Martin Luther King
This
movie does not present martin Luther King as the perfect man. However
it does paint a very good picture of the things he was able to do for
human rights. Martin Luther King entered a dangerous business; that of
advocating for change and rights and dignity. It seems the human rights
movie picked him, rather than him picking it. However, after it picked
him, Martin Luther King was able to rise to the occasion. He was
jailed for his views and his work. For a while it seemed he would not
get out, but he did get the Kennedys to intervene in his behalf. This
is part of the reason the Black populace switched from the Republican
party to the Democrat.
There are two memorable speeches that stand out more than some of his others. This first is “I have a Dream.” Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And
so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still
have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
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.
I
have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state
sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of
oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I
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.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down
in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips
dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one
day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be
able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and
brothers.
I have a dream today!
I
have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill
and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain,
and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With
this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a
stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the
jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of
brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray
together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for
freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And
when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring
from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we
will be able to speed up that day when all
of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the
words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!3
And the speech given the day before he was shot:
Like
anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But
I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And
He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've
seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to
know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!
And so I'm happy, tonight.
I'm not worried about anything.
I'm not fearing any man.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
Martin Luther King Jr. was killed April 4 at the age of 39. He was shot by a sniper.
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