Good Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Example

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential individuals in United States history. He was born on January 15th, 1929 and died on April 4th, 1968. His death was caused by a racist individual who was against equality. Martin Luther King Jr. contributed to the fight for equal rights and was an important person in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King’s contribution to the civil rights movement helped shape the equality that is seen today, and without him the struggle for equal rights would have continued. He believed that every person was equal and should not be judged based on the color of their skin. There is a national holiday, which is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to honor his contribution and efforts to making equality a reality in the United States. Dr. King was a great leader in the Civil Rights Movement and in his belief for a nonviolent approach to equality, which is seen in his actions as well as how he is remembered.
Dr. King made many contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and a nonviolent approach for equality, and he was honored with awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize, as a result of his efforts. Nobelprize.org stated that four years before he was assassinated, he was awarded the Peace Price for his campaign against racism and inequality (Nobelprize.org). Dr. King believed in Gandhi’s philosophy, which was in favor of nonviolence. Although there were many inequalities against those of color in this time, he did not let that stop him against his fight for creating a world with peace and equal rights, especially in the southern states. 1955 marked the year that he started his campaign to convince the United States government that a policy should be issued, which would declare discrimination of those with color an unlawful act in the southern states (Nobelprize.org). As a result of his campaign, there were many racist individuals who lashed out against those of color who wanted to change racism with nonviolence. The violent acts that were committed due to racism warranted his belief that there was racial inequality and it should be stopped.
Dr. King also worked hard to stop the struggle against equality during the Civil Rights Movement and took the role of a leader to inspire individuals to follow his beliefs. He was elected as the president of the Southern Leadership Conference in 1957. The Southern Leadership Conference was created to provide guidance for the civil rights movement. When Martin Luther King Jr. was president of this organization, he delivered more than 25,000 speeches and traveled more than 6 million miles in eleven years between 1957 and 1968 (Nobelprize.org).
Dr. King touched many individuals and inspired them to fight for equality, which was seen in his many speech presentations. He is noted for his “I Have a Dream” speech that he presented on August 28, 1963. The famous speech was given at the Lincoln Memorial just before the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs. In his speech he stated, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir” (NAACP.org). The speech was so influential that it is still studied and taught in history classes to this day. An article on the biography of Martin Luther King Jr., which was published on American National Biography Online, explained that more than 200,000 individuals were present when he gave his “I Have a Dream Speech” (Clayborne, Carson). Of all the speeches Martin Luther King Jr. delivered, this speech was the most remembered and influential toward the Civil Rights Movement.
It is understandable why there is a national holiday to honor him, if he was not determined to create a nation with equal rights so adamantly then many people would have continued their silence. He spoke out and fought for what he believed in, which caused others to follow his leadership and fight for their equality. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the United States. He will continue to be remembered and taught about for his brave actions and contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Works Cited

Clayborne, Carson. "King, Martin Luther, Jr." American Natinal Biography Online. Feb.
2000. 19 April, 2015. Web. <http://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00382.html>
"Dr. Martin Luther King, JR." National Association For The Advancement Of Colored
Pople.Org. N.d. 19 April 2015. Web. <http://www.naacp.org/pages/king>
"Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. 19 April 19, 2015
Web. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/bio.html>