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mlkjr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came of age during a time when Jim Crow
laws reigned supreme, a time when “separate but equal” was ...
Submitted by Mattspit on May 6, 2008
Category: American History
Words: 1195 | Pages: 5
Views: 57
Popularity Rank: 109,163
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Martin Luther King, Jr. came of age during a time when Jim Crow laws reigned supreme, a time when “separate but equal” was the accepted doctrine (Cornell University Law), a time when things were always separate but never equal for blacks and whites. This was a time when blacks were not permitted to use the same stores as whites, to stay in the same hotels, or to attend the same schools as whites. Oppression was practiced throughout America. It was during this time that the winds of change started to blow.
King, one of many Civil Rights leaders in the United States, rose to prominence due to his exceptional leadership and oratory skills. It is true that the Civil Rights Movement would have occurred with or without Martin Luther King, Jr., but it is also true that without King, the Civil Rights Movement would not have had the same impact on society. It has been said that Martin Luther King, Jr. did not make the Civil Rights Movement, but the Civil Rights Movement made Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dyson 2000). The events that occurred during the 50’s and 60’s gave King the arena in which to shine. Author Michael Eric Dyson said, “Martin Luther King, Jr., is the greatest American in our history because in his life the contradictory meanings of American democracy found a perfect and healing embodiment. King is the great thesaurus of American identity…King’s genius was the willingness to risk everything he was – a preacher, a leader, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a black man – to make America all that it could become...He freed the American soul to love its black self and, hence, to love itself wholly and universally. He embraced the best of America and made it better.” (Dyson 2000, 306).
Dr. King’s inspirational career was cut short on April 3, 1968 when he was assassinated on the balcony walkway of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. The previous day King spoke to protesters in support of...
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