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Sayings Introduction Our project is about heroes and leaders, what defines them and what special qualities are needed in order to be a successful hero or leader. Before the sass, racial discrimination in many areas of American life was legal.
One could be excluded from restaurants, hotels, theaters, even stores, or turned down for employment, on the basis of his race. Many states also had ways of preventing black citizens from voting, managed to keep their schools segregated for years. We decided to do our project on Martin Luther King Jar. We chose to do our project on him because we think that he was a big influence on society, not just a great leader Martin Luther King Jar, is one of the most important people in the history of America because he fought for equality between blacks and whites.
His famous “l Have A Dream” speech made a huge difference. He believed in fighting hate with love. Martin Luther King Jar. As an influential person because he tried to put an end to racism and make peace for the world, in a peaceful way. He wanted people to be treated equally and not differently. He wanted freedom for the world. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, the year of his famous March on Washington, in which thousands of people of all races participated and at which he made his “I Have a Dream” speech. Chapter One Martin Luther King Jar. Was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.
His birth certificate listed his first name as Michael later changed to Martin. His Grandfather ND then his Father both served as pastors. He was born during a time when black people did not have the rights which they have today. He first experienced racial discrimination when their white neighbors refused to let him play with their boys. This was hard for him to understand because the boys had grown up as neighbors and had played together for years. He experienced racial discrimination again when he was a young boy and he and his father were asked to move to the back of a shoe store to be fitted with shoes.
These early incidents made a deep impression on him. When he was five years old his other persuaded the first grade teacher, Miss Dickerson, to make room for him in her class. He went to Gloater Elementary School which was a private school. His parents paid $25 a year which covered all his expenses. His teacher taught him to be independent. She taught him that if there was an injustice done to him, he could rebel, but still keep his dignity and find quiet ways to resist. She inspired her students to learn about black history and take pride in their heritage.
She took the class on field trips to visit with successful black businessmen and professionals. On en occasion he and his teacher were riding on a bus. When the bus filled up with people, the driver asked them to stand up and let two white people have their seats. That was the law. Martin saw the injustice of it, and he never forgot that incident. When he was 1 5 years old he went to Morehouse College. After two years in school he decided he could best serve others by becoming a minister. He became assistant year he graduated from college. He was only 19 years old.
He then attended Crower Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. At school, he began to study about Mahatma Gandhi, a man who brought about changes in India wrought “passive resistance”. Gandhi urged people not to fight violently, but to protest peacefully. Martin saw this method of non-violent resistance as the answer to the unfair treatment blacks received in America. When he was a senior at Crower he was elected class president and also won an award as the most outstanding student. He worked on his Ph. D. At Boston University. There he met Correct Scott who became his wife.
They had four children, two boys and two girls. 2 Martin Luther King, Jar. Was appointed the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. It was while serving as pastor of the church that Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. This occurred on December 1, 1955. By December 5, 1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott had begun. On December 5, 1955, Dry. Martin Luther King, Jar. Was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During this time, African-Americans refused to ride the public bus system in Montgomery.
King’s home was bombed due to his involvement. King was then arrested in February on charges of conspiracy. The boycott lasted 382 days. On December 21, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on public transportation was illegal. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (CLC) was formed in 1957 and King was its leader. Its goal was to provide leadership and organization in the fight for civil rights. He used the ideas of civil disobedience and peaceful protests based on the actions of Mohammad Gandhi to lead the organization and the fight against segregation and discrimination.
Their demonstrations and activism helped lead to the legislation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was arrested during a protest fighting for desegregation and equal rights and while he was in prison he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail. ” In this letter he argued that only through visible protests would progress be made. He argued that it was an individual’s duty to protest and go against unjust laws. On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington D. C. Led by King and other Civil Rights leaders took place.
It was during this March that King gave his inspiring “l Have a Dream” speech while speaking from Lincoln Memorial. He and the other leaders then met with President John F. Kennedy. They asked for many things including an end to segregation in public schools, greater protection for African- Americans, and more effective civil rights legislation. In 1963, King was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jar. , was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. He announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to help the civil rights movement.
While speaking from a balcony at assassinated at the age of 39. 3 Chapter Two For my project I chose to do research on Martin Luther King Jar. He was determined, ordaining, tolerant, and compassionate during his whole life. He showed determination to attain the goals he set out achieve. Martin Luther King, Jar. Fought for everyone equality. He united white and African American people, and he allowed himself to be imprisoned to show how determined he was to bring about change in racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jar. Is an important hero to many people.
