The Impact Of March On Washington, By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Almost one hundred and forty years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery, the need which Ebonics originally rose to meet is no longer present. In its place, a new need has arisen—the need for increased social mobility. Statistics show that a cycle of poverty has formed in which a disadvantaged African American child has little chance in his lifetime of ever advancing appreciably beyond the social

One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation was written, African Americans were still fighting for equal rights in every day life. The first real success of this movement did not come until the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 which was followed by many boycotts and protests. The largest of these protests, the March on Washington, was held on August 28, 1963 “for jobs and freedom” (March on Washington 11). An incredible amount of preparation went into the event to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people attending from around the nation and to deal with any potential incidents.

The journal article begins by introducing an African American couple who resided in Russellville, Kentucky. James Wright held an occupation as a corn cutter while his wife Gladys worked as a cook in a white home. The time span of their journey occurred at the beginning of the great depression all the way through World War II. Seeking better employment opportunities, James traveled to Louisville. Although, his first couple trips were in vain. His resilience and determination eventually lead to a job working for International Harvester. During an era of many trials and tribulations, James found a way to support himself and his family by migrating from a rural to an urban area. By sharing this anecdote the author establishes a mood of hardship

Even though it may seem a tedious part of life, it all pays off in the end, with jobs, and money. Well, this was not the case for well educated black males in the North. Even if one were to surpass any white man, he would still not be able to have a better future than him. An example of this, would be in document c. A young well educated black male, exclaims in a speech, that he does not have as good a future, as any white man. It is sad, how racial discrimination, destroys the future of black kids, who have a lot of potential. The economy is what gets America up and running. If the economy were to collapse, the whole world would go into chaos. The sad thing about it, was that the African American community, were not allowed to contribute to it, except to pay their taxes. According to document b, a black man may be permitted to only pay taxes, and perform duties. It is

Reconstruction did not succeed in incorporating former slaves into American society, but rather complicated the lives of blacks. For example, employment opportunities for african-americans at that time we much more scarce than for the average white. Blacks were usually met with signs saying “Help wanted. Whites Only” and bigotry when seeking employment. Evidently, these facts show that former slaves had little chance of becoming financially stable at the hands of these highly biased hiring

According to the 1930 census, 37 percent of working African-Americans were employed as agricultural laborers and 29 percent as personal-service and domestic workers. Only 2 percent were classified as professionals (lawyers, doctors, teachers and clergy)…Unemployment increased rapidly in the early 1930's. It was thought that approximately 15 percent of the workforce were unemployed in 1930. African-American organizations estimated that the percentage of unemployed black workers was at least twice the rate of the country as a whole.3

Specifically, white efficiency expert Dwight Thompson Farnham said, “A certain amount of segregation is necessary at times to preserve the peace” (Doc. 3). This reveals how despite the popular belief in the south, the north also had segregation and racism prevalent. To further support this idea that segregation was still prevalent in the North is Document 7. Specifically, the black population grows over time, but the blacks scattering throughout the city does not change at the same rate. Even though black population is growing, they still are in a part of town they is predominately black only (Doc. 7). Next, a white-owned newspaper discusses the topic of the poor quality of life for Negros in the north: “…the decent, hand-working, law-abiding Mississippi Negros who were lured to Chicago by the ball of higher wages, only to lose their jobs, or forced to accept lower pay after the labor shortage because less acute” (Doc. 4). This reveals how African Americans did not have jobs where they had sustainable income, appreciation, and reasonable hours, which was the complete opposite of what they expected. In all, from the perspective of white men in the north, white men believed that black men should be separated and be working in poor and unbearable conditions. The black individuals had an ideal picture of life in the north, but the white men clearly explain the difference between expectations and

As the United States developed and grew, upward mobility was central to the American dream. It was the unstated promise that no matter where you started, you had the chance to grow and proceed beyond your initial starting point. In the years following the Civil War, the promise began to fade. People of all races strived to gain the representation, acknowledgement and place in this society. To their great devastation, this hope quickly dwindled. Social rules were set out by the white folk, and nobody could rise above their social standing unless they were seen fit to be part of the white race. The social group to be impacted the most by this “social rule” was the African Americans. Black folk and those who were sympathetic to the idea of

Economic oppression against blacks occurred out of white’s prejudice for African Americans. Most economic inequality between races advanced from an unequal opportunity in the labor force. This was because African Americans were not given the same chance as whites for similar jobs. In the 1950’s at least 75 percent of African American men “in the labor force were employed in unskilled jobs.” A few of these jobs included janitors, porters, cooks, and machine operators. However, only 25 percent of white males had jobs which did not require many skills. The disparity between women was also significant. 20 percent of black women were paid service workers while only 10 percent of white women maintained the same job. The two most significant l reasons African Americans were economically oppressed was because they were denied access to numerous jobs and the

African Americans had little opportunity to better themselves economically. Some laws prohibited them from teaching and from entering certain other businesses and professions. Large numbers of blacks had to take low-paying jobs as farm hands or as servants for white employers. Many others were forced to become sharecroppers or tenant framers. They rented small plots of land and paid the rent with money earned from the crops. Struggling to survive, many ran up huge debts to their white landlords or the town merchants. Fortunately, there were rays of sunshine forcing their way through this cloudy time.

There was unemployment to a certain degree amongst the black community, as over 10% of black people were unemployed. This could be linked to poverty and poor quality of schooling and education Poverty and the condition of living and housing was a major

Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech directly contributed to the Civil Rights movement. While delivering his speech at a kairotic moment, King tells us how blacks have been serving an injustice and that they should be treated equally.

The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination… the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land (qtd. in W.T.L. 235).

Throughout history America has been the arriving place of immigrants searching for a better life. America is perceived as the land were endless opportunities are available. The greatest explanation of the American dream is Martin Luther King, Jr. speech; I Have a Dream. Dr. King speech is more like a testimony of truth, rather than a speech. At the time of his speech African Americans were not free, while the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Dr. King’s movement established the way for the idea that there is an American dream. The idea that somebody can be anything they would like to be. This idea is still relevant now in America. Americans pursue their dream everyday by having the opportunity to attend

Entering the early sixties, civil rights activist Martin Luther King made a controversial speech in 1963 called “I have a dream” which addressed the situation America was going through in that period. He spoke about segregation of whites and blacks among the American people, and how, one hundred years after the emancipation proclamation which “promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be granted the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King 39). Comparing, the 60’s to today, America has full filled the promises from the emancipation proclamation and for the most part has become that land of opportunity. Today we all have a change to make something of ourselves. It is the year 2017 and jobs are no longer segregated by gender, race, and even sexuality. Employment requires some form education and experience, and those are the main qualifying factors in our current