Welcome to our collection of Martin Luther King essays! This page is dedicated to providing students with inspiring examples of essays on the life and legacy of one of the most important figures in American history.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who became a key leader in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. His efforts towards equality, justice, and social change have left an indelible mark on American history and continue to inspire generations of people around the world.
The essays in this collection cover a wide range of topics related to Dr. King’s life and work, including his philosophy of nonviolence, his leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, his role in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, his advocacy for voting rights, and his impact on American society.
We hope that these essays will not only provide students with inspiring examples of excellent writing, but also inspire them to engage with Dr. King’s message of justice, equality, and social change, and to continue his legacy in their own lives and communities.
So whether you are a student writing an essay on Dr. King for a class assignment, or just someone interested in learning more about this remarkable figure, we invite you to read through our collection and be inspired by the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.
The topic of justice has inevitably made its way into the course of history. Whether it be the Protestant-Catholic rivalry in Northern Ireland of the 1920s, or the LGBT movement of today, the topics of injustice and justice still cause turmoil. Simon Wiesenthal, an anti-Nazi activist, and survivor of the Janowska concentration camp, once stated, … Read more
I Have A Dream… This research report has the aim to analyse Martin Luther King’s speech in 1963, ‘I Have a Dream,’ and its impact on the United States civil rights movement. ‘…America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds…So we’ve come to cash … Read more
Dr. Scallet US History Since 1877 20 November 2017 The Effective, Persuasive, and Resilient Work of Martin Luther King Jr in Selma, Alabama Most are familiar with the name, Martin Luther King Jr; many know of his involvement in the “war on civil rights”, yet few are truly aware of why he was so … Read more
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King ‘I Have a Dream’ Thesis Statement: ‘Reverend King uses empathetic language and relatability in his speech, to reach and impact black people and to give sympathetic exposure to his cause’ Summary: On August 28th 1963, Martin Luther King, famed reverend, theologian and non-violent civil rights activist, delivered … Read more
“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.”-Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout our history, we have … Read more
Both Antigone in the play Sophocles Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” went against the “law” to do what they thought was right. Both heroes knew about the consequences that came with their actions. Antigone decided to bury her brother, Polyneices, despite the possibility of being killed. Similarly, … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister well known for his contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. He is famous for his “I have a Dream” speech, on August 28, 1963, and was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. But did he really contribute that much to the end of segregation of black … Read more
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963. He spoke to over 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial for the “March on Washington” which was part of a civil rights demonstration. King was one of the major civil rights leader and conducted many … Read more
The fight for equality has been fought for many years throughout American History and fought by multiple ethnicities. For African Americans this fight was not only fought to gain equal civil rights but also to allow a change at achieving the American dream. While the United States was faced with the Civil Rights Movements a … Read more
Fifty-five years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his riveting “I Have a Dream” speech. King combined vivid images, a passionate tone, and historical references to create a narrative of determination and hope ingrained in the American consciousness today. The fame of the speech can … Read more
War has shaped our society in many ways throughout American history. The Spanish-American war was a brief period that included a few battles. This war had a major impact that signaled to the rest of the world that the US was now a major player. The war demonstrated a US move towards imperialism. The … Read more
Social change movements are the opportunities for citizens to speak up about their thoughts and concerns. Finally, take a step to prove their point. A few important aspects of social change are participation, a meaning claim, and a valid point. All these can be successful with proper communication. In the book ‘Citizens’ Media and … Read more
Through the ages, philosophers (and arguments between philosophers) have influenced and challenged the culture in which they live, even as they have also been shaped by it, either positively or negatively. This is not unusual – who we are and how we view the world are products of our upbringing and society (among other things), … Read more
The world has never been completely peaceful. At times, conflicts erupt and people fight one another. There will be bloodshed and there will be wars. However, why do these conflicts happen? There is no single answer to this—humanity has always fought over something, whether it is something as small as who gets the next … Read more
Cassidy Buckley Hobbs US History Period 5 10 February 2018 Civil Rights Movement “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” (Diaries). Alabama Governor George Wallace’s, resistance to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s reflected the sentiment of many Americans particularly in the South (Civil Rights Movement). Despite Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 … Read more
