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Martin Luther King Jr.

And African-American Civil Rights


When people think about heroes, they think about Superman or Batman that saves the world or their city by using their superpowers. To me, that is not a true hero. A true hero is not a guy wearing a cape and underwear over his pants and flies around the world saving people. A true hero is a person who has good character, has courage, and wants to change the world or to make a difference. There are many heroes out their but one man that comes to my mind is Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta Georgia. During that time in the South, Whites and Blacks were separated, due to the Jim Crow Law. MLK and many African-Americans did not like that law and wanted change. It all began when Rosa Parks, an African-American woman refused to give up her seat for a white person. Rosa Parks was arrested, but soon after that, the Montgomery Bus Boycott took place. The boycott lasted for 385 days, and the situation got so tense that MLKs house was bombed. MLK was arrested. Due to this boycott, it ended racial segregation on all Montgomery public buses. MLKs role in the bus boycott made him into a national figure and the best-known spokesman of the civil rights leader. After many protests and campaign, many civil rights activist came together to organize the March on Washington for jobs and freedom, which took place on August 28, 1963. The march made specific demands, such as: an end to racial segregation in public schools, a law prohibiting racial discrimination in employment, protection of civil rights workers from police brutality, a $2 minimum wage for all workers, and self-government for Washington D.C. Despite tensions, the

march was huge success. More than a quarter of a million people of diverse ethnicities attended the event, sprawling from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial onto the National Mall and around the reflecting pool. King delivered a 17-minute speech, known as I Have a Dream, and is regarded as one of the finest speeches in American history. After the March on Washington, King did many campaigns until his death on March 29, 1968. He was assassinated in Tennessee by James Earl Ray. Right after his death, congress passed the civil rights act of 1968. Although King died at a really young age, his dream and legacy still lives on. Today, we see much less discrimination against certain races. Since King changed how African-American in the U.S lives, ended segregation, and changed the world, King is a true hero to me.

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