How Did Martin Luther King Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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The American Civil Rights Movement was foundational to the development of the United States as we know it today. Racial discrimination was a major issue and the Civil Rights Movement helped to begin to eliminate that problem, though it is something we as Americans must continue to strive for and work at. Martin Luther King Jr. was a major influence in the Civil Rights movement not only for his support in rallies and confronting the President about the issues, but also for his public speaking abilities. He was a phenomenal public speaker and could get any crowd on their feet. Delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28 1963, Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream Speech” was his best work because of its language choice, specific examples of problems and how to change them, use of metaphors, and intent. Martin Luther King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta where he eventually became co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. He attended segregated schools in Georgia and graduated at 15. Later he received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta where both his grandfather and father had also graduated (“Martin Luther”). He later was elected president of a predominantly white senior class at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. After receiving his doctorate from…show more content…
Kings “I Have A Dream” Speech he evokes several historical references such as Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. By doing this, King is improving the credibility of his own arguments by referring to the words of famous speakers, a very well thought out writing tactic. He begins his speech much like Lincoln did in his famous Gettysburg Address speech by saying “Five score years ago.” This allusion is quite poignant because King was giving this speech in front of the Lincoln memorial. He also said in his famous speech how each man is entitled to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” which is a reference to the United States Declaration of Independence (Avalon Project
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