He is important to me because he showed leadership, courage, and wasn’t afraid. I know that I could never show all of those qualities at simultaneously, but I hope I can show them in my life on different occasions. King is a role model to me. I think he’s important to other people, too, especially African American people because he persuaded everyone to live up to the words freedom and rights. He destroyed the wall separating white people and African Americans. All the qualities he showed are traits I think define a true hero and leader.
There are many great heroes who have impacted American history and contributed to different causes. My vision of a hero is a person who is brave, caring and handles situations without resorting to violence. This is exactly what Martin Luther King Jar. Did. King had many great characteristics and they all guided him along the way to end racial segregation. I think that his most heroic trait was determination. Since he was young he experienced discrimination and took pride in being African American at a time where blacks were looked down on and the color of their skin made a huge difference in the way that they were treated.
He ended racial segregation without resorting to violence and never gave up on his dreams even when things got rough and it seemed like there was no hope. He helped African-Americans Join together and created racial equality in the South. 4 Chapter 3 Martin Luther King Jar was a great hero and leader. His “l had a dream” speech was his most famous and is well known until this day. It is considered one of the best speeches ever given. More than 40 years ago, on August 1963, Martin Luther King stunned America with his momentous ‘l Have A Dream’ speech, which he very dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
His speech that demanded racial Justice and an integrated society became an inspiration for the black community. His words opened the eyes of the nation and helped them understand the social and political trouble that was going on during that time. The key message in the speech is that all people are created equal and should be looked be the case for the future. He was very passionate and powerful about his believes and morals. In our opinion, King was a very good speaker, he used powerful words and got his point across to a full nation.
In this one speech he got across all his beliefs, morals and what he has been fighting for. It is amazing how one speech can be so powerful and touch so many people. A leader has to not Just have morals and dreams but to also know how to portray them in a way that it will affect other lives. At the beginning of the speech he relates to all those listening as his “friends” this shows that he looked at everyone as a whole and as equal people. He did not think that anyone was more important, no matter what the color of their skin was. L have a dream that my four little children will 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. ” This shows how King sees everyone. People should be looked at by their personality and not by their skin color. They should be Judged by the way they chose to live their life and not what they were born with. Throughout his speech he always brought up unity and love. This speech was a big influence in his Journey to equality. 5 Conclusion: We chose to do our “Hero Project” on Martin Luther King Jar. We think Martin Luther King Jar. s an inspirational and great individual who influenced and changed American history. He made his voice known to all in America and let everyone know what he was sent to do. Martin Luther King Jar. Started out as a young speaker for his father’s church. Even as a child, his personality was filled with bravery and determination which are qualities that we look up to and are very important traits hat a leader needs to have. Each of his words were listened to by many and they still are to this day, passed on from year to year. His thoughts have helped people to become better and equal.
He was looked upon as a role model then and now. Martin Luther King Jar. Had a dream that one day his children would “not be Judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of the character. ” His dream has come true. We see it this way: Not only is he talking about his own two kids, but also accepting everyone as equal people, giving every one equal rights and not Judging people eased on the color of their skin or there ethical origin. As Jews we can also relate to the want for equality and no discrimination and prejudice or as we call it “anti- Semitism”.
We believe that everyone should be accepted in society, no matter race, gender, religion or any other thing that separates you or make you different from others. King Jar. Influenced us because he did not Just want equality, but stood up and fought for what he believed in and wanted to make the world a better place for generations to come. He didn’t give up even though we are sure at the beginning of is Journey it was a dream that seemed impossible and even through all the struggles, he stayed strong and continued to fight for what he believed in.
Reflection I enjoyed working on this project. I didn’t know a lot before about Martin Luther and now after the project I feel like it broadened my knowledge. For me equality is a very important thing and I enjoyed reading about how King fought for this. The part of the project that I enjoyed the most was when we learnt about his speech. It was very strong and powerful speech which really spoke to me and I know how it spoke out ND influenced many more people.
I would have not changed any part of the project because I think each part taught me something new and interesting. I have learned from this project the quality of being critical about my work, making sure my grammar was correct and I answered the questions I needed to without writing too much or going of topic. To conclude I enjoyed this project and have learnt a lot from it. 7 While working on my project, I learned many new things about Martin Luther King Jar. And his influence to American society and his great impact to American history.