To What Extent Was the Contribution of Martin Luther King Central to the Success of the Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

To What Extent Was the Contribution of Martin Luther King Central to the Success of the Civil Rights Movement Essay The first major event of King’s civil rights career was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 5, 1955, five days after Montgomery civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the citys rules mandating segregation on buses, black residents launched a bus boycott and elected King as president of the newly-formed Montgomery Improvement Association. As the boycott continued during 1956, King gained national prominence as a result of his exceptional oratorical skills and personal courage. His house was bombed and he was convicted along with other boycott leaders on charges of conspiring to interfere with the bus companys operations. Despite these attempts to suppress the movement, Montgomery bus were desegregated in December, 1956, after the United States Supreme Court declared Alabamas segregation laws unconstitutional. There can be no doubt that Martin Luther King was essential in giving the movement mass appeal. He gave it the charismatic figurehead that it lacked until that stage and he helped move it out of the courtroom and the control of the NAACP onto the streets. His charisma helped push the Montgomery Bus boycott into the public eye and keep it there. In 1957, seeking to build upon the success of the Montgomery boycott movement, King and other southern black ministers founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Under the leadership of Martin Luther King from 1957-1968 the SCLC became a highly publicised and popular organisation in the fight for racial justice. It was a southern movement and was based on the black church. The SCLC therefore differed greatly form the NAACP, which was northern, secular and regarded as overly influenced by white members. Although increasingly portrayed as the pre-eminent black spokesperson, King did not mobilize mass protest activity during the first five years after the Montgomery boycott ended. While King moved cautiously, southern black college students took the initiative, launching a wave of sit-in protests during the winter and spring of 1960. King sympathized with the student movement and spoke at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in April 1960, but he soon became the target of criticisms from SNCC activists determined to assert their independence. Even Kings decision in October, 1960, to join a student sit-in in Atlanta did not allay the tensions, although presidential candidate John F. Kennedys sympathetic telephone call to Kings wife, Coretta Scott King, helped attract crucial black support for Kennedys successful campaign. The 1961 Freedom Rides, which sought to integrate southern transportation facilities, demonstrated that neither King nor Kennedy could control the expanding protest movement spearheaded by students. The Freedom Rides achieved the goal it set out to accomplish. At the request of Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, all bus segregation was outlawed, much more forcefully than the previous Supreme Court ruling. King cannot accept full credit for this campaign, but he is due the credit where it is deserved. Although he did not initiate the Freedom Rides, nor take part immediately after they began, he did raise full awareness of the cause and successfully united all the civil rights leaders together. By this point in King’s history it is clear that he had learned how to use the media to his advantage, an invaluable skill. Many of Kings critics however have stated that his involvement in the protest was very minimal, and his main aim of joining the movement was to promote the SCLC. Conflicts between King and younger militants were also evident when both SCLC and SNCC assisted the Albany (Georgia) Movements campaign of mass protests during December of 1961 and the summer of 1962. Shortly after the failed civil rights campaign in Albany, King began one his largest civil rights movements yet. After achieving very few of his objectives in Albany, King recognized the need to organize a successful protest campaign free of conflicts with SNCC. During the spring of 1963, he and his staff guided mass demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, where local white police officials were known from their anti-black attitudes. Clashes between black demonstrators and police using police dogs and fire hoses generated newspaper headlines through the world. In June, President Kennedy reacted to the Birmingham protests and the obstinacy of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace by agreeing to submit broad civil rights legislation to Congress (which eventually passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Subsequent mass demonstrations in many communities culminated in a march on August 28, 1963, that attracted more than 250,000 protesters to Washington, D. C. Addressing the marchers from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his famous I Have a Dream oration. During the year following the March, Kings renown grew as he became Time magazines Man of the Year and, in December 1964, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite fame and accolades, however, King faced many challenges to his leadership. Malcolm Xs (1927-1965) message of self-defense and black nationalism expressed the discontent and anger of northern, urban blacks more effectively than did Kings moderation. During the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, King and his lieutenants were able to keep intra-movement conflicts sufficiently under control to bring about passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but while participating in a 1966 march through Mississippi, King encountered strong criticism from Black Power proponent Stokely Carmichael. Shortly afterward white counter-protesters in the Chicago area physically assaulted King in the Chicago area during an unsuccessful effort to transfer non-violent protest techniques to the urban North. Despite these leadership conflicts, King remained committed to the use of non-violent techniques. Early in 1968, he initiated a Poor Peoples campaign designed to confront economic problems that had not been addressed by early civil rights reforms. Kings effectiveness in achieving his objectives was limited not merely by divisions among blacks, however, but also by the increasing resistance he encountered from national political leaders. Also although King was seen as a leader among a majority of the black community it has been argued that he did not make the radical actions by himself. This point ties in with an argument put forward by Vivien Saunders; who states, â€Å"As in Montgomery, King was led rather than leading†. The idea that King was not a definitive leader and could often take advice from outsiders poses the question of how effective King was as a leader. In addition to this it suggests that his effort towards the campaigns were in fact weak. After his death, King has remained a controversial symbol of the African-American civil rights struggle, revered by many for his martyrdom on behalf of non-violence and condemned by others for his militancy and insurgent views.

