John Lewis Turning Points

Another important turning point in Lewis life was when he decided not to go to college. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go to college, but that Lewis felt that helping others were more important. On his application for the freedom riders, he wrote, “I know that education is important and I hope to get one, but human dignity is the most important thing in my life.” (Lewis 30) In other words, Lewis was willing to put his entire life on hold in able to help others and stand up for what he believed in. After being told no by his parents, he said, “In Nashville I’d meet people who opened my eyes to a sense of values that would forever dominate my moral philosophy—the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence.” (Lewis 70) So although Lewis didn’t get to

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15 , 1929 and died on April 4, 1968. He was born Michael Luther King Jr. but decided to change his name to Martin. Both Martin Luther’s grandfather and father were pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Martin Luther carried on the tradition and served as pastor from 1960-1968 (Nobel Prize, 1). He was a big part of the civil rights movement for his race. In fact he was the most important voice in this movement. Dr. King is know for his nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice. Throughout his life he tried his hardest to make people understand that “all men are created equal”(American

The “social gospel” was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young, living on a farm. Leading him to the “social gospel” which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the “social gospel.”

What gave him purpose, formed his values, and reinforced his trust in God? We all, like John Lewis, have many life changing moments.

John Lewis was one of the most notably influential leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC. SNCC was founded in the 1960s in Releigh, North Carolina and initially consisted of black students as its members (Murphree 2006:11). The first members of this organization made use of nonviolent ways of protests such as sitting in and occupation of certain public places. The organization was successful in making other people aware of the injustices that black people were usually exposed to. Moreover, SNCC supported more nonviolent protests such as the Freedom Rides in 1961 and the March on Washington in 1963 which paved the way for the amendment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In 1957 john Lewis left Alabama to be in the American baptist theological seminary in Nashville Tennessee he learned about nonviolent protest and helped to organize sit- ins at segregated lunch counters he was arrested while the demonstrations were going when that happened it made his mother upset but Lewis still continued the civil rights movement and went to be in the freedom rides in 1961.

John Lewis’s compassion helped him fulfill his goals. Lewis showed the same affection for all of his followers as well as his opponents. He even displayed compassion for his animals. One time when

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. (History) He was an activist, a fighter for civil rights, and was destined to a life of serving God as a pastor. His father and grandfather were pastors. He later followed in their footsteps and became the pastor of his father. Along with being involved in the church community he became a non-violent activist for human rights and the black communities during the times of segregation. Because he had graduated from high school, received his Bachelor’s Degree from Morehouse College, and then went on to get his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University proved that he was a well-educated black man. His education and strong beliefs for his race landed him as a chairman in the NAACP and in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as president. King sought

While growing up, these major turning points reveal who John Lewis really is. Towards the beginning, one of the main points is receiving the Bible, and involving it in his life. In Pike County, Alabama, John grows up on his father’s farm. John states, “Growing up, what I really wanted to be was a preacher. An uncle gave me a Bible for Christmas when I was four,” (Lewis and Aydin 26). So at a very young age, John already had a hold a bible, but it was later in his years when he started to study it. Lewis states, “By the time I was five I could read it myself and one phrase struck me strongly,

During the civil rights era, there were many iconic figures who created everlasting change. Although there were many individuals who did such thing, there were certain people who caused more of a major impact than others during this time in history. One of those icons were John Lewis, who teamed up with Andrew Aydin to create the March trilogy. These pieces examined John Lewis himself and his path throughout the civil rights movement. There were numerous factors that led John Lewis to become the civil rights activist that he became. Some may argue that every factor helped him in an equal way. However, I believe that although every factor helped drive him to become who he set out

When Lewis decided to join the Freedom Ride in 1961, it was on his mind to give freedom to all of the people and mentions that it was even more important that getting an education. Lewis wrote that "I know that an education is important and I hope to get one, but human dignity is the most important thing in my life." (30). The freedom ride did encourage him to bring back the justice and freedom to the United States as Lewis says "This is the most important decision in my life. To decide to give up all if necessary for the Freedom Ride, that justice and freedom might come to the deep south."

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the predominant leader of the Civil Rights Movement to end racial discrimination and segregation in the latter half of the twentieth century. As a world-renowned spokesperson advocating nonviolent protest, many of his speeches were centered on peaceful ways to change the unfair treatment and segregation of blacks. His hope was to use these methods of nonviolent protest so that one day all of God’s children, whites and blacks included, would live, and treat each other, as equals. On April 3, 1968, he delivered what would be his final speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters).

The social gospel was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young farm boy. Leading him to the social gospel which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the social gospel.

John Lewis, even from a very young age wanted to become a preacher. “I’ll never forget my mother reading aloud to me the first words in that book…

It is by God’s glory only that we can restore this connection. Lewis states that we are a “mercenary soul” and we must do something in order to get the Father’s approval. Once we get to Heaven, however, we will be at peace because the Father’s approval would be over us again, thus restoring the state we were in in the