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Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil right leader of mid twentieth century (1960s). He organized marches and delivered speeches in Washington D.C. and other cities around USA to put forward the rights of the African American people. The speeches was to help to end discrimination against minorities especially African Americans. He was also a pastor of a church. He appealed for equal rights like providing basic needs, voting rights, equal pay for job for all the citizens of USA especially blacks. Of many speeches he delivered ‘I have a dream' was the most important in value, depth, and substance. His educated father and his father's friend were his mentors. They taught him to follow non-violence to put forward demonstrations against discrimination and injustice. The Indian non-violence freedom leader M Gandhi had a great influence to shape up his campaign for justices and social freedom of America black people. The civil right movement happened during the presidency of John F Kennedy and L B Johnson. They favored the civil right movement. It was a centuries old struggle of the black people who were brought in America as slaves. President Lincoln liberated them from slavery. But poverty, scarcity of jobs, discriminations were present all the time. 
The civil right movement was to free the blacks from poverty and discrimination. There were discriminations in pay and benefits to the black people for the same kind of jobs. There were restrictions for voting in elections, bus seating etc. The civil right movement was for social freedom of oppressed people especially blacks. There were supports from liberal white peoples. It was an appeal for government help to look after the poor black people by innovative programs. Blacks didn't have any economic backbone. They could not make themselves get out of poverty. They needed help in education and initial economic support. That was the main demonstration and appeal of the civil right movement. It was like an impossible dream come true through many sacrifices and following non-violence approach. Martin Luther King 's famous speech was ‘I have a dream'. That had a big impact. Everything to be said to present the case of the poor black people to USA government and to the world has been said. In a short time the story of black slaves and their freedom from slavery by president Lincoln, story of no economic power, and lack of basic human dignity of black people have been told in the speech. 
The speech has touched the conscious of Americans and other world populations. The speech delivered the social justice to black Americans. |
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