Jack Londons To Build A Fire: Theme Essay -- essays research papers

Jack London's To Build a Fire: Theme The significance of the words "dying and death" in Jack London's 1910 novel, "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the man's dwindling warmth and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys" at camp. London associates dying with the man's diminishing ability to stay warm in the frigid Alaskan climate. The main characters predicament slowly worsens one level at a time finally resulting in death. The narrator informs the reader that "the man" lacks personal experience traveling in the Yukon terrain. The old-timer warned the man about the harsh realities of the Klondike. The confident main character thinks of the old-timer at Sulphur Creek as "womanish." Along the trail, "the man" falls into a hidden spring and attempts to build a fire to dry his socks and warm himself. With his wet feet quickly growing numb, he realizes he has only one chance to successfully build a fire or face the harsh realities of the Yukon at one-hundred nine degrees below freezing. Falling snow from a tree blots out the fire and the character realizes "he had just heard his own sentence of death." Jack London introduces death to the reader in this scene. The man realizes "a second fire must be built without fail." The man's mind begins to run wild with thoughts of insecurity and death when the second fire fails. He recollects the story of a man who kills a steer to...

World War Ii Timeline

World War II Timeline [pic] [pic] [pic] 1933 January 1. 30. 1933- Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, bringing ideas of Nazi Party with him June 6. 14. 1933- Nazi party outlaws all other political parties, signaling the beginning of a totalitarian regime October 10. 1933- President Roosevelt recognizes the USSR and establishes diplomatic relations 10. 14. 1933- Germany leaves the League of Nations 1934 December 12. 29. 1934- Japan denounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930, identifying that Japan would no longer abide by the treaties which were intended to prevent an arms race and massive navies. 935 March 3. 16. 1935- Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles by enforcing military conscription. This signifies that Germany was re-arming itself and preparing for war. August 8. 31. 1935- President FDR signs First Neutrality Act- prohibiting arms shipments to wartime belligerents October 10. 3. 1935- Italy, under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, invades Ethiopia. 1936 February 2. 29. 1936- President FDR passes Second Neutrality Act this act renewed the First Neutrality Act (1935), and also forbade the granting of loans to wartime belligerents March 3. 7. 1936- German troops occupy the Rhineland. Germany was forbidden to take ver more land, as per the Treaty of Versailles. July 7. 18. 1936- Civil War erupts in Spain November 11. 1. 1936- Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany come together, forming the Rome-Berlin Axis. This event holds significance because it was alliances which brought the world into WWI. 11. 25. 1936- Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This pact was aimed directly against the Soviet Union and the International Communist Movement. 1937 July 7. 7. 1937- Japan invades Nanking, China, killing more than 250,000, most of whom were civilians. This attack essentially begins the â€Å"War in the Pacific† September . 14. 1937- President FDR forbids US ships to carry arms to Chi na or Japan, again signaling American Neutrality. October 10. 5. 1937- President FDR gives a speech in which he urges the ‘collective security and quarantining of aggressor nations'. This implies the fact that FDR would like the US to remain isolationist. December 12. 12. 1937- Japan sinks the gunboat, the U. S. S. Panay in the Yangtze River in China. Japan formally apologizes after the attack, and pays reparations to the US 1938 February 2. 20. 1938- Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, formally announces that Germany will support Japan.This further incites desire for war as now three nations (Japan, Germany and Italy) have once again entangled alliances, coupled with militarism and previous actions show a great potential for a second world war. March 3. 12. 