Martin Luther King Jr.

Salutation:

Ladies and gentlemen, today we are gathered here to celebrate the birthday of a man who was the leading force behind the withdrawal of segregation laws in the sixty s. The man I am talking about is Martin Luther King Jr. It is very important for everyone to acknowledge this man as having the largest impact of any civil rights leader of his time that encouraged white and black people to work together for racial harmony. One of his major goals was to teach impressionable black and white youth that equality could be gained through non-violent methods.

General Statements:

a) Martin Luther King Jr. was born to the parents of Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King in Atlanta Georgia. He graduated from Morehouse College, and later after marrying his wife, became a minister.

b) King began his civil rights activities in 1955. He formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to expand the nonviolent battle against discrimination. In 1957 segregation existed in every state in one way or another, but mostly in the south, where public schools, transportation, hotels, and restaurants were all segregated.

c) In 1960 s was a time when segregation protests increased in an amazing number. In 1960 black college students across the country began sitting at lunch counters and other public places where they weren t allowed or where segregation was present.

d) The most well known civil rights activity took place in August of 1963. King along with Civil rights leaders from across the country organized a march in Washington DC. The event was titled the March on Washington. It was used to encourage congress to pass the bill that president Kennedy had created. Martin Luther King Jr. presented his best known speech at the march, entitled I have a dream. King s speech defined the moral basis behind the civil rights movement.

e) After the march, congress passed a bill in 1964, which prohibited racial discrimination in public places and called for equal opportunity in employment and education for African Americans.

f) In 1965 congress passed another bill that rid states of all laws prohibiting African Americans from casting their vote in all public elections.

Conclusion:

Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of African Americans in peaceful ways up until the point of his death in 1968. King should always be remembered as the most influential leader who tried to instill within blacks power and strength so they could rise above all the hatred that surrounded them.