In the speeches “I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. and “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, both speakers confront significant difficulties and obstacles that affect their respective audiences and the broader public. The obstacles they address stem from profound public and governmental issues, including systemic racism and an … Read more
The idea of a prophet is a very interesting and controversial one, because of what a prophets job was in the Old Testament. In a general sense it was to spread the word of God even if it was not a popular idea. The prophets were also controversial because of their views and their image … Read more
Both Aneeka and Martin Luther King Jr. use civil disobedience to convey their opinions and promote social change. Aneeka fights against Islamophobia within her home country of Britain, while King fights against the unjust laws geared toward limiting African American’s rights in the United States. Through their civil disobedience, the two carry out a … Read more
I Have A Dream best''r af to hovedafsnit, hvori den f''rste del omhandler de udfordringer og den uretf''rdighed, de sorte amerikanere gik igennem, og den anden del h''rer vi specifikt om de dr''mme og id''er King har for fremtidens USA. King starter talen med at beskrive Amerika omkring 100 ''r efter Emancipation Proclamation, som … Read more
Letter from Birmingham City Jail is a letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. advocating civil disobedience against unjust laws, and to bring forth the integration of blacks and whites. It speaks of the atrocities that went on during the 1960’s in Birmingham, Alabama. King wrote about the severe police … Read more
Martin Luther King Background information – January 15th 1929 – April 4th 1969 He was born in Atlanta Georgia. His legal name was Michael king American Baptist minister and activist How did they acquire their leadership? He was a very good public speaker and part of his schools debate team. He always knew segregation was … Read more
In the middle of the twentieth century, the civil rights movement found its voice in a young Baptist minister from Atlanta, Georgia: Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). King lead the movement towards success until his death in 1968, making a name for himself through the acts of civil disobedience which he helped to lead. The … Read more
Speeches have the ability to change the world, by definition a speech is “the expression of, or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulate sounds”. Speeches have the power to change perspectives, ignite wars and solve conflicts. However, an iconic speech is more than the words being said, but the reputation of the … Read more
There are many major methods in which Martin Luther King used during the US to achieve the aims of the Civil Rights Movement. These methods are ones which include non-violent protests, the way he constructs his persuasive speeches, involvement from the Northern US towards the US Civil Rights Movement, and the way he showed great … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr.’s letters from Birmingham Jail served to eliminate injustice during the 1960’s. His letter is a response to fellow white clergymen who failed to understand Dr. King’s fight. While King was serving jail time in Birmingham, Alabama, under the ridiculous reasoning of peacefully protesting without a permit, he wrote to counteract the … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and an activist who became one of the most prominent leaders and spokesperson in the Civil Rights Movement. King used tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience that was based on his Christian beliefs. King became known for his public speaking ability and continued to rise and … Read more
ENG 124.01 3/7/18 Letter from Birmingham Jail Throughout Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s paper he effectively demonstrates use of ethos, logos, and pathos to show his theme of determination. King believed there was a better world where Americans no longer worried about the color of their skin. He was imprisoned in Birmingham Jail for a … Read more
Martin Luther King was the leader of aa non-violent civil rights protest. King was arrested and in Birmingham Jail after leading this protest. While in Jail, he was given a newspaper containing “A Call for Unity”, which was a letter directed at King written by Alabama clergy men. This letter contained many criticisms and critics … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. Where would racism in America stand without the man who had a dream? The man who dreamt that political and social justice were to be given to all African American people in America. The man who dreamt that people would be judged off of their character, rather than the color of … Read more
Within the context of 1865 to 1968, the part played by Martin Luther King in achieving Civil Rights for African Americans has been over-estimated. Although he was certainly a catalyst and a driving force in the speed of the movement. It is important to look at the breadth of the timescale; a century of which … Read more
Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each write exemplary persuasive essays that depict social injustice and discuss civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with the law in order to prove a point. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King speaks to a specific audience: the African Americans, and discusses why he … Read more
In the context of the years 1865 to 1968, how far was Martin Luther King the most significant Black leader of the campaign for Civil Rights? Martin Luther King was a black leader and social activist who led the campaign for civil rights in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death in 1968. … Read more
