Essay 3 Martin Luther King Junior American Icon

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Essay 3
Background
Martin Luther King Junior is historically remembered as an American icon who championed for social change in the history of America. During his lifetime, King was recognized as an icon who fought for the rights of the oppressed, leading civil rights movements and advocating for non-violent philosophy during the 1950s movements (Little 523). Being the undisputed leader of the Civil Rights Movement, King was both loved and hated in equal measures due to the philosophy that he stood for. He participated in numerous events aimed at influencing the government to recognize every human being as being equal. Apart from participating in 1955, Montgomery bus boycott, his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and his assassination in 1968; King's stand had a moral strength that inspired people to demand justice (U.S. History 1). King's philosophy has been based on two main principles, which include equality and nonviolence. This philosophy played an instrumental role in fighting for civil rights, with his messages being broadcasted across the country and influencing the spread of the Civil Rights Movement. This paper critically analyzes the iconicity of Martin Luther King Junior and the role he played in the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.
Race-based inequality has been a conspicuous feature in the history of the U.S., both in the past and present. Even though there are certain indications of racial progress in the society, evidence indicates that racial, economic inequality between the Whites and Blacks is significantly high (Kraus, Rucker and Richeson 10324). The fight for equality started decades ago as African Americans organized movements to demand racial equality. King established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference whose main aim was to advocate for the rights of minorities. He led a protest in April 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, and he considered this place as the most segregated city in America. Boycotts, marches, and sit-ins were organized with the aim of advancing for the rights of African Americans. King’s fight for civil rights was met with ruthless reactions from both the White supremacy as well as the police. For instance, the Birmingham police department led by Bull Connor used dogs and fire hoses to disperse demonstrators, which later led to the arrest of King (U.S. History 1). The event was broadcasted across the U.S., and millions of people were able to witness the brutality of the police as Civil Rights leaders tried to advocate for the rights of minorities.
Through his oratorical style and serene confidence, King became the leading figure in the civil rights struggle during the 1950s and 1960s. He called for a program of inclusion and moderation were the rights of every human being is recognized and a strategy is implemented to enhance equality of everyone in the society (Little 523). Although some of speeches and messages remain questionable, King remains an icon to the less fortunate people in the society. For instance, people questioned his socialist stand and advocating for socialist policies especially when it came to economic equality. In an article entitled “Why was Martin Luther King Jr., a socialist,” Scotty Henricks says that King opposed capitalism ideologies since 1952 and this evidence is available in a letter he wrote to his wife (Henricks 1). In the letter, he said that his economic theory was more socialistic than capitalistic, and this implies that his radicalism begun even before he started his activism. Nevertheless, King’s legacy has been manipulated, sanitized, and even warped, but his role as an advocate for the civil rights and equality of people remain indisputable.
From his famous speech, “I Have a Dream” to his book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” evidence indicates that Kings remains one of the most inspirational leaders who wanted the rights and privileges of the minority to prevail. In the book, which was written in 1967, King said that more challenges would be experienced in the future as African Americans continued to demand higher wages, better jobs, access to educations, and decent housing (Kazin 980). On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which effectively gave African Americans the right to vote, and even deal with the evasion and terror which Negroes in the South faced (King 1). Enforcing the Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts by the federal government would be met with several challenges since this acted as the first step towards promoting racial equality.
Parameters of the Debate
The main parameters of debate in this research are the complexities that are involved in advocating for the rights and equality of people in the society. Demanding for equality has been a major issue for several years in the U.S., starting from the Civil Rights Movements in the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, Civil Right leaders such as Martin Luther King advocated for programs that would enhance equality. The most pronounced form of inequality, both in the past and present, is race-based economic inequality (Kraus, Rucker and Richeson 10324). Studies have shown that economic inequality remains to be one of the most persistent and defining aspects of American society.
Furthermore, racial inequality continues to grow even though authorities have established programs to bridge the gap. On average, studies have shown that most Americans tend to overestimate the progress that has been made towards promoting economic equality between African Americans and Whites. However, evidence indicates that White Americans continue to generate more than the Blacks do. The profound misrepresentation that America has made huge steps towards equality is the main factor that contributes to increased differences between the races.
During activism, King advocated for socialistic ideologies since he believed that capitalism leads to unequal distribution of wealth. King was more concerned with the rights of the poor, and he said that the reason why America has 40 million poor people is the capitalistic economy (Hendricks 1). He argued that socialism supports equality and democracy and that capitalism tends to worsen the bad situation that already exists within the society. Kings said that it is not enough to have very nonviolent demonstrations since they may not contribute to equality. Therefore, for change to take place, individuals need to organize themselves and work together in units of power. The units can be political, such as political parties and voters’ leagues, or economic, such as tenants forming unions and unemployed forming groups to get jobs and better pay (King 139). As King’s fame expanded to make him a national figure in the Civil Rights Movement, many people across the U.S. had already listened as he gave a speech. Three television networks had already offered to provide live coverage of the speech that he was to present.
During the famous 1963 speech "I Have a Dream," organizers of the movement expected the event to be attended by at least 100,000 people. However, during the day of the speech, more than 250,000 people attended the event in Washington DC, while the Washington Mall was filled with celebrities (Younge 1). King talked about the oppression, which the minorities were being subjected to, and what was needed to enhance equality in the society. He mentioned the ghettoes and the slums present in the Northern Cities, which were mostly filled by the African Americans. He believed that people should not wallow in despair and the difficulties that they face in their daily livelihoods. More than half a century since the speech was made, it continues to attract both national and international attention, with scholars arguing that it acts as a major step towards advocating for equality in the future.
Competing Perspectives
Whereas most people consider King as an icon who fought for the civil rights of the minorities, some critics have questioned his messages and speeches. Furthermore, his leadership style has been questioned, especially because he called for mass demonstrations even if he advocated for peaceful protests. For instance, during demonstrations in Birmingham, the police unleashed dogs and used fire hoses to disperse the crowds, and King was consequently arrested (U.S. History 1). This is one of the numerous i...