Martin Luther King Jr.: A Civil Rights Hero.

Essay by kasiapitrasiaHigh School, 12th gradeA+, November 2003

download word file, 4 pages 4.3

"I have a dream..." are the famous words spoken by Martin Luther king Jr. on August 28, 1963, in the civil rights movement speech. Although King expressed his feelings on that summer day, his ideas directly reflect his life previous to the speech and have a huge impact on many people even today. Throughout his life, King dedicated so much time to the civil rights movement because of the many limits placed on him by Jim Crow Laws as he was growing up as well as the many influences of both people and religion throughout his life. As a result of King's dedication, the blacks were given equality throughout the U.S. and were more encouraged to pursue their goals.

After Kings birth on January 15, 1929, King grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where the white people were extremely racist toward their African- American neighbors. During his childhood, King was faced with many hardships as a result of the segregation laws in his area.

Anywhere King went, the young boy faced "white only" signs and places, which were off limits to blacks. Growing up King never knew of a different life, one without segregation, so he was not bother too much. Then one day a terrible thing happened that altered his view on white people. While King was only 5 years old, he was informed by a very close white friend that the two boys could no longer play together. King was very confused and wanted to know why his long-time friend would vanish from his life. The boy could give the explanation that the decision was made by his parents, but King's friend did not mind the decision. King ran home to his parents to find out why his good friend did not want to play with anymore. His parents...