1938- Germany launches Anschluss,(union) with Austria. 3. 13. 1938- Germany annexes Austria. May 5. 17. 1938- Naval Expansion Act is passed. This act allotted $1 billion for the US to build a â€Å"Two Ocean Navy,† or a navy which would have bases in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This act recognized the need for protection on both coasts of the country. September 9. 29. 938- Munich Pact- Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Pact, allowing Germany to invade the Czechoslovakian territories known as the Sudetenland. Britain chose to utilize a policy of appeasement in making the decision to sign the pact. 1939 January 1. 4. 1939- US/Germany/Italy Correspondence- FDR writes to Mussolini and Hitler, requesting that they not attack any country, on a specified list, for 10 years. Hitler writes back saying that FDR has â€Å"nothing to fear. † This statement by Hitler may be determined to be mocking FDR, as in his inaugural address, FDR stated, â€Å"we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. 1. 5. 1939- Senatorial Rejection- The Senate rejected a Presidential request for permission to offer economic assistance to Britain and/or France in case of war. This decision support s the isolationist way of thinking. March 3. 15. 1939- Hitler violates his own promise made in the Munich Pact (1938) and annexes all of Czechoslovakia. August 8. 23. 1939- Hitler (Germany) and Josef Stalin (USSR) sign a Nonaggression Pact which allowed Hitler to invade Poland, while allowing the Soviet Union to strengthen its western borders. September 9. 1. 1939- Hitler invades Poland. , as permitted by the Nonaggression Pact, 9. . 1939-England, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany, thus beginning another world war. 9. 10. 1939- Canada declares war on Germany November 11. 3. 1939- Congress grants FDR's request to change neutrality laws as well as repeal an arms embargo so that munitions could be sold to Britain and France, and prevent American ships from sailing into war zones. 1940 March 3. 1940- Germany utilizes its Blitzkrieg warfare, pummeling France in less than one day. April 4. 1. 1940- Germany conquers many of the â€Å"low† countries, including , Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg.May 5. 16. 1940- Increased Defense spending- FDR requests that more money be allocated for defense, public opinion supports the new defense program, signaling a shift in public feeling in regards to the conflict. June 6. 10. 1940- Mussolini and his Italian forces attack France from the South. 6. 22. 1940- France Surrenders to Germany and signs an armistice saying as such. Great Britain is now left to stand alone to the Axis powers. July Selective Training and Service Act-Congress enacts the first peacetime draft in history. This forebodes to upcoming US involvement in the war. 7. 10. 940- Battle of Britain-Germany bombs Britain, most notably the firebombing of London. 7. 26. 1940- US withholds gasoline from Japan. In an attempt to make Japan surrender, and weaker. September 9. 3. 1940- FDR agrees to give Britain 50 Destroyers in exchange for naval bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and sites in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. 9. 25. 1940- Expansion of Japanese Embargo. The US now includes steel and iron to the Japanese Embargo, which already included gasoline (July 26,1940) 9. 27. 1940- Tripartite Agreement- Japan joins the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and now Japan) October 10. 1. 1940- Battle of Britain ends. German Luftwaffe bombing strategy fails to quash British morale. November 11. 20. 1940- Hungary and Romania sign the Tripartite Agreement. Becoming part of the Axis powers. (Germany, Italy, Japan, and now Hungary and Romania) December 12. 29. 1940- FDR Fireside Chat- FDR claims that the US must be an â€Å"Arsenal of Democracy. † Similar to the reasoning for WWI, which was â€Å"To make the world safe for Democracy† 1941 March 3. 1. 1941- Bulgaria signs the Tripartite Agreement. Becoming part of the Axis powers. (Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania and now Bulgaria) 3. 11. 941-Lend-Lease Act- authority to sell, transfer, or lease war goods to the government of any Allied country. E NDED AMERICAN NEUTRALITY 3. 30. 