Martin Luther King Case Study

In the case of Martin Luther King Jr., he saw what segregation did to African-Americans and all races. For African-Americans, they were treated as second-class citizens in their own country and had to constantly experience racism by whites from all over. As an example, he offered assistance to Rosa Parks who was notable for her sit-in protest when she did not give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. This event effectively made him one of the key leaders of the movement. He spoke to representatives and officials to fight for Civil Rights legislation. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson had contributed to legitimizing the changes the Civil Rights Movement had with MLK’s demands by enacting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ended segregation, …show more content…
But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free.” (Baym et al 1395) Despite the end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation, the Reconstruction period was an experiment which robbed blacks to vote and hold offices. Even with their newfound freedom, they were still not free, as they were subjected to racism and separation by racist southerners, policies, and officials. This speech would illustrate to all blacks that they are not alone in their fight for equality, He mentions the Founding Father’s intentions were to promise that, “all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Baym et al 1395) Similarly to W.E.B. Du Bois, he took those words that Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers wrote and instilled them as a principle, and as a moral outlook on how people should be treated regardless of skin tone. He mentions this as he is pointing out the hypocrisy that the Declaration of Independence states “all men” as if it had an earlier meaning of rich landowning white men. Martin Luther King meant all men, and all people should be guaranteed these unalienable rights, not a privileged wealthy few …show more content…
Du Bois opinion of not being complacent to fight for rights. In addition, Martin Luther King mentioned that “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” (Baym et al 1396) He felt that people of all ethnicities and races should be equal, and not to be bitter and resentful about the harsh treatment of former slaves and their ancestors. Many whites were guilty of promoting slavery and should have been tried for justice, but other white Europeans had nothing to do with the racial conflict that was occurring for hundreds of years. Despite this, Martin Luther King pleaded for marginalized blacks to remain calm, and told opponents of the Civil Rights Movement that they (blacks) will not be satisfied until police brutality ends, mobility from a small ghetto to a large one ends, and that they are not satisfied that children are robbed of their