While both Magellan and Luther had large effects on the world especially in the time period they were in, Luther started the biggest reformation in world history and Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the Earth a trip the ended up taking 4 years. The effects of each of their lives will forever have … Read more
The United States of America has witnessed many harsh past memories. From slavery until the time it was abolished, and from segregation to the civil rights movement. One of the most known heroes of the civil rights movement is the great Martin Luther King Jr. King was a civil rights activist and had a seismic … Read more
“In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… we demand this fraud be stopped” -Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was … Read more
Michael Jackson Professor Bush History 1302 6 December 2015 The Fight for Civil Rights The Civil Rights movement occurred at a turbulent time in American history. The Cold War and the search for communists had the government’s attention, forcing civil rights activists to change their tactics. The ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, … Read more
This essay will examine the relationship between the spiritual and the material realm. In the “The Quest for Peace and Justice,” Martin Luther King argues that “in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. He was most known for his speech “ I Have a Dream” which changed millions of viewpoint worldwide. But that all changed because in 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he was … Read more
Dillon Clark Professor Gibbons United States History II 1 April 2018 Andrew Young: A Man Who Set Out to Change America Throughout American history there have always been great leaders; they have changed America, creating the pluralistic democracy that now exists today. As this nation evolved, like any other nation it faced many obstacles. … Read more
Maya Koller Logan Davis Writing 150 9 October 2018 “Yours for the Cause of Peace and Brotherhood” In the masterful epistle famously entitled, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the author, Martin Luther King Jr., addresses the written criticism of eight local Christian and Jewish religious leaders who denounce Dr. King and the recent demonstrations against … Read more
“Nothing good ever comes of violence”, something Martin Luther King once said. However, those wise words are not reflected in today’s world. Lots of ongoing conflicts can be pointed out, with all sorts of causes; on local as well as global scale. In order to solve the issue of violence, with the aim to … Read more
Michael Luther King Jr was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia where he later changed his name to what we all know him by, Martin in honor of the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther. He was raised in his grandfather’s church, Ebenezer Baptist where his ambition to be the voice of African … Read more
While injustice is prevalent in many areas of the world, there are those who use violent or nonviolent measures to either tantalize anarchy or prompt a negotiable change. Both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. employ methods of civil disobedience to fulfill their moral duty of fighting injustice. Although they both nonviolently and directly … Read more
Hannah Garcia Professor Craig Case ENG124.01 27 January, 2017 MLK When the name Martin Luther King is brought up, a sense of honor that follows. The reason for this occurs because MLK displayed courage not only with actions but vocally as well. King spoke for those who faced injustice within the black community, and … Read more
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr depicts the necessity of having people fight for what they believe in to see a change. When people obtain a desire … Read more
Jason Petit PID:6139546 Final Paper Professor Maxwell December 4, 2018 “How did Dr. Martin Luther King jr impact the civil rights movement to bring about change, predominantly how effective was King’s “I have a dream speech”; To what extent do you agree with Durthey A. Washington’s “I have a dream” rhetorical analysis ”. … Read more
Azalea Banegas POLS 2000-03 12 December 2018 Violence and Non-Violence Social inequalities can be traced to the beginning of time through oppression, prejudice, and discrimination. These inequalities lead to social justice movements where the inequalities are addressed and attempted to be fixed or demolished. The main two method a revolution or change can be … Read more
MLK COURSEWORK SOURCES Source 1 – In this letter written by King in prison in 1962, he is defending himself to a group of clergymen who have described him as a political extremist. King is defending himself against their “criticism”, which after some thought he seems to find the label complimentary. MLK explains that … Read more
On 28th August 1963, an eloquent speech was given in Washington D.C. by the leader and the spokesperson of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martin Luther King Jr. In the 1960s, racial segregation in the southern part of the United States was fierce. African-Americans were treated differently that they were especially … Read more
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This is a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., an American activist who lead the Civil rights movement in the 1960’s. Luther is … Read more
The two extraordinary logical figures, Socrates and Martin Luther King Junior, each contend for an alternate meaning of the connection between the individual and the law. With unequivocally differentiating factious styles, Socrates and King both seek separate specialists for good direction. Both contend convincingly, yet who is correct? Would it be a good idea … Read more
“The Unsettling Justice in the Assassination of MLK”; The Unsettling Justice in the Assassination of MLK Despite the fact that James Earl Ray was convicted guilty of assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, there is an unsettling suspicion of there being more to the story than just a random man motivated by racism … Read more
