King was on a mission, a mission for social, political, and economic equality. Despite the long way the blacks had already come, King was still not yet satisfied, and he would never be as long as "the Negro is the victim of police brutality" or "the Negro cannot vote nor has no reason to vote." He won't be satisfied until" justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
He has a dream that blacks and whites could "sit down at the table of brotherhood together." King wanted "Mississippi would be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." He wanted his "four little children to one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
King wasn't looking to be treated better, just as a equal. He hoped that one day "black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sign in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last."
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
King stated in his letter that, “‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’”(par. 11), so they must begin to take action in a lickety-split manner. This means that African Americans must demand their freedom now instead of waiting for it to be given voluntarily because ultimately, if they continue to wait, they will have to wait forever. This is evident because King stated, “It is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘"Wait’"(par.11). This means that the whites have never been “Humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading ‘white’ and ‘colored’... Living constantly at tiptoe stance, knowing what to expect next, plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; Fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodyness’”(par. 11), meaning that the whites had never…
- 1359 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
King calls upon the African American with phrases like, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” to emphasize the fact that he understands how simple it is to be filled with “bitterness” and “hatred.” Also, he doesn’t want others to suffer from hatred and be sucked in with the non-supporters of the civil rights. Another viewpoint is he doesn’t want people to take the shorter road out to get freedom. He wants both blacks and whites to be able to hold hands together and greet each other without malevolence and…
- 547 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
King lived in the 1960s and was a anti-segregationist activists. Also he was a member of the clergy and a very influential member in our American history. In the 60s blacks and whites were separated in everything they did, from schooling all the way down to restrooms and water fountains. It was a unfair and unjust time period for the oppressed blacks. Which is why King was in jail to begin with, and also why he wrote his letter in response to the clergyman.…
- 423 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
One of his goal’s and or business ideas was in document 2, where King states “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal”. This sentence is from the U.S. constitution and this shows that King thinks that men are meant to be equal. Another piece of evidence is also in document 2, “I have a dream that one day out in the red hill of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”. This shows that King dreamt of a day were we can all be together, which is how it is today. The last piece of evidence is from document 6, King tells how through non-violence; they were able to get jobs for…
- 822 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
King wrote the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” because he stood for what he believed in and strongly felt that he was fighting for the right cause. In the letter, King states the disappointment he has towards the white moderate. He says the white moderate did not understand that law and order coincide for the sole purpose of establishing justice. Since they didn’t understand “they became the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”(295). Due to the white moderates following these unjust laws, they became blind to the fact that it allows segregation to continue for a significant amount of time.…
- 661 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
During the mid-20th Century, racism was a huge issue in the United States, which the most prominent was the racism of African-Americans. “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.” King responded to the clergymen in a very direct way after their indirect statement that was released concerning his involvement with the modern day Civil Rights Movement. In his publication entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he very vividly explained his sense of urgency for his African American people equal civil rights in which they were stripped from because of color.…
- 597 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
delivered the speech “I Have a Dream” where his hope and dreams for the black community…
- 963 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
He wanted peace for everyone and getting through with that using tension, but non-violence. He needed a tension that would force society to see the social injustice. MLK stated, “...there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” (King). It is common knowledge that MLK wrote letters from Birmingham while in solitary confinement. This shows just how strongly he felt about this topic and the people he was trying to support. He took his readers seriously and took thought to their point of view. King tried to directly connect with the readers and supporters of this letter by giving an example of injustice in his life. He explained how the Negro community is still waiting for their constitutional rights and the segregation that was still occurring after 340 years, and how he had to explain to his kids why colored people get treated so differently than white…
- 466 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
King starts his essay with addressing that he never usually answers statements that criticize his work. He goes on to state what role he plays in the south and why he is in Birmingham. He is there because Birmingham is the most segregated city in America and injustice is most prevalent there. He writes that nations such as Asia and Africa are moving forward with gaining political independence, but America was still moving with incredibly slow speed trying to obtain the same goal. There are examples of the horrors that colored people have gone through; parents getting lynched, people getting abused by officers, not being shown respect, and having to explain to their children why the cannot be in the same area as white people. He goes on to talk…
- 280 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
King was disappointed with the unfair treatment of blacks during that time, he was determined to make a stand for what was right. He wanted what was written in the Emancipation Proclamation to be a reality for Negroes. Dr. King said that “when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of Life”, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The reason he was willing to sacrifice his life was because America has fallen short in fulfilling this goal for people of color. We as black people today are happy that Dr. King and many others refused to “believed that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Since this is the land of opportunity and freedom, we refused to accept this negative fate. Dr. King said that “we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”…
- 856 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In it he addressed several different parts of the Civil Rights Movement but one of the most important things he wrote about was the white church and his disappointment in it. King was very disappointed that the white church decided to stay quiet about what had been happening instead of speaking up and helping one another. “So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are” (King). He felt as if the church should speak up about it all instead of staying silent. It was the same God after all. In his mind the churches were the safest and the strongest when together. No segregation and no laws, just two skin colors worshipping the same God in the same building. That way there would be no bombings, no fires, and no separate buildings. It would be the safest place for both when they just came and worshipped together like they were supposed to all along. “There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society”…
- 922 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
King appeals to the black audiences but also to the white in his letter to show them all the effects of segregation. He understood that not everyone has experienced segregation so he described the emotions for everyone to understand. He used emotional stories and painted a picture for the audiences. “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled police curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can 't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental shy, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?; when you take a cross county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated…
- 860 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The famous speech I have a dream by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in 1963. The speech is talking about the controversial topic at the time and still to this day, slavery. He wanted to end segregation. Martin Luther calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. Little did he know that this speech would open people’s eyes to this topic and go down in history, or did it?…
- 116 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In King’s letter he shows that he believes that racism/segregation is a major problem and he discuss the action he is going to take action to stop it. Segregation was something that hurt all types of blacks; old black women and men, young black girls and boys. They felt humiliated when they saw signs reading ‘“white’ and ‘colored”’ (345). King states that fathers did not know what to say when they were asked questions by their kids. One question fathers were asked is “‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’” (345). Fathers were unable to answer their child because they did not want them to know about segregation. I believe they felt it was…
- 1319 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
King was a deeply spiritual man. Much, if not most, of the theory behind his activism emanated from his religious beliefs. Christianity, to King, is “a spirit of brotherhood made manifest in social ethics.” In essence, we are all equal and we all deserve equally. According to King, all people are strung together in a network of life–race, religion, gender, etc. simply do not matter. Our societies need to reflect equality for all of us to prosper:…
- 2936 Words
- 12 Pages
Powerful Essays