MLK: He had a dream...
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MLK is rightly celebrated as one of the greatest Americans.
Strangely enough, his dream was, in so many ways, the same as that of the American forefathers, but as we all know, President Lincoln accurately noted that America had failed to live up to the ideals of the forefathers. Lincoln noted, quoting the bible, that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." In his own way, MLK saw things the exact same way when he made his great "I Have a Dream" speech.
Each was disturbed by America's failure to live up to the proposition of the forefathers that "all men are created equal" and each prompted men to action. In 1776, the forefathers had a dream, but forescore and seven years later, in 1863, as Lincoln noted, the dream had not been realized. Four score and seven years after that, in 1950, Linda Brown, an young African American school girl, had such a bad experience going to her segregated school that her father took the Board of Education to court, and their victory (propelled by African American lawyer Thurgood Marshall, a future US Supreme court justice) provided some momentum for the civil rights movement, which would take its fullest form just a few years later when an African American lady of great principle, named Rosa Parks, would refuse to give up her seat on a bus.
The common thread in all of the greatest Americans was adherence to principle when such adherence was very difficult. Lincoln didn't budge from his principles, even though states were seceding form the union. MLK didn't budge from his principles when peaceful demonstrations were met with violent responses by the establishment.
Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and some others. In the area of civil rights, these were Americans who stood tall when standing tall was so difficult. Their memories should inspire us to strive for their ideals, and to fight valiantly for the rights of all citizens.
MLK's dream lives on, and we must dedicate ourselves to its attainment.
Strangely enough, his dream was, in so many ways, the same as that of the American forefathers, but as we all know, President Lincoln accurately noted that America had failed to live up to the ideals of the forefathers. Lincoln noted, quoting the bible, that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." In his own way, MLK saw things the exact same way when he made his great "I Have a Dream" speech.
Each was disturbed by America's failure to live up to the proposition of the forefathers that "all men are created equal" and each prompted men to action. In 1776, the forefathers had a dream, but forescore and seven years later, in 1863, as Lincoln noted, the dream had not been realized. Four score and seven years after that, in 1950, Linda Brown, an young African American school girl, had such a bad experience going to her segregated school that her father took the Board of Education to court, and their victory (propelled by African American lawyer Thurgood Marshall, a future US Supreme court justice) provided some momentum for the civil rights movement, which would take its fullest form just a few years later when an African American lady of great principle, named Rosa Parks, would refuse to give up her seat on a bus.
The common thread in all of the greatest Americans was adherence to principle when such adherence was very difficult. Lincoln didn't budge from his principles, even though states were seceding form the union. MLK didn't budge from his principles when peaceful demonstrations were met with violent responses by the establishment.
Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and some others. In the area of civil rights, these were Americans who stood tall when standing tall was so difficult. Their memories should inspire us to strive for their ideals, and to fight valiantly for the rights of all citizens.
MLK's dream lives on, and we must dedicate ourselves to its attainment.
"Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence"
Given the fact that our "leaders" are about to repeat mistakes similar to those made in Vietnam, I believe that Dr. King's "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence" would be more appropriate than the usual "I Have a Dream." see link below
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
acedotcom said:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
He dreamed of a better world
for all of us.
Given the fact that our "leaders" are about to repeat mistakes similar to those made in Vietnam, I believe that Dr. King's "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence" would be more appropriate than the usual "I Have a Dream." see link below
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
Great post, sjm. And you are indeed right, berlowmj, the speech you linked to is more appropriate. I especially liked the poem he chose to close with.
As that noble bard of yesterday, James Russell Lowell, eloquently stated:
I can practically hear his powerful voice reciting the words.
As that noble bard of yesterday, James Russell Lowell, eloquently stated:
Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God's new Messiah,
Off'ring each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
Twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet 'tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above his own.
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God's new Messiah,
Off'ring each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
Twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet 'tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above his own.
I can practically hear his powerful voice reciting the words.
acedotcom said:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
He dreamed of a better world
for all of us.
acedotcom said:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
He dreamed of a better world
for all of us.
Happy 78th Birthday to the noblest pool player of them all!
Dr. King and the human rights movement of which he was part forced the nation to confront its conscience and to admit that at the very least, a basic equality before law is the prerequisite for the existence of a democratic nation.
Martin Luther King preached and embodied an ethic of pursuing justice and equality, through radical means if necessary, but without succumbing to hatred and divisiveness. He constantly spoke of the centrality of love as a redeeming force in human society, and he, in the footsteps of Gandhi, further developed the framework for pursuing social progress by appealing to the best of human nature rather than the worst.
And to top it all off, he could play some pool!