Though often an overshadowed individual within the captivativing character that is Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King forged Martin’s achievements further both within the Civil Rights Movement as well as the years preceding his assassination. It is within her autobiography, titled Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy, that Coretta Scott states, “Of course, … Read more
“Montgomery Bus Boycott”; Introduction The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against segregated seating in public city buses, given that black people only were allowed to sit in the rear of the bus. The boycott began because of Rosa Parks, an African-American woman who refused to give up her seat to a white man … Read more
Civil Rights Leaders The civil war abolished slavery; however, it failed to stop the discrimination against African Americans. Black people during the 50’s endured Jim Crow laws that separated them from whites; it was as if all the progress made during the reconstruction era was erased. Pure defiance’s like the Montgomery bus boycott of … Read more
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest Indian of all times. He was called the ‘Father of the Indian Nation’. His actual name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name of “mahatma” because it means great soul. He was born on 2 October 1869 and died on 30 January 1948. He fought … Read more
In these two articles, ‘Ain’t I a Woman’ and ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ they both are about fighting for civil right and social change due to the unequal treatment of people based on gender and race. It is very common in the past American society since the racial discrimination and gender inequality have a huge … Read more
Born in Germany in 1483, Martin Luther became one of the most influential individuals in Christian history when he began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He questioned some of the tendencies of Roman Catholicism. Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in the town of Eisleben, into a peasant family. He was … Read more
Parents: Michael Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams (married November 25, 1926) MLK Born: January 15, 1929 at 501 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta He was born around the start of the Great Depression. At five years old, he questioned his parents about the numerous people standing in breadlines. This had an impact on his … Read more
When writing an essay about Martin Luther King Jr., there are several important themes, topics, and points to consider. Here are some key ideas to keep in mind:
Nonviolence: One of the defining characteristics of King’s activism was his commitment to nonviolence. He believed that peaceful protest and civil disobedience were powerful tools for social change. When writing about King, it is important to explore his philosophy of nonviolence and the ways in which he put it into practice.
Civil Rights Movement: King was a central figure in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. When writing about King, it is important to contextualize his work within the larger struggle for racial equality in the United States. You may want to explore the key events, leaders, and movements of the Civil Rights era and how King’s work fits into that history.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: King first emerged as a national leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. This was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, and King’s leadership was crucial to the success of the boycott. When writing about King, you may want to explore this important event in detail and consider its significance in King’s career.
“I Have a Dream” speech: King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered during the March on Washington in 1963, is one of the most famous speeches in American history. When writing about King, it is important to consider this speech and its impact on American society. You may want to explore the key themes of the speech, such as racial justice and equality, and consider how they relate to King’s larger message.
Voting Rights: King was also an important advocate for voting rights, particularly in the South. When writing about King, you may want to explore his work in this area and consider its importance for American democracy.
Legacy: Finally, it is important to consider King’s legacy and the ways in which his work continues to shape American society today. You may want to explore the ways in which King’s ideas and message have been taken up by subsequent generations of activists and thinkers, and consider the ongoing struggle for social justice and equality in the United States.
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a crucial part of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and is an important topic to cover when writing an essay about him. In this letter, King responds to criticism from white clergymen who opposed his activism and explains his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. He also discusses the importance of civil disobedience in the fight for racial justice and emphasizes the urgency of the Civil Rights Movement.
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is significant because it not only highlights King’s skills as a writer and thinker, but also provides a powerful defense of the Civil Rights Movement and the tactics used by activists. King’s letter has been widely studied and continues to inspire people around the world.
When writing about King, it is important to explore the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and consider its significance in King’s career and in the larger context of the Civil Rights Movement. You may want to analyze King’s arguments and rhetorical strategies in the letter, and consider how they relate to his larger message of justice and equality.
