alabama and it lasted for 385 days with a total of 196 protesters arrested. One of the
most famous boycotters was Rosa Parks who then became very involved with the Civil Rights
Movement. Ms. Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger and was arrested. The
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incident made national news and was a prime example of the injustice of the segregation laws. Rosa
Parks worked closely with Dr. King to end segregation laws. King once said, “Take the first step in faith.
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step,” (King Jr.). By taking the first step with
the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr. King was able to see the effectiveness of using nonviolent ways of civil
disobedience to end segregation. Montgomery was the first step in the staircase of civil rights. On the
other hand, the authorities and the white majority did not agree with Dr. King’s organized resistance,
especially the police. The police arrested King and his group for not obeying the law which stated blacks
must sit in the back of the bus and if needed give their seat up to a white person. King was ordered to
pay a $500 fine or serve 386 days in jail for sitting on the front seat of a public bus and refusing to move
for a white customer. He chose jail. Luckily, because the event brought national attention King only
spent two weeks in jail. The Alabama federal district court ruled that a black passenger could sit
anywhere on a public transportation system bus. It was a huge first step in the national Civil Rights
Movement. The boycott had captured media attention, which increased public awareness. Also, the
movement resulted in a favorable federal court ruling. When asked, King’s rebuttal to his arrest was, “I
was proud of my crime. It was the crime of joining my people in a nonviolent protest against injustice,”
(King Jr.).
Secondly, Martin Luther King Jr. led a march in Washington D.C. and gave his famous “I Have a
Dream” speech to a crowd of over 200,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln monument. This march
was organized around the theme “jobs and freedom” and 80% of the marchers were black. President
John F. Kennedy was initially hesitant about the march occurring due to the traffic congestion it would
create in Washington D.C. and the possible rowdy conduct of its participants. As a result, he was
concerned that the march could have a negative effect on the Civil Rights Movement. Nevertheless, the
march still went on and was a huge success drawing large crowds, media, national and world attention.
The event was the largest of its kind and became the standard for movements in the years to come. In
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fact, it was and became the defining moment in the African-American Civil Rights Movement
punctuated by the stirring “I have a dream” speech. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech he said, “I
have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold
these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red
hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert
state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom
and justice. I have a dream that my four 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,” (King Jr.). He had
a dream for America to be one, no matter their race, religion or creed, no matter where they lived, or
where they came from would all have an equal opportunity to succeed or fail in America.
Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders of the African-American Civil Rights
Movement from 1955 to 1968. This movement was in the United States to outlaw racial discrimination
against African-Americans and to restore the south from suffrage. Dr. King along with Malcom X, Rosa
Parks, W.E.B. De Bois, and many others were the main leaders of the movement that led and organized
marches, speeches, and boycotts. One of King’s famous quotes is, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that,” and by showing love Dr. King
was able to get rid of some of the hate in America (King Jr.). Opponents saw things differently, a lot of
racist people did not believe in mixing the two “races” together so there was a lot of anger, riots,
threats, and deaths. One time, King’s motel where he was staying in had a bomb threat by a man who
hated King and all that he was doing for the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. realized he
was a target of the hate stirred by racism. He discussed it at the end of his famous mountaintop speech.
He said, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to
the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place.
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But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the
mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I
want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight.
I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming
of the Lord,” (King Jr.). By saying these words Dr. King was saying that the fight for civil rights had taken
hold and was under way in America. Further, that it would happen with or without him. It was destined
to be. The loss of any one person would not prevent justice from being served. He knew in his heart and
mind that equality was a right of every individual in the United States. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King
Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 by James Earl Ray the day after he gave the “I’ve been to the
mountaintop” address. The world saw for itself what Dr. King was talking about for so many years; how
hatred fueled racism could destroy, not maintain or build an open, freedom-based society. In this
instance, an alleged single man was driven to the point of taking the life of another because he
advocated change in the treatment of people of another race.
The Montgomery bus boycott, the march on Washington D.C., and the African-American Civil
Rights Movement were three great aspects of Martin Luther King Jr.s life as a Civil Rights leader. Dr. King
led the Montgomery bus boycott and got arrested for two weeks for it, but it was worth it because the
nation was informed of the hard life blacks had in the South. He also was a leader in the Washington
D.C. march and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln monument to
thousands of people. Finally he was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. His
involved in the movement ended with his assassination. I believe Dr. King is a great leader and role
model that was very well spoken and knew how to make a positive difference in society. Martin Luther
King Jr. once said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but
whatever you do you have to keep moving forward,” (King Jr.). He lived by that quote because of his
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determination to not let any obstacle get in his way. Instead, he believed in the cause to liberate
unequal treatment of people because of their skin color and race.
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