Mlk's Fight For Equality

Improved Essays
After World War II ended, African Americans realized that the United States fought for democracy and equality in other nations but failed to achieve that domestically. Thus, civil rights groups and organization arose with the ultimate goal of getting equality and complete freedom from the chain that whites put in them. Furthermore, MLK became a well-known figure in 1955 after he was chosen to be the protest leaders and spokesmen after Rosa Park was arrested for refusing James F. Blake’s order to give her seat to a white passenger. Highly educated, MLK kept on learning from activists such as Mahatma Gandhi, and hence was targeted by numerous people that viewed him as a threat. Moreover, in 1957, MLK and other ministry friends founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a nonviolent group that would fight for African Americans equality all over the United States. …show more content…
Withal, in 1963, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights invited MLK to travel to Birmingham, Alabama, one of the most segregated areas at the time, to help the African American community. His goal was to be an example and guide others on how to fight discrimination by showing the true racist side of white

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Slc Leadership Conference

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Pages

    The southern christian leadership conference is a group dedicated to abolishing the separation of races. The Sclc was based on transportation and non violent protest. Sclc was formed aftermath of the montgomery bus boycott. The leader of the Sclc was Dr. martin luther. King and formed with 60 other ministries.…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mlk Vs Malcolm X Essay

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were two of the most influential civil rights activist. Both civil rights leaders shared many similarities and differences in their philosophies, speeches and how they were received by society. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. philosophies differed but both impacted the public. MLK’s “I Have a Dream” and X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speeches gave the audience two different ways of viewing the Civil Rights Movement. Lastly, the way African Americans and Caucasians viewed the leaders were similar yet different.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who led the African-American Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, he was jailed for participating in the nonviolent campaign in Birmingham, which protested against segregation and racism. In jail, he received a smuggled newspaper that contained an open letter written by white clergymen calling the campaign “unwise and untimely”. In response, King wrote a letter to them to defend his strategy of nonviolent campaigns.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Letters from Birmingham Jail” was written by Martin Luther King Jr. while he was in jail. It was written in response to eight fellow clergymen, who criticized his non-violent protests in Birmingham, Alabama calling them “unwise and untimely”. In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to clarify his actions and have the clergymen understand why he did such things. Martin Luther King Jr. uses rationale, morals, and emotion to persuade his fellow clergymen and the “white moderate” why civil rights should be awarded to African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was invited to Birmingham to participate in a non-violent protest.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The period that took place after the Civil War was considered the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877). During this period, African Americans were granted equality due to the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments which, outlawed slavery, defined citizenship and protected all Americans, and extended suffrage to all men. The Freedman’s Bureau/Civil Rights Act also helped blacks play a role in the governments, economies and society by allowing them to be elected to political office. White America found it difficult to accept the fact that African Americans could ever be considered their equal and during the period that begun around 1877 that picked up steam during the early twentieth century, the Black Codes gave a major…

    • 1273 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mlk Vs Malcolm X Essay

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Schools were segregated and the blacks weren't treated the same. There were two influential people in this time period, Mlk and Malcom X. Basically Martin luther king wanted to end segregation with no violence and Malcolm X was the opposite. The civil rights movement should’ve been handled with violence. Malcolm X was right when he talked about how to handle the civil rights movement. His actions were for the good.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Civil Rights Movement spanned between 1954 and 1968 and encompassed social movements in the United States aiming to end racial segregation and discrimination against blacks. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South, relying mainly on peaceful protests and boycotts. Although he was a dedicated activist, King also had a gift for rhetoric; his skillful use of language energized supporters of the civil rights movement to continue to fight for justice. This talent was exemplified in 1963 during his incarceration in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was imprisoned, eight prominent Alabama clergymen published a statement in local newspapers urging blacks to withdraw their support from Martin Luther King Jr. and his demonstrations.…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the course of the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. writes to acknowledge a public concern expressed by eight white religious leaders of the South. At that time, King was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which ran in every southern state. Alabama members of the conference requested that King come to Birmingham and take part in a non-violent direct-action protest. King, along with others from the group, showed up. Because of this protest against the racial segregation, all of them ended up in jail.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The summer of 1963 was crucial for Blacks in Alabama, because there was so much violence and racism. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decided to go down to Birmingham, Alabama and lead a peaceful anti-segregation march, trying to get the Jim Crow laws over turned. During so he was arrested for not having a parade permit. While Dr. King was in jail, he received a letter from several local clergymen which was full of criticism of Dr. King and his supporters. In return, he wrote a letter about each criticism made by the men, showing the injustice that had been inflicted upon colored people for centuries and that men who claim Christian values must not support those injustices.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The political situation in Birmingham, Alabama was not fair to the black community. At the time, Martin Luther King Jr was the president of the Southern Leadership Conference which had eighty five affiliate organizations across the South and Alabama Christian Movement for Human Right was part of the organization. King was invited by the organization to Alabama for a nonviolent direct-action to raise a voice for the black people in Birmingham. King was invited so that the situation of segregation between the whites and blacks in Birmingham can be corrected; instead of the voice to be heard, the clergymen took it against Martin Luther King Jr and criticized him. This lead him to jail in Birmingham, while King was in jail he had to confront the defect criticism made to him by the eight clergymen who were leaders of religious organization.…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ethos At Work With King A Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, and later became known as an influential activist for civil rights. Inspired by Mahatma Ghandi, King fought for equality for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Gaining confidence and courage after the boycott’s success, in 1957 King and other civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to achieving full equality for African Americans…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Three important events from the civil rights movement were the Birmingham Protest, March of Washington, and the Selma March. There are two thing that connects these events so well and those things would be that MLK did something in each of them and they were all either a march or protest. In the Birmingham Protest MLK was arrested and while he was in jail he wrote “A letter from the Birmingham jail,” in the Selma March MLK led a group of 3,000 people over a bridge that led straight to the capital of Alabama in protest of the local resistance of black voter registration and how difficult is was and the last thing MLK did was give his famous “I have a dream,” speech in Washington. The Birmingham Protest, the March on Washington and the Selma…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Civil Rights Movement grew slowly to a massive scale. During the struggle organizations began to emerge, one led by Martin Luther King, was the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC), another formed by young students was the the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), all organizations slowly expanded, as well as the organization of black Americans: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). The Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) were the main active groups in the Civil Rights Movement. The Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee were…

    • 1702 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Did you know that mlk started college at age 15.King being an orator made people think about him. Being a peaceful protester made people notice him. He was also a great leader which let him have followers. And his hard life made him aware of was going on in the world. His legacy helped him become an important civil rights leader.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From 1954 to 1968 the Civil Rights Movement took place in the United States. During this time, strategies and social movements occurred with the goal of eliminating racial segregation and discrimination laws. The movement consisted of many civil resistance campaigns. These operations were led by civil rights activists who wanted to help secure rights and equal opportunities for African Americans. One of the most visible and well known of such activists was Martin Luther King Jr.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays