The Big Question
Why was Martin Luther King Jr. a notable person? To answer that question first we must ask what characteristic a notable person would consist of. The definition of a notable person is to be a brave person who is not afraid to go to whatever extent to reach their goal if it is for the good of humanity. They must be doing this not for themselves but to make the world a better place so they must be selfless. They do not necessarily need to be a prominent figure of their time, because there are a lot of people who you would not know who have done good to this world or have made it their self-assigned job to help others. they must have resilience in tough times, so they won’t be put down and give up their job.
Most importantly, they must have a goal. Without a goal they would be working towards nothing and would be going around doing things to help but they are not trying to help the world specifically in one way or another. I am certain that Martin Luther King’s many attributes include those.
Martin Luther King Jr. has courage, is selfless, he has resilience, and his goal is to denounce segregation in the United States of America. How does Martin Luther King have those characteristics? Well Martin Luther King without a doubt fit into those criteria. He is selfless because he has gone to jail many times for minor offences, and he went without any protest or struggle. He is brave because after finding bombs on his porch weekly and going to jail countless times he stays on his path his spirit wasn’t broken. Martin Luther King also has a lot of resilience. One example is when he protested in Birmingham to desegregate public facilities/restrooms which went on for 42 days. He also has a protest to desegregate buses in Alabama which went on for 386 days.
But in neither of them did he give up. And finally, he certainly had a goal. His goal was to eliminate racism in America and make life better for all black people. And he definitely has a goal. Martin Luther king’s goal is to end racism in America. It was his goal since he was 12. He always hated and thought it unfair how most white people thought they were their superior. He Knew that he had to help to make it right. He would have to step up to the job and end segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired to stand up and fight for the rights of black people after many events in his life he found to be unjust and not fair. He Knew that everyone was meant to have the same rights. When he was a child (3 years old), he had a friend who he played with every morning and they were best friends, but he was white. When Martin (at that time Michael) started his segregated school his friend's dad said that they could no longer play together, and Martin was confused. He didn’t know why they could no longer play together. His dad explained that in this world some white people think that we are their inferior, but we should not let that get us down or harm us in any way.
At that time Martin did not really understand the meaning of that but later in life when he looked back at that moment, he realized what had happened.
When Martin Luther King understood what his father had told him many years later, it ignited a strong hatred for all white people. He thought that they were all bad, which was wrong. So, he felt that he had to do something. He started doing little things to help. And joined as many protests as possible. Overtime as he became older, he started taking part in bigger things and then he had to stop for a few years when he entered college.
One of the hardest things that Martin Luther King Jr had was that he had children. He only got to see his children about once a month and that was hard for him. He also rarely saw his wife. He went into his protests every day not knowing if some hater would assassinate him and he wouldn’t see his children again. His children also missed him a lot. Whenever he went to jail or something bad would happen to him his wife (Coretta Scott King) would always have to think of some excuse for why he was in jail.
The biggest obstacle he faced was that he was opposed by white people who had a lot more power and influence then he did so he had to work extremely hard to get what he wanted. But not only was he opposed by the white, some of his own race was also against him so it made it harder for him to gain followers and trust.
In Martin’s life he had given many great speeches and talks to boost morale, against racism and much more. But he gave an amazing speech in the afternoon of August the 28th 1963. Martin Luther King delivered his famous ‘I have a dream speech’ during the march on Washington for ‘Jobs and Freedom’. His speech was about how racist and segregated America was and how everyone needed to unite to fix and create a nation where everyone is equal. His speech was one of the most influential speeches of the 20th century.
‘I have a dream' that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills 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.’
That is one extract of his amazing speech that helped so many Americans in doubt.
That is one extract of his amazing speech that helped so many Americans in doubt.
I picked Martin Luther King because I admired people who helped protest against racism. It takes a lot of courage because you know that the police will treat you unfairly, especially when you are protesting. Most of them are also abused by police officers and white people. They also must be a true lead so they can lead a group of people fighting injustice. I already knew a fair bit about Martin Luther King, but I wanted to learn more about what he did and how he helped the United States of America. Most people think that Martin Luther king Jr. just led protests segregation and gave his I have a dream speech, but he did much more than that. I want people to know what else he did and that is why final why I picked him.
Sadly, at 39 years old Martin Luther King Jr was shot by James Earl Ray. This tragic incident happened on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee. After he was shot with a rifle he was rushed to the hospital. The shot had entered his right cheek, breaking his jaw and several vertebrae as it traveled down his spinal cord, severing his jugular vein and major arteries in the process, before lodging in his shoulder. The doctors couldn't save him from the sure to be fatal shot. After the shocking events of April 4th 1968, riots broke out across the country, especially in Washington, D.C., Kansas, Baltimore and Chicago.
James Earl Ray the assassin of Martin Luther King was from Tennessee born 10th March 1928 and died in jail on the 23rd of April 1998. James Earl Ray only killed one person in his life, Martin Luther King. After he killed Martin, he was put on trial and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 99 years in jail. After he was sentenced, he pleaded innocent a few days later persisting on the fact that he didn't kill Martin Luther King. His request for another trail was denied.
Martin Luther King's family think that James Earl Ray conspired with the Mafia and the F.B.I. There is also a rumor that he was set up and didn't kill Martin. Even with his criminal record of robbing banks and escaping a prison with 20 years on his sentence left, some believe him to be framed. They have very little to no proof of this, but this story did catch the attention of a few people. They started investigating and found nothing, so either the rumor was wrong or the F.B.I. and/or the Mafia covered their tracks well.
Even though Martin Luther King Jr. worked hard non-stop to achieve his goal, luck did play a part in his life a little bit. Martin Luther King had many bombings on his porch but every time he seemed to be away, so he never got injured. He also was stabbed in Europe where he stopped on the way back from a trip to India but luckily, he was very close to a hospital and was quickly rushed there. The doctors say that the bullet was so close to his heart that if he sneezed at all in the surgery he would have died. It is also said that if the shot was 1 inch further down, it would have hit his heart and it would have been fatal.
To conclude there is no doubt whatsoever that Martin Luther King Jr. is not one of the most notable people of the 20th century. He has contributed so much to the world and is courageous, selfless, his beliefs will help humanity for the better, he has resilience, and he has a goal. Martin Luther King is truly notable.