1941- US Seizure of Ships- US seizes 65 Axis ships which have sailed into American ports. April 4. 13. 1941- USSR and Japan sign a neutrality pact. May 5. 15. 1941- American Merchant ship- Robin Moor- sunk by German torpedo in south Atlantic Ocean. FDR declares a National State of Emergency. June 6. 22. 1941- Germany invades Soviet Union. Violated nonaggression pact. US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, estimates that Germany will conquer the USSR in 3 months. . 24. 1941- US extends the Lend Lease Act to the Soviet Union. July 7. 7. 1941- FDR Announces that the US will protect Iceland for the duration of the war. Similar to Teddy Roosevelt's â€Å"Roosevelt Corollary† to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the US would be the â€Å"international police force for Latin America. † August 8. 14. 1941- Great Britain and United States sign Atlantic Charter. Joint opposition to fascism, even though US is still nominally neutral. 8. 17. 1941- US warns Japan to stop being aggressive, or else. (face the wrath of the US forces, that is) December 2. 7. 1941- â€Å"A Day Which Will Live in Infamy† Pearl Harbor- Japan launches a surprise attack on the US navy at the base in Pearl Harbor. Resulting in the death of over 2,300 service men and 68 civilians. 12. 11. 1941- War Declarations Germany and Italy- Declare war on US United States- Declares war on Germany, Italy and Japan 1942 April 4. 9. 1942- Japan captures US and Filipino forces at Manila. Bataan Death March Begins. May 5. 7. 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea- US Navy repels Japanese forces, saves Australia June 6. 4. 1942- Battle of Midway- US again defeats Japanese.Coupled with the victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7, 1942) *****TURNING POINT FOR THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC***** 6. 18. 1942- Manhattan Project begins, design the atomic bomb. 1943 January 1. 1. 1943-Churchill and Roosevelt Plan- Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President FDR meet in Casablan ca, North Africa to plan attacks on all fronts, invade Sicily and Italy, send forces to the Pacific, and to better aid the Soviet Union. 1. 31. 1943- Battle of Stalingrad over 90,000 German troops surrender to the Soviets **TURNING POINT IN WAR AGAINST GERMANY** July 7. 25. 943- Mussolini's Fascist government in Italy is overthrown! New Italian Government begins peace talks September 9. 8. 1943- Italy officially surrenders to Allied powers December 12. 1. 1943- Cairo Declaration- Allies declare intention to establish an international organization meant to maintain world peace. 1944 June 6. 6. 1944- D-Day Invasion- Allied forces invade Normandy, France, to begin the reclaiming of Western Europe from Germany. July 7. 24. 1944- Normandy and Brittany- Allied troops force a German retreat by reclaiming large portions of Normandy and Brittany August 8. 25. 944- Paris liberated from Nazi control by US forces and the Free France Campaign. 1945 February 2. 11. 1945- Yalta Conference- the â⠂¬Å"Big Three† (Churchill, FDR, and Stalin) met to discuss Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe Results: Dual administrations in Berlin, the break up of Germany, and the prosecution of war criminals. (Nuremberg Trials) April 4. 12. 1945- President FDR dies of a Cerebral Hemorrhage. 4. 28. 1945- Italian soldiers catch Mussolini attempting to sneak out of the country and murder him. May 5. 8. 1945- V-E Day Victory in Europe is declared August 8. 6. 1945- Atomic Bomb Little Boy is dropped over Hiroshima Japan 8. . 1945- Atomic Bomb Fat Man is dropped over Nagasaki, Japan Both of these bombings resulted in severe, grave destruction 8. 14. 1945- Japan Surrenders! 8. 15. 1945- V-J Day Victory in Japan is declared September 9. 2. 1945- Japan signs formal surrender agreement aboard the U. S. S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay. ****ENDS WWII**** Works Cited â€Å"1945. † World War II Timeline. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"APUSH SparkChart 1865-2004. † Www. Sparknotes. com. Sparknotes. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"The History Place – World War II in Europe Timeline. † The History Place. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"World War II Timeline. † Shmoop. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. .

