Martin Luther King : An African American Hero

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

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Martin Luther King Jr., was a man with a dream, who made a big difference in African American lives in the past and today. King worked with movements that led to the freedom of black citizens from segregation. King dreamed as a young boy that the world would be equal, and blacks would have equal opportunity. King grew up in the late 20s and 30s when African Americans were still segregated. At the age of 24 years old King became a minister, a great leader, and a believer. He believed in achieving his childhood dream of making a difference and ending segregation once and for all. King worked very hard, and with his success he began with the Montgomery bus boycott weeks after his ? I have a dream ? speech King was assassinated.

December 1, 1955, was when the Montgomery bus boycott began; when Rosa Park refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus.

Parks was arrested and put in jail for disobeying the city segregation laws. King was invited to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association that was formed by blacks to boycott the buses. King accepted and every black person joined in together as one and stopped riding the busses. They decided to do this with nonviolence, because violence did not solve anything. So the blacks car pooled, walked, rode bikes, and used the Negro taxies as means of transportation. The boycott made a huge impact, because many African American rode the busses to get around. Without blacks the bus system profit declined dramatically. During his participation with the bus boycott, King was arrested for boycotting. As time progressed with the movement things began to get crucial, because people were being beaten and King?s house was bombed. However, all blacks kept their...