Similarities Between Mlk And Jfk

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JFK and MLK addressed the public within months of each other in the summer of 1963. Both were leaders during 1963 when some of the most important events of the Civil Rights Movement happened. These men delivered credible speeches that addressed different people but had logical arguments. JFK was the President of the United States in 1963 and MLK was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Because of this both are best known for their words of wisdom and the actions they took during the 1960s. The reason their words are so famous today, is that both JFK and MLK have a good ethos with the majority of the public. They’re known for being reliable, given that they are both leaders. You can see that JFK has good character, and is therefore honest and credible, in where he states, “It ought to be possible” (JFK). He states this over and over to reiterate the fact that although it should be possible for African Americans to be treated the same as those with white skin, it is not and that is wrong. …show more content…
He also states, “this is a land of the free except for the Negroes; we have no second class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettos, no master race, except with respect to Negroes” (JFK). Again, JFK enunciated that the conditions to which the African Americans were being treated were not right and not ethical in any sense. Similarly, MLK shows his morals and ethics in where he specifies, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” (MLK) In this, he shows the necessity for change, but not violence. JFK understands that what is happening is wrong, and MLK, actually having lived through the treatment as he himself is Negro, addresses that change must happen, but in order to be ethical and continue to do right, change must happen without violence. Both of these men were striving for change, but wanted the public to understand the absolute need for change to happen through honest means. MLK’s credibility along with JFK’s are part of the reason that they and their works will be remembered for years to come. Furthermore, during the 1960’s actions were taken not only by leaders, but by the people. While MLK used pathos to rally those who wanted change, JFK used pathos to scold America as a enunciating that it was a problem for everyone. MLK addresses his audience with, “But there is something I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice” (MLK). Martin Luther King says this to appeal to the people who are working for the same cause as he is. He is calling for those who wish for change just as much as he does. He also articulates, “many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.” (MLK) showing, that although he is addressing those who want change (the African Americans that are being oppressed), he is also addressing the white people who have allied themselves with the Negroes to help fight for justice. On the other hand, JFK is addressing not only those who want change, but also those who have let this injustice endure. He expresses, “It seems to me that these are matters which concern us all, not merely Presidents or congressmen or governors, but every citizen of the United States” (JFK). and when he states this, he expresses his disappointment with the citizens of America as well. President Kennedy’s tone is one of a father that feels defeated due to the antics of his children, but with it, he indicates that he believes that every person in America should contribute to change. JFK also verbalizes further that, “this is a matter which concerns this country and what it stands for, and in meeting it, I ask the support of all our citizens” (JFK). While the purpose of MLK’s speech was to encourage the revolution and those who already supported the civil rights movement, JFK’s purpose was to have everybody,

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