Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not only spoke with purpose but also with a style unlike any others. He was an inspirational speaker and a motivational leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , due to his importance in the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s, motivated masses with his tremendous speeches and actions. Dr. King utilized his charisma and inspirational tactics to change the views and beliefs of a nation and to lead his people throughout their course of the civil rights movement. His personality consisted of every good characteristic needed of a leader.
He was sensible at all times and his ability to clearly state his ideas and thoughts surrounding peace and equality in the United States. There were other rights movements going on at the same time that Dr. King was leading his peaceful rights movements. The Black Panthers and other militant groups, some under Malcolm X’s philosophy, often time would question King’s leadership. King spoke in an eloquent manner and his ability to persuade and inspire is rivaled by none.
Martin Luther King Jr. lived an exemplary life and although it culminated in his assassination, the strides that Dr. King made for the civil rights movement and his numerous speeches that inspired a nation such as his “I have a dream” speech, should never be forgotten nor ignored. The “I have a dream” speech is one of the most powerful speeches ever and is a main focus of the life of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin was the second child in the family whose parents were the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He was the first son of the family, and his older sister was named Christine King.
His actual real name was Michael Luther King, but “he was renamed “Martin” when he was about 6 years old” (Seattle). King’s education is one of the normal sorts for a child growing up in the mid 1900’s. He went through the regular educational system. Until his junior year, Martin Luther King was always an above average student, but once his junior year hit he received excellent marks on his college entrance exams which granted him admittance to Morehouse College an entire year earlier that expected.
Also, Martin Luther King was so above average in his earlier years that he also skipped the ninth grade entirely and became a freshman in college at the ripe age of fifteen. After receiving a Sociology degree from Morehouse, King decided to further his studies at the University of Pennsylvania. While attending classes in Chester, Pennsylvania, right near downtown Philadelphia, Martin became the senior class president and also earned the prestigious valedictorian.
Previous to enrolling to continue his educational studies, Martin decided to follow some spiritual educating. Martin Luther King Jr. was ordained as a minister in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1948. Then 1951, Martin wished to complete his doctoral degree and so he continued his studies at Boston University. Now, since his doctoral program was underway, King decided it was time for him to become married to the love of his life. This young woman was to be Coretta Scott, whom he married two years later in 1953.
Along with his studies at the University of North Carolina, King also took some classes at the prestigious Harvard University. After King had gone through his educational and spiritual training he was no ready to lead African Americans towards true equality and away from the societal views that plagued them on a daily basis. King soon began his unbelievable career as a full-time civil rights activist. King was successful early in his life as an activist by organizing and being a key player in the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted 381 days from 1955 and 1956.
Following his involvement with this, he moved on to become the president, and founder, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1957 to 1968 and he was elected into numerous scholar groups throughout the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. King was involved in hundreds of protests, boycotts, and demonstrations of peace, but was arrested over 30 times. The most influential part about Martin Luther King is the way in which he could inspire his followers through his speeches.
He would rally supporters to his cause and for his great accomplishments he earned himself a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the civil rights movement. He gave many fantastic speeches that have moved every listener in the crowd no matter whose side they were on. However, none of the speeches of his entire life could even come close to his “I have a dream” speech, which he delivered in 1963. There was not a speech in the history of the movement, maybe even the history of being, that was so powerful, eloquent, and important as his “I have a dream” speech, which was the culmination of the march on Washington.
Previous to the magnificent “Dream” speech, Martin Luther King was involved and instrumental in many other significant demonstrations throughout the civil rights movement. The sit-in movement was one that had many serious implications and achievements for the civil rights movement. The sit-ins began by college students who would sit in restaurants and refuse to leave until served. Starting in February, 1960, the sit-ins began in Greensboro, North Carolina, and continued throughout the nation.
The sit-ins were always peaceful movements where those participating neither provoke nor attack any of the white people eating in the restaurants. In Atlanta, there was a department store that was largely known to be a key segregation point. When King and 75 students entered the store and requested lunch-counter service, he and 36 others were arrested. Atlanta’s mayor negotiated a truce, however, and charges were dropped, but King was imprisoned for violating his probation on a traffic offense conviction. John F.
Kennedy, currently campaigning for the presidency, made a dramatic telephone call to Mrs. King. Political wheels were set in motion, and King was released (Martin Luther King, Jr. ) King selflessly gave everything he had at all points in his life to the civil rights movement. He did not care that he would be imprisoned numerous times or that death threats, and attempted bombings would ever hurt him. The fact that John F. Kennedy supported Martin Luther King, Jr. even when he was imprisoned by other white men showed the respect that King deserved from every human being in the country.
Leading up to the monumental day in 1963 of the most famous of his speeches, King was traveling around the country giving speeches to inspire his followers to continue peaceful protest and never give up the fight. On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scended the stairs to the podium and gazed upon a monumental crowd. King must have just been in awe of such a large crowd and also very proud that such a vast number of people were with him on his campaign for equality in America. The crowd had assembled for the march on Washington for jobs.
The numbers were immense and peaceful. The President at this time was King’s supporter, John F. Kennedy who spoke in favor of the peaceful demonstration. “A few days before the march, the president privately expressed his fear that the demonstration might fall short” (Hansen 30). With all the support one could possibly desire or need, Martin Luther King, Jr. , was prepared to begin his monumental speech. The time was finally at hand for King to commence his speech. “King placed his prepared speech on the lectern and looked out over the vast assemblyhe had a small smile on his face.
