The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines courage as “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” The countless people in the civil rights movement had to withstand bombings, attacks, and racial slurs. They had to persevere through their fear of police officers, the KKK, and anyone who held power over them. Many people lost their homes and jobs for participating in the protests. Martin Luther King Jr. received numerous death threats, and on one occasion his house was bombed. King had two choices; he could back down, or he could be courageous and continue fighting for civil rights. Obviously, King chose the latter. Martin Luther King Jr. was the front face of the civil rights movement. Many people don’t know, however, that he fought for equality and justice for many other people as well. M.L.K. Jr. fought for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. King was against war and openly spoke out against the Vietnam War. During the civil rights movement, King felt that if you couldn’t be nonviolent you had no place in the movement. Slavery was abolished in 1865. Many people felt this would end racism, but they were wrong. The Jim Crow laws came after the ending of legal slavery. The laws enforced segregation in the Southern United States. Segregation was especially bad in the bus system. The rule on buses was that if a white person needed a seat, the colored people had
Martin Luther King Jr. also showed great bravery when he was threatened. During one late night, he received a threatening phone call saying that if he did not leave town, the caller would “blow [his] brains out and blow up [his] house” (White 2). Even though he was distraught, Martin Luther King Jr. refused to back down from the civil rights movement, and continued to lead. Like bravery, both of these leaders shine when it comes to
When Rosa Parks borded that bus in 1955 she sat in the first row desined for blacks and the first ten rows were for white. The bus was crowded the day Rosa borded the bus. So the bus driver ask Rosa to give up her seat so a white man could sit down. Source 1 states¨this is what rosa was told to do and she refused.¨
The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. “The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated.”(1) A vast majority of the Southern States agreed upon the Jim Crow Laws, which were slave states. That left some of the Northern States free states which didn’t pass the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws prevented African Americans from doing a lot of things that white americans could do.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of many great civil rights activists that have fought for equal rights. Throughout the 1960’s he persevered through many things such as, “On March 7, 1965, a civil rights march, planned from Selma to Alabama's capitol in Montgomery, turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. King was not in the march, however the attack was televised showing horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured. Seventeen demonstrators were hospitalized leading to the naming the event "Bloody Sunday." Everyone, young or old, gay or straight, women or man, everyone should get equal rights and this man shows why and how we can do it.
Jim Crow laws were the act that legalized segregation between blacks and whites back in the late 1800’s. These laws were mainly enforced in the southern states. They were created to separate blacks and whites from having even the slightest bit of contact. Some JIm Crow laws were no interracial marriage, blacks and whites had to go to separate schools, and use different tools, and also go to different hospitals. Everything that went one between the blacks and the whites had to be different. This essay will go over what some of the specific Jim Crow laws were, and how it affected the people in the united states.
Throughout his career, Martin Luther King Jr was a huge advocate for the Civil Rights Movement. His speeches, protests, group prayers, and work inspired many people of all ages to follow in his footsteps. Martin preached a different king of reaction to his people. He taught people that you do not have to be violent to be heard. Martin had many popular and inspiring speeches including Letter from Birmingham Jail, Beyond Vietnam, and I've Been to the Mountaintop. Most importantly he gave the people a voice. Martin Luther King Jr risked his life and his family's lives everyday in hopes to being able to see a better country. Martin Luther King Jr experienced countless amounts of verbal and physical abuse throughout his career. This did not stop
In a dark world, a time full of hate, hurt, and segregation, a man stood out against those injustices, Martin Luther King Jr.. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very strong activist in the civil rights movement. King was a pioneer of the “no violence” and “no harm” era of protesting. He became a leader for African Americans and whites who opposed the idea of segregation. These people wanted change, they stood together as brothers and as Americans, all led by the great qualities of Martin Luther King Jr.. On the road to civil rights, King had many quotes that had given people hope, trust, and faith and many are still used today.
One of the Jim Crow Laws was mentioned in The Help, “Every employer of white or negro males shall provide for such white or negro males reasonably accessible and separate toilet facilities” (Jim Crow Laws 7). There are several laws consisting white and black people to be in separate places, separate restaurants, separate schools, separate library’s, etc. “Many states could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated” (Jim Crow Laws 1). “The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first to deal a decisive blow against Jim Crow. The Civil rights act of 1964 prohibited businesses and unions from discriminatory actions, but did not protect the right to vote” (The Congress 10). The Jim Crow Laws had lost the support and all aspects of segregation and discrimination. This made people think different of black people. Everyone saw each other as
The Civil Rights Movement had several pros however there are cons to every situation. The suffering of people were cured by the medicine of the great personality that still stand as the role model of the world, Martin Luther King Jr. He cured the people with the speeches they delivered and the letters they wrote. The letters and speeches delivered during this movement had been very inspirational in which it made more people want to become a part of this immense movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was very inspirational but had different ways to handle things than other civil rights movement leaders. MLK Jr. was a very big contributor to the Civil Rights Movement but he said everything through “The Letter from Birmingham”. The Civil rights Movement
Martin Luther King Jr. knew something that many people had forgotten which that love was more important than hate. I loved this statement that he made “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” King seen a lot of hateful things in his life, he decided to respond with love and peace though. Through the leadership he ran he made big changes for the people of color in America. King was regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and the greatest nonviolent leader in world
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work and life were influenced by the fact that many African-Americans in the south suffered from violence and from being treated as second-class citizens. He drew inspiration through Christianity and teachings of Gandhi to lead non-violent movements. His significance made African-Americans achieved more progress than the previous 350 years toward racial equality in America.
The Jim Crow laws were passed into law in 1965. The laws went down to even the local level. They caused Africans social, educational, and economic hardships and endeavors. The Jim Crow laws were very similar to the Black Codes passed in 1800-1866. The Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws were similar which restrict civil rights and liberties. The slogan adopted for the Jim Crow laws was, ‘Separate but equal.” This was rarely the case though in many places the facilities were not equal.
Most of the historians had a belief that the end of American civil war brought with it recommendable changes as far as racism was concerned. This was not possible as there were white Americans who were conservatives and could not let go the racial discrimination, which they believed was the best order of life. The whites they maintained white supremacy by drafting Jim Crow law designed to separate white and black Americans. Jim Crow also consisted of societal behaviors all with the intension of making blacks inferior .Due to the laws and behaviors, African Americans following the Civil War faced economic, social and racial hardships.
Martin Luther King jr. was one of the most influential persons of the 20th Century. He is the father of the modern civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom as well as peace. King practiced everything that he preached, he did not preach or speak values that he himself did not follow. He established himself as a pastor that was not afraid of hard work, guiding the middle-class congregation to public service. For example, Peake, Thomas R. author of "Martin Luther King, Jr.” states, “He encouraged his parishioners to help the needy and to be active in organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)”. I think that kings motivation
Moral courage is taking action against something even though one may suffer consequences. It is what empowers a person to be determined to fight for what's morally right despite the ridicule of other people or the punishment they may face. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to fight for the freedom and equality of people no matter their cultures or religions. Martin Luther King Jr. shows moral courage by sticking up for people's rights, freedom, and equality no matter the consequences. One way Martin Luther King Jr. Shows moral courage is when he joined the bus boycott after Rosa Parks got arrested for it.