Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the brightest and most persistent leaders within the Civil Rights movement. He inspired millions of people and made them take their stand.
First, this preacher was seen as a religious leader who stood for Christian morality in terms of the American society, but soon he entered the US political arena.
Martin Luther King managed to make the government hear the poor people’s message. The movement had a great impact on the American society.
Several programs aimed at helping poor people of color were launched. Of course, the war in Vietnam undermined the development of the programs and the movement itself.
Martin Luther King noticed the negative trend and he took his stand to make people see the devastating effects of the war. The leader noted that lots of programs were shut as the funds were used to support the military industry.
He knew that the war was a great mistake and he wanted to make people see that. He stressed that according to polls millions of people were against the war. However, millions were also unsure and were silent. Martin Luther King tried to make those people speak.
Notably, the leader of the Civil Rights movement provided comprehensive evidence to support his stand. He linked the Civil Right Movement to the Vietnam War and justified his viewpoint.
Firstly, he argued that the funds which were to be sent to help poor people were allocated to support the military operations. Martin Luther King stressed that there was another problem, which was much more serious.
He noted that the government sent thousands of young men of color as well as white men to fight for illusive values. Of course, these were two basic reasons why the war had a negative impact on the development of the Civil Rights movement.
However, Martin Luther King also named one more reason which could have negative effects in the long run. He noted that the movement for Civil Rights could be changed and become more violent.
He claimed that many fighters for the Civil Rights were adopting violent measures of struggle since they witnessed the ways which were used by the government.
Admittedly, it was quite logical to use violent actions against the government which used force to achieve certain goals. Martin Luther King claimed that it was a very dangerous trend and the government had to reconsider its ways.
It is important to note that those precautions were ignored. Many people tried to highlight King’s ‘errors’. Thus, there were articles where King was depicted as an ignorant and unpatriotic idealist who did not see the whole picture.
Nonetheless, the history has shown that the ideas expressed by Martin Luther King were rightful and correct. More so, they are still up-to-date. The US government has used force to pursue certain goals.
The military operations in Iraq can also have devastating effects as the US society is still torn in parts. Many people try to struggle using peaceful methods, but the strategies used by the government can be soon adopted.
It is crucial to consider Martin Luther King’s statements as people can learn a lot from his speeches.
If Americans follow the way shown by Dr. King, they will build a united society where no oppression exists. It is high time to read his speeches carefully and come to the correct conclusions and make proper decisions.
Bibliography
“Dr. King’s Error.” The New York Times. Web.
King, Martin Luther. “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” Web.
Thomas, Frank A. American Dream 2.0: A Christian Way Out of the Great Recession. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012.