Abortion Essay - 1082 Words

ABORTION Abortion, in my opinion, has been one of the largest debataable issues in American Society. There are so many aspects and views to examine before one can even begin to form their own opinion. In order to discuss an important issue such as abortion, we must first understand what it means. Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy before the fetus has developed and grown enough to live outside the mother. When abortion happens naturally before the 20th week it is called a spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. If it happens naturally after the 20th week it is termed a late fetal death or a still birth. An abortion caused by a medical procedure is called an induced abortion. Most induced abortion are performed in the first trimester or†¦show more content†¦Do circumstances and convenience outweigh the sanctity of life? Can one support both womens rights and oppose abortions? These questions basically boil down to people’s opinions, and beliefs. Everyone is entitled to have a difference of opinion. I respect the religious, ethical, and moral convictions on which their opions are based. However, I actually belive reality is much more complex than this simple either-or system. There is no single right or wrong because as with any situation there could be special circumstances. Woman have many reasons for seeking an abortion.Their are a few abortions cases that introduce special factors. For instance when the fetus has been found dead there is no reason to carry it full term. Another example would be when the embryo is diagnosed as having a severe disorder or genetic defect. In the case of multiple pregnancy, some if not all the the fetuses will end up with various long term health problems; some may not survive at all. The woman may elect to go through a selective reduction procedure, which involves the killing of one or more fetuses in order to give the remaining fetuses a better chance to be born healthy. In view of situations where the prenagancy resulted from rape or incest I dont fell a woman should have to bare a child conceived in violence unless it’s by her choice. Personally, I feel that the life of a mother should not be sacrificed or endangered forShow MoreRelatedAbortion : Abortion And Abortion998 Words   |  4 PagesAbortion Abortion is defined in several ways all of which stop a pregnancy. There are different ways of abortion, which are spontaneous abortion, surgical abortion, and medical abortion. Abortion has been arguable topic for decades. One can neither believe abortion to be good nor bad. The idea of individuality and human life is not quite the same. Idea of human life has come from conception; simultaneously on the other hand, fertilizer eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives butRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Abortion Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesPaper: Abortion Laws The topic of abortion is a widely debated and very heated topic in Texas. The Republican party’s platform supports family values and are completely against abortion under any circumstances, including abortifacients. The Democrat party’s platform supports the rights for women to make choices about their own bodies. They support abortifacients and a person’s right to have an abortion. There is also a large percentage of those that are in the middle in that they believe abortion shouldRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion998 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States there are more than a billion abortions performed each year. Since the court case Roe vs Wade in 1973 more than 56 million babies have been murdered in the United States before they had the chance to take their first breath (Snyder, Michael). These statics along with many more show the huge injustice that is happening in the country I call home. Abortion is defined as the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. It can include any of variousRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Anti Abortion1624 Words   |  7 Pagesa very large controversy between the ideas about abortion and anti-abortion. Different religious views, beliefs, peoples many different customs and even people of different cultures all have their own preferences and ideas on the take of this political issue. Views against abortion can lead to as much of an impact as a violent/non violent riots outside of an abortion clinics, to something as simple article in the newspaper. The belief on abortion that leads to a lot of the controversy is that inRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion Essay1656 Words   |  7 Pages An abortion is when the pregnancy of a women is ended; it is called sometimes Termination of pregnancy. There are two types of abortion. The first type is the spontaneous abortion; it occurs within the first two months. What causes it is frequently unknown yet is probably the results of intra-uterine contamination, or limited attachment in the building unborn child to the interior coating walls in the womb (uterus). Such conditions this unborn child, if the idea advances further, mayRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion953 Words   |  4 Pagesdebates that is constantly talked about is abortion. When it comes to abortion, the laws vary depending on the state you live in. Whether people support or are against abortion, few actually know about the abortion process. Have you ever heard of suction aspiration or prostaglandin chemical abortion? Those are two of the various methods that are performed in the different trimesters of pregnancy. According to writer Steven Ertelt of Li feNews.com, Oklahoma’s abortion laws are restrictive compared to otherRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Abortion1930 Words   |  8 PagesAbortion has been around for quite some time. Laws have been set allowing it and banning it during different periods of time. The procedures that can be done are all very different. There is a medical abortion involving drugs and there are surgical abortion involving a more invasive procedure. There are also different points of view on it. There are those who fully support the termination of a pregnancy and those who are completely against it. There are many factors to consider and very differentRead MoreAbortion And Abortion2038 Words   |  9 PagesMostly seen as a religious issue, abortions are anything but that. Biology and science are the only deciding factors when it comes down to it. Science is the only thing that can prove whether an unborn child is living; no religion can do that. Through modern science and technology, it has been proven and well documented that human life does in fact begin at conception. The scientific evidence also contradicted the court ruling in the Roe v. Wade case, where it was stated that the Court could notRead MoreAbortion : The Fight For Abortion1543 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough abortion was decriminalized in 1973, the fight for abortion rights did not end with Roe v. Wade. Just in the past three years, there have been systematic restrictions on abortion rights sweeping the country sate by state. In 2013, 22 states enacted 70 antiabortion measures, including pre-viability abortion bans, unnecessary doctor and clinic procedures, limits on medicated abortion, and bans on insurance coverage of abortion In 2011, 92 abortion restrictions were enacted, an in 2012, thatRead MoreAbortion : The Issue Of Abortion1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe topic of abortion has been an ongoing debate for many years. According to ProChoice.org, abortion was legal in in the days of the early settlers . At the time that the constitution was adopted abortions were legal. Abortions were openly advertised and performed before the first fetal movement (13-16 weeks from the start of a women’s last period). The concern for abortion started in the late 1800’s when immigrants were coming into the country in large numbers and the fear was that they would produce