How successful was Martin Luther King jr in bringing about peace and equality?

Daniela Njegovan Njegovan 1

CPW 4U1-04

Mr.Cox

1 November, 2006

Roughly 300 years ago, Africans were brought to the Americas,

where they were forced into slavery. Among all countries that had ever

practiced slavery, the United States had treated their slaves with the most

cruelty. African-Americans have struggled since, to end this racism in

America. Due to Martin Luther King Jr.’s beliefs, ambitions and

accomplishments, he became the most influential person of the 1960’s. He

sturdily pursued an ongoing battle for civil rights as his ambition was to

bond the gap among races.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta,

Georgia, at a time in American history when segregation and racial

discrimination were a part of everyday life for blacks (Deats, 2000, p.17).

Much of King Jr.’s childhood revolved around the church due to both of his

parents’ involvement in the church. This influenced him to become a

preacher and a social activist, specifically focusing on the southern black

culture. His main influences were music and religion, which he acquired

both from church and his community (Baldwin, 1991, p.17). While living in

close proximity to the poor, King Jr learned how people in the community

developed a sense of competition and self ambition. In one of King’s

speeches he stated an eye-opening line” I saw economic injustice

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firsthand.” (Baldwin, 1991, p.20) Many times he was told that as a

Christian, he was to respond to his enemy with love (Deats, 2000, p.18).

As King became more involved in fighting racism, he began to

detest the white population of America because of what most of them put

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