Sarah Frost Logan, 10G

Engelsk halvdag

05.mars 2012

Task two: How can one person help change the world? Write about great leaders in South Africa or the USA or base your answer on the film: Freedom Writers. Martin Luther King Junior and his fight for equal rights, with reference to Barack Obama. Martin Luther King junior was born in Atlanta, year 1929. He was born into a very religious family. His father was a preacher in a Baptist church, and his mother came from a family with strong ties to the Baptist religion. Luther King did not know about racial discrimination when he was young but as he grew older, he soon saw that blacks were not treated equally. Luther King was ready to enter the university at the age of fifteen. While studying at the university, he did not only discover his talent of public speaking, but he also read a lot of the two great men, Mahatma Gandhi and Henry Davids work and got inspired. He thought the ideas of the two great men could be used together to win equal rights for blacks in America. In other words, Luther King used the ideas of the two great men in his fight for equal rights for blacks in America. Besides, he got a doctorate degree in religion and got a job as a preacher in Alabama. The fire in Luther King started when the black woman, Rosa Park got arrested for not be willing to give up her seat to a white resident on a public buss. In other words, Rosa Park was the girl who set the fire in Luther king. And as a result of this Luther King and other African community leaders were sick of being treated like shit and felt like a protest of some kind was needed. An overflowing crowd came to Luther kings church to hear his words. To put it more simply Luther King said that if they wanted a change, one alternative could be to boycott the buss system, and so they did. But the white residents fought back with terrorism and harassment. Because of this many harmless black resident got arrested and murdered. In other words, it was some kind of war between blacks and white in America. The boycott lasted for ca a year. On the November the 13th, the United State Supreme Court declared that the segregation between blacks and whites was illegal on public busses. As a result of this, the war got better and the 1

[Skriv inn tekst]

[Skriv inn tekst]

[Skriv inn tekst]

discrimination on busses disappeared, but yet the rights between blacks and white did not get equal. In 1963 Luther King held his worldwide famous speech: I have a dream in Washington DC. Over 300.000 white and black American came to hear his words. I have a dream, he cried out. That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. That all men are created equal. Its clearly that the speech of Luther King created some kind of a mark in American history, a big step closer to Luther kings goal. Namely to win equal rights for blacks in America. As a parallel of the famous speech to Luther King is how these words may be said as an echo when, Barack Obama, the President of the united state held his inauguration speech, his first words were Its been a long time coming and for those who know this well known slave song, may be able to finish the refrain with but I know the time is going to come, oh yes it will. I think Obama choose this excerpt words for two particular reasons. First, he was the first black man to become the president of the USA, and it has taken until the January 2009 to achieve this. Obviously this event marked some kind of a new era in American history. Secondly I think Obama used this excerpt words, namely to express that the time has still not come for blacks to achieve equal rights in America. But as Im sure, the time is going to come, oh yes it will. As a conclusion, my opinion is that Barack Obama is the result of Luther Kings work for equal rights. Sources My English presentation about Martin Luther King Junior and his Equal rights: www.Manythings.org www.Hollyday.net www.scolastic.com