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American Civic Legend

What makes an individual a civic legend? How can one man move and motivate an entire nation to change for the greater good of the civis? Martin Luther King Jr. is the man who answered both of these questions with his actions during the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement served as the turning point for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and Martin Luther King Jr. was a key proponent of the movement. Dr. King’s actions and their effects, including his assassination, have assured the name Martin Luther King Jr. will echo as an American civic legend for ages to come.

 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael Luther King Jr. on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King’s father was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta from 1914 to 1931. Dr. King would serve as pastor from 1960 until his assassination. Martin graduated from a public school and at the time segregated high school at age fifteen. He then went on the attend Morehouse College graduating with a B.A. at age nineteen in 1948, sharing a legacy with his father and grandfather. He would later attend Crozer Theological Seminary earning a B.D. in 1951. He would go on to receive his doctorate from Boston University in 1955. In 1951 Dr. King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as a committee member of the NAACP. In 1963 he was named //Time Magazine’s// Man of the Year helping to increase his world wide notoriety. In 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became one the youngest people at age thirty-five to ever receive the Noble Peace Prize. He was awarded $54,123, which he happily donated to help further the efforts of the civil rights movement. All of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s education and background would prepare him to take the necessary steps to change an entire nation.

 The message Dr. King presented was simple and straight forward, end legal segregation now. This idea was not easy to convey to a nation that had only known segregation, and in many states didn’t want to see any kind of change in that system. In order to best deliver this important idea he adopted Gandhi’s method of protest through non violence, which was effectively used against British to end their colonization of India.  The catalyst of the civil rights movement in the United States was the brutal murder of fourteen-year –old Emmitt Till in August of 1955. Dr. King’s first major involvement during the civil rights movement was instituting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The bus boycott began after Rosa Parks was arrest for violating city segregation laws by not giving up her seat on a bus. Dr. King’s status as spiritual leader and as well as his spoken manner combined with the events of the period gave him the tools needed to inspire people to rally behind him for change. His first speech was at the beginning of the boycott saying “We have no alternative but to protest.” As a result of his ability to inspire people to rally the bus boycott lasted 382 days until legal changes were made.

 During the campaign to end segregation in the schools of Birmingham, Alabama Dr. King was jailed. During his time in jail he wrote the famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, where he laid out his philosophy on non violent resistance. Shortly after Dr. King’s time in Birmingham he would gather more than 200,000 peaceful protesters in front the steps of the Lincoln memorial. He chose the iconic date of August 28, 1963 and location, because it was the 100th anniversary of President Lincoln’s famous Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. King gave his famous and iconic “I Have a Dream” speech which was eloquently delivered both in language and timing. Tragically, on April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Although, his life ended that day his vision lived on through the legal changes made as a result of his ability to rally people through non violence.

During Dr. King’s time as a civil rights leader his efforts directly helped bring about changes we enjoy today. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a total success. After 382 days, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional and ended it. Dr. King’s efforts also paved the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ending poll taxes and establishing the right to vote for all. The integration of all school in the United States would come later, however Dr. King’s movement in Birmingham ushered in the first steps by supporting the Little Rock Nine. The largest of his accomplishments was the Civil Rights act of 1964, legally ending discrimination in the United States.

 Some lessons to take from a civic hero, like Dr. King, are the method and timing of delivering a message. Dr. King was a well educated and well spoken man with plenty of experience as a leader. His background as a pastor and his extensive education only helped to make him the right man for the job. He had an understanding regarding what he needed say in order to motivate people to come together in order to get the changes they wanted, instead of waiting for them to come. The timing of Dr. King’s efforts in the civil rights movement came just right moment. After the murder of Emmitt Till there was a feeling of, that’s the last straw, and it is time for things to change. Dr. King’s speech at the bus boycott was right on the tip of everyone’s toungue, “we have no alternative but to protest,” he had the voice to say it. His philosophy of non violence was the best way to get anything done at that time, because of the potential for massive amounts violence completely overshadowing his message. We know Dr. King’s methods worked because of the impact we see in today’s society; the end of legal discrimination and equality for all in the United States of America.

 Come join the discussion about Dr. King's dream in contemporary society at The Dream Today

Works citied

I Have a Dream. Martin Luther King. Jan 20, 2011 []

"Martin Luther King - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 31 Oct 2011 []

“Martin Luther King Jr. Biography”. Biography.com. []