Racial Equality In The 1950's
Context
In 1950’s America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color — blacks, Hispanics, Asians — were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950s were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950s and the 1960s. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced (sic.) water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.
Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King helped organize a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. His partners in the …show more content…
Liberalism is the basis of the speech. Racial harmony, equality, brotherhood which are the main concept of liberalism was also the basis of the speech. 1861-1865 was the time of civil was in America. After one hundred years even the condition is worse for the blacks as said by the king. Marting luther hopes high for the future of America in his speech and dreams of a country free from racial discrimination which is clear from the last part of his speech. King has also used symbolism and imagery in his speech. For example he compares the rights of the Negroes as the black check that government has given them but they can’t use it due to insufficient
In 1950’s America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color — blacks, Hispanics, Asians — were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950s were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950s and the 1960s. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced (sic.) water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.
Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King helped organize a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. His partners in the …show more content…
Liberalism is the basis of the speech. Racial harmony, equality, brotherhood which are the main concept of liberalism was also the basis of the speech. 1861-1865 was the time of civil was in America. After one hundred years even the condition is worse for the blacks as said by the king. Marting luther hopes high for the future of America in his speech and dreams of a country free from racial discrimination which is clear from the last part of his speech. King has also used symbolism and imagery in his speech. For example he compares the rights of the Negroes as the black check that government has given them but they can’t use it due to insufficient