The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in equality for all. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929, into an unforgiving world of hatred. Although young Martin was an extremely intelligent young man who skipped several grades, he had an extremely rough life. As a child he was whipped for poor behavior and suffered from depression because he, and the rest of the African American community, was outcast by white Americans in the south. As a result Dr. King resented the white community, he eventually had enough of the unfair treatment he had seen his whole life and decided something needed to be done. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decided he was going to make this change happen, after years of neglect and discrimination he started his movement.
Dr. King’s first speech was called “The Negro and the Constitution.” He later went on to give over 2,500 other speeches about real problems around the world. One of his most famous speeches was “Beyond Vietnam.” This speech in particular was focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s opinion on the war in Vietnam. Dr. King said, ”my conscience leaves me no choice,” King stated as he described his support for nonviolent means of war. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not support the vietnam war because, as he saw it, “millions of dollars can be spent everyday to hold troops in South Vietnam and our country cannot protect the rights of Negros in Selma.” in which Dr. King implied it was unjust and dishonest. “As a minister of the gospel,” he said, “I consider war an evil. I must cry out when I see war escalate at any point” Not only is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said true, it was also a major problem in the south. Oftentimes when African Americans hosted strikes, police would “deploy water jets and police dogs against demonstrators” in Birmingham. The police of Birmingham, Alabama were considered to “hold no mercy” when they attacked African Americans, having been even accused of attacking children that chose to participate in demonstrations.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that President Johnson’s war on poverty was superficial or “fake.” Even though Dr. King was never considered to have ever lived in poverty, he still had a hard life. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed, his house was bombed, he was arrested numerous times, his new house was burned down, and his property and himself were the main targets for various violent attacks. Through all of the pain, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for equal rights claiming "There is nothing greater in all the world than freedom. It's worth going to jail for. It's worth losing a job for. It's worth dying for. My friends, go out this evening determined to achieve this freedom which God wants for all of His children.” Dr. King later went on to share his speeches including his incredible “I have a Dream” speech, earn a nobel peace prize, participate in movements, and much, much more. Dr. King empowered millions and still inspires to this very day.