MARTIN LUTHER KING'S NON-VIOLENT PROTESTING TACTICS
First of all, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated on
April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, drew most of his inspiration for non-
violent protests from the life of Mahatmas Ghandi of India who like King
was also assassinated and from the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in
the New Testament. As a non-violent protester against American segregation
and racism, King consistently advocated and practiced the doctrine of non-
violence in the pursuit of his objectives and was deeply committed
philosophically to the ideals of non-violent protest. Two examples related
to King's non-violent protest tactics were the Montgomery, Alabama, bus
boycott in 1955 and the non-violent protests in Birmingham, Alabama,
related to ending this city's civil policies on segregation and economic
discrimination. Clearly, King's non-violent methods did in the end help to
achieve his overall goals to end segregation and racial discrimination in
the American South which obviously saved thousands of people's lives which
otherwise would have ended up killed by either the military or by the
police. Of course, there were some African-Americans like Malcolm X, an
outspoken champion of black activism, who felt that King's non-violent
ideals would never work and thus supported the use of violence or at least
the threat of violence in order to win the concessions they demanded.
Ironically, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 and in the weeks and months
that followed his death, the American Civil Rights movement seemed to
flounder in futility while the militants like Malcolm X gained new
influence and new followers among younger African-Americans living in
urban/city ghettos and on college campuses across the country. But King's
legacy lived on and by the end of the 1960's, segregation had been outlawed
and all African-Americans achieved equal rights related to employment,
voting and the ability to run for public office at the state and federal
levels.
Since 1996, military abuses have forced one million villagers to flee their homes. The presence and conduct of the military are central to the plight of these civilians. Military operations have placed a particularly heavy burden on rural populations affecting their ability to sustain livelihoods. Cases of rape and sexual violence committed by military personnel, many of them against young girls and adolescents, have been reported by human rights organizations. It should also
Martin Luther King, Jr. There are people in this world who are self-interested and live with a single purpose: to promote themselves and better their living situation. Then there are other people who work and sacrifice in order to make the lives of other people better. Martin Luther King, Jr. is most assuredly one of the latter types of people. He is revered as a person who made the ultimate sacrifice
With faith comes confidence. A person that stands on faith stands on a solid rock that cannot be shaken. When a person of faith walks into a crowd of doubters the sense of confidence is contagious. The most striking characteristic of Martin Luther King's speeches is the faith that he exuded to the crowd. By the end of the speech, the crowd embraced the same faith that change will
Martin Luther King, Jr. The mid-twentieth century was a time of much reform for many Americans, and even more push for equality amongst African-Americans. Amongst the leaders of the well-known African-American movements toward desegregation and equality for black rights was the activist Martin Luther King, Jr. A renowned and respected pastor and a man well-known for his peace movements within the African-American revolts and the anti-war protests against Vietnam, there is
Why and how Black Power, Nation of Islam, and other approaches to racial and social justice were overshadowed by King's version can be traced to the fact that King's approach had a more universal appeal. King was able to become the figurehead of the Civil Rights movement because he was willing to engage in dialogue with white leaders, which was often a difficult and daunting task given the fact that
King then proceeds to compare just and unjust laws by referring to St. Thomas Aquinas who declared that an "unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law" or those created by God. "Any law that uplifts human personality is just," while "any law that degrades human personality is unjust" ("Letter," Internet). These unjust laws, in the eyes of Dr. King, are those which
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