He nodded a few times and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the crowd. The applause kept going” (Hansen 51). Hansen displays, through this passage of his novel about the great speech, the electrifying atmosphere in the air outside of Washington during this prestigious moment. After an ear-deafening applause, King seemed to show his gratitude and mutual respect for the audience with a silent, mouthed “thank you” and a slight nod. Just this simple little action and bit of charisma, it was now demonstrative of how completely inspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. truly was.
King commenced with famous words that reigned throughout the audience. He began by telling the audience how he was “happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (Hansen 52). King immediately puts himself on the same level as the followers and they are unified as one. As King continues to pick up the momentum in his speech, he continues speaking of injustices that have been occurring to African Americans in the United States, especially in the South, for hundreds of years.
The oppression that King speaks of is true and he not only addresses the situation in an intelligent way, but also is effective in reaching the crowd’s hearts. After a while one Mahalia Jackson yelled “tell them about the dream Martin” and King began the most memorable and momentous part of his great speech. He begins by saying, Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dreamI 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” (Hansen 58).
The words that King utters with tremendous power will never be forgotten throughout the course of history in the United State. King states how he would like to see the country run and how he would like to see the people of a unified free nation act. He says that as a nation, we must overcome adversity and keep the dream alive so that one day the racial barrier may be torn down.
King brings up the constitution of the United States of America, specifically “all men are created equal”, because they were the words used when we as a country were free from the oppression of England and he is showing how the African Americans are part of that equality and they should be free of the oppression that they face on a daily basis. King continues this speech to speak of his family. He talk of his daughter and says, “I have a dreamthat 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 today” (Hansen 59). King wishes for a better life for his children than the one that he had and this shows his loyalty to his family. King creates this message for inspiration as well as to express his personal dream. The thought of people’s children growing up and not dealing with discrimination and oppression gives the supporters a reason to act and continue their support because they are bonded together with the dream of a better life for their children. King continued to speak on the issues of never stopping the fight and always keeping and maintaining faith.
King continues to motivate and inspire his crows by saying, “This will be the day-this will be the day-when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning: ‘My country ’tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride; from every mountainside, let freedom ring! ‘ And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true” (Hansen 61). King guarantees that one day they will be free from the oppression that has been hurting them for so many years.
He also challenges the United States to morph into a society deemed a “great nation” by ending the discrimination had been affecting the African Americans for ages. King’s chant of “My country ’tis of thee”, shows the listeners in the audience how it is one nation for all of the American citizens to cherish, enjoy, and share. After such a guarantee for freedom, King ends the speech in an unbelievably inspirational manner. King concludes this legendary speech by declaring at the top of his lungs, “Let freedom ring.
And when this happenswhen we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all God’s children – black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics – will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last” (Hansen 62). When crying, “free at last”, King held his right arm to the sky seemingly towards the heavens.
King incorporates all of America and the entire world in his closing because not only is he fighting and leading the civil rights movement in the United States, but he desires the end of discrimination throughout the entire world. He gains the support of more and more people due to his inspirational tactics and never singling out a specific group. After the legendary speech, King continued to remain loyal to the civil rights movement and continued to inspire his fellow companions in their quest for the elimination of discrimination.
He never ceased fighting the good fight until the terrible day of April 4th, 1968. King, while in Memphis leading a movement of the sanitation workers against terrible conditions in the workplace, was assassinated. Interestingly, this was not even an issue of racial discrimination, but King was for freedom and equality in all forms, no matter if it be race, gender, age, or occupational. As he finished up his inspirational sermon, he was shot by James Earl Ray.
After King’s murder, James Earl Ray sentenced to serve a prison time of ninety-nine years. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was buried close to his Center for Nonviolent Social Change and in 1980, almost twelve years after his death the United States Department of the Interior created a historic site to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King lived a life unlike a single other person ever. His beliefs, convictions, and actions were those of a distinguished man full of extraordinary character and a sense of ambition hat would never quit.
His “I have a dream” speech, as it has become known, was by far and away one of the most inspiration, important speeches of all time. It gave hope to every person who got a chance to view King that day in Washington. He did not classify his desire for freedom to only those involved in racial prejudice, but also to the religious hatred and prejudice that overwhelmed not only our nation, but the entire world. King was always confident that through his actions and demonstrations that his wishes and dreams could be met.
King’s legacy and memory will live on throughout eternity and even after his life was ended by assassination, he was still influential and inspirational to the nation and the numbers of hate crimes and the random acts of discrimination decreased largely. What truly set King apart from others his ability to remain calm, yet forceful, peaceful, and yet still full of vigor. He believed in peace and harmony to be given to every one of the people living in the world and he made his best attempt to help enlighten other people to end prejudice and discrimination.
In only 39 years, the short time that King was alive brought a nation’s entire focus on the issue of civil rights in America. There is still discrimination in many areas of the country; King has changed the course of events of the civil rights movement. There is much less discrimination than there was prior to King’s influence. One year before the assassination, King was preaching about the war taking place in Vietnam, again trying to keeping the peace around the world. He speaks in the same manner as always when he declares, Somehow this madness must cease.
We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor in America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours” (King 1967).
King was one for peace, whether it is on the home front, in the home, at the workplace, or around the world. He tried to limit the amount of trouble in the world. He was monumental in changing the views of a nation and helping to end segregation, inequality, and discrimination in the United States. Such a man who has caused such great change as King has, should be respected, admired, and given gratitude by all for his undying efforts to end the oppression that African Americans had been dealing with for hundreds of years.
