Martin Luther King Jr.: Life and Legacy of a Civil Rights Icon

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Outline

Introduction

• Introduction to Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, significance, and the enduring relevance of racial equality

Early Life and Childhood

• Background information on Martin Luther King Jr.'s family and upbringing
• Early experiences with racism and segregation

Struggles and Influences

• King's personal battles with depression and encounters with racism
• Impactful events in King's youth, including a traumatic incident on a bus

Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement

• Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Leadership in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

The "I Have a Dream" Speech

• Overview of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
• Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech

Assassination and Legacy

• Details of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis
• International and national recognition of King's legacy
• Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example

On January 15, 1929, Michael King Jr., son of Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King, was born. His father later changed both his son and his own name to Martin Luther. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is known worldwide for his participation in the black community’s fight for equality for all colours and races. This essay will discuss his life, motivation, accomplishments and his death. Racial equality is still an important topic today, especially prejudice and unknown hate against people you don’t know.

King was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, with his two siblings, his older sister Christine King Farris and his younger brother A.D. King. Both of his parents were African-American, and he grew up singing in church. King has said that his father whipped him growing up, and said: “I will make something of you, even if I have to beat you to death.” When King was a child he met a white boy, and they became friends. When the boys turned six, they started school. King had to go to a school for kids who were African-American, while his friend went to an all-white school. King lost his friend because of the colour of his skin.

Throughout his life, King battled depression, and as a young adult felt resentment from white people because of the humiliation he felt from other whites. At just the age of 12, not long after his grandmother died, he tried jumping out of a two-story window but survived. When King was thirteen he won an oratorical contest, and on the bus back home the bus driver ordered him and his black teacher to stand up so that white people could sit. King initially refused but his teacher said he was breaking the law, and so he stood up. King said he had never been as angry as he was at that moment.

King’s political involvement started in 1955 when he was apart of the “Montgomery Bus Boycott.” It started with Rosa Park, an African-American woman, refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. She then proceeded to get arrested, and this sparked a lot of anger in the black community. The boycott lasted for 385 days and got so serious that King was arrested. The boycott started a trial where it was ruled that the Montgomery public buses would no longer allow any racial segregation.

On the 6 of August 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place. The march was hosted by the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where Martin Luther King was one of the six leaders of the organization. The estimated number of participants was around 200 to 300 thousand. At the time this was the biggest demonstration for freedom in the history of the United States of America, and they all gathered around the Lincoln Memorial, where the speeches were held. One of the speakers was Martin Luther King, and the speech he held is today known as the “I have a dream speech.” The speech blew up because of its genuineness, and how it discusses the problem and didn’t dance around it. This is an excerpt from the speech.

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”

The speech is today viewed as one of the most important and impactful speeches of all time, especially for the civil rights movement.

On the 29 of March 1968, King was in Memphis to support black workers who hadn’t been paid as much as white workers, for the same job. He held a speech and was then supposed to fly back almost immediately, but it didn’t go as planned when someone called in a bomb threat on King’s plane. King was forced to stay in Memphis, on a motel called “Lorraine Motel.” At one past six in the afternoon, April fourth, a loud gunshot was heard, and it hit King in his left chin as he stood on his balcony. King was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 pm. The murderer was later announced to be James Earl Ray.

Internationally King’s legacy is viewed as one of the biggest influences in the civil rights and Black rights movement. In America King is viewed as a national icon, not just for his participation in politics, but also for his non-violent methods. In his time King won a Nobel peace prize, and years after his death he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We can still see his legacy being appreciated today. An example of this is the Martin Luther King day, which is held on the third Monday of January. But most importantly King’s legacy is also a spirit, which can show us that humans can solve anything, as long as we talk about it.

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