By: Cassie Foresman, Senior
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Martin Luther King Jr. is by far one of the most important people in history. Martin Luther King Jr. put his whole heart and soul into the Civil Rights movement that took place in America, 1955. Due to MLK’s profound impact on not only America but the entire world, the third Monday of January is marked a Federal Holiday in Honor of his legacy.
Martin Luther King is a worldwide symbol of hope. Although his life within the Civil Rights movement was brief, his impact was worth more than a lifetime. MLK worked to bring equality for every race to America. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the minds of millions. Through his famous “I have a dream speech,” he dreamed that one day his children would not be judged by the color of their skin but rather their character. Through his many speeches like this, he changed the minds and hearts of many Americans, gaining his supporters who helped him achieve many great things.
From 1955-1968, MLK worked to end discrimination and segregation against (mainly) African Americans within many areas: the workplace, education, public places, public transportation, and voting. In order to do this, MLK strongly advocated for peaceful protest and civil disobedience; this consisted of sit-ins, boycotts, and marches. In 1955, King became one of the main leaders for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For 381 days, King and his followers boycotted the bus system that allowed segregation on public buses. Instead of riding the bus, they walked great lengths to work and other places, but doing this nonviolently made their point that segregation on buses was not only discriminatory but unlawful. In 1968, King traveled to Memphis to advocate for the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. Black workers were being forced to work under unsafe and horrible conditions while receiving a lower wage than their white coworkers. After hard work, the workers did receive a fairer wage, but it also came with King's brutal assassination.
Tragically, in April 1968, King was assassinated on his hotel room balcony. America’s reaction to his death was monumental. All around the country were riots, marches, lootings, and mourning. King’s death was a devastating event, but his life and accomplishments triumph over this sadness. King's impact on the civil rights movement did not end after his death, however. In reaction, many Black Americans rose up and began the Black Power movement, further progressing equality.
As a result of King’s protests and speeches, the government had to intervene, and monumental legislation was created: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in employment and public accommodations based on race, color, religion, or national origin; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which restored and protected the right to vote; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, which allowed immigration from groups other than those from the traditional European countries; the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which banned housing discrimination in both sales or rentals. Without help from King, these acts could have possibly never been put in place, setting equal rights even farther back.
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