America Between Dream and Reality - Essay Example

America: Between Dream and Reality Introduction The aim of this essay will be to describe the relation that Martin Luther King Jr. had to the American culture and explore the links to the American identity that was created due to all his efforts to include the African-American to the society and for them to not be seen as slaves anymore, but be equal as the Whites; and consider the relation between the dream he had and the reality. Many changes happened through time and across different cultural groups, he was able through his speeches and fights to create a new culture in the country. I will finally compare and contrast this culture that was developed to my personal culture. The American dream had substance in the Declaration of independence. It held that the truth should be self-evident and that all men were created equal. The dream held that citizens had rights, including the right to life, pursuit of happiness, and liberty. Such rights were believed to have come from God, and were neither derived nor conferred by the state. The dream provided that every man was an heir of dignity, legacy and worth (Dyson, 2000). In reality, citizens have professed for great democratic principles, but have failed in the practice of such principles. America is still challenged in achieving its dream more than ever, because the nation is not permitted for an anemic democracy. The price that America is obliged to pay for the perpetual oppression of minority groups, may lead to its own destruction. The existence of a dream is necessary to challenge America on the need to ensure justice, brotherhood and love among the citizens. Martin Luther had declared his mission in saving America’s soul. He used protests and demonstrations in order to bring out redemptive measures that would heal America. His concerns were particularly evolving around issues of race. Discussion The picture chosen describes Martin Luther King Jr. during his famous speech “I have a dream”. The way he was acting during his speech reinforced what he was saying as he had a very strong posture. You can see from Martin Luther King's body language that he was quiet and grounded as he conveyed his discourse. Despite the fact that you can't see his feet as he's talking, I'd envision him to be intensely planted to the ground, with a strong carriage that says, "Here I am. I'm not moving. Right away, you come to me." No one from the 200 000 people that were at the Washington rally could have stopped his speech or made put him off track if they tried because of how strongly determined he was during it. Martin Luther King used powerful, evocative language to draw emotional connection to his audience, such as: (Reston, 1963) “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” (King, 1963) Or “This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”(King, 1963). Martin Luther extolled the promise that were inhered in Lincoln’s momentous proclamation. He made a confrontation with the nation with its poor progress in honoring the promises of equal liberty for all. The fact that is striking at present, is that after the triumph of the movement of civil rights, divisions among different classes of people still persist and intensify. King was an advocate of great principles, he labored with all his might and sacrificed his life. He did all this in order to advance a course of equal rights for all. He committed to natural rights, democratic governance, and the insignificance of race to moral personhood. King’s political thoughts claimed a consensus among all American citizens (Finkelman, 2009). To date, his thoughts, leave a ground for disputes, which are legitimate. He advocated for human dignity, freedom, and the power of moral agency. Martin argued that the greatest limitation for the black community in America lay in poverty and segregation. His aim was for the correction of the effects such discrimination could have on the unity of the American citizens. King also made a call for the improvement of the living standards, which would lead to both cultivation of virtues and elimination of vices. He also championed for the cultivation of excellence by the minority groups in all fields of endeavor (Juchartz, 2009). As a comparison to my own culture, I was able to live in different cities as well as different countries all around the world. During a part of my life I was located in the United States, in Florida. I was really able to compare my own culture to their culture, especially about racism and freedom of speech. In France, a lot of people are racist, and stay that way. Even companies, they often go on the news because they do not want to accept some people form certain countries that are either Arabs, or Africans. In Florida, this was the total opposite; I was able to see a different way of thinking. A lot of African-American were mixed up with the whites, and were at the equal level as them. But not only them, there are a lot of Latinos coming from countries such as Cuba, or South America. All of them have the same freedom as anybody else, which is something that I find exceptionally good. Of course there are still parts of the State where people remain racists, but this is unfortunately something that we still find a lot all around the world. So I can definitely make a relation between the picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his famous speech “I have a dream” in which he was telling all the crowd in front of him how blacks should be equal as whites. But one thing he probably did not know, is that with everything he fought for, he did not only fight for the freedom of the “Negros”, but he fought for the freedom of the Arabs and Asians as well in the United States. The call of Martin Luther upon American citizens to honor their obligation in committing to civil rights is based on a friendship model. He had given an affirmative solution in the sense of racial identity (Frost, 2003). He did a commendable job in crafting the American identity amongst the citizens. King had a tremendous influence over his friends and his followers, which made him a tool for change. He provided that a critical look into the reality of matters, America is divided and confused. The moral values and spiritual orientation grew weaker even with advancements in material wealth. The black revolution struggled for their rights and King acted as a bridge between them and freedom (Manheimer, 2005). There was a poor distribution of what was right, which entailed a great struggle between power and social action. King shaped the new American identity through making a decision that was in favor of a struggle for social justice, which was nonviolent and aimed at resolving the race crisis. Martin championed for equal distribution of goods and power for all Americans. The new identity for America was that the black Americans had equal rights just as the white Americans. The day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; Robert F. Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kennedy made this speech in remembrance of Dr. King's tireless efforts. During his speech, Kennedy talked a lot about King as he had a strong relationship with him, and helped him throughout the years to fights against racism and helped him to create this new identity in the United States so the blacks would be recognized equal to the whites and have freedom. He started his speech by saying “I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.” (Kennedy, 1968 & Boomhower, 2008) These were the first few words he said to the audience that was waiting for his campaign speech for the Democratic presidential election upcoming in that year. The most important part of his four minutes and fifty seven second speech was when he publicly said that whites and black should be mixed up even if King was killed by a white man, it shouldn’t stop them to unite all together “In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black — considering the evidence there evidently are that there were white people who were responsible — you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization — black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love King’s dreams are still in the process of being realized. The journey started by Martin Luther is not yet complete, as it is the citizen’s obligation to ensure their dreams come to reality. There has been the development of new challenges in ensuring that the justice system works equally for all the American citizens (Jackson, 2007). A course similar to that of King’s should be created that ensure fair deals to all the citizens. All the citizens who are willing to work should be given equal chances and opportunities to pursue their careers. Growing income inequality still poses a major challenge to the black community. This has been exemplified by a great difference in the average income between the whited and blacks. The number of jailed black people has also been on the rise. People of color who have a low income have been denied access to basic and affordable health care. There has also been a lack of quality education access to the black people, which has made them perform poorly in education (Laderman, 2003). The law enforcement discriminates against the blacks as they are more convicted as compared to the whites. There is also employment discrimination, which relates to inadequacy of the black people in executive management of most companies. Some aspects of racial discrimination are less blatant today as compared to the past, although the racism scourge still exists. Conclusion King’s thinking should not be taken as a way of diminishing his stature as an inspiring and gifted moral reformer. The limitations explored are aimed at advancing his good job. The political thoughts of King claimed a consensus virtually among all citizens of America. However, his arguments on the political thoughts leave great chances for legitimate disputes. His arguments are subject to scrutiny without betrayal of his beliefs in the noble cause of ensuring equal rights for all. Martin Luther had a great influence on his followers, who viewed him as an image of freedom and equality (Cohen, 1997). He fought not only for the freedom of the black people, but also for the freedom of people from other cultures. The citizens of America, particularly the black should not live with hatred towards one another. They should make an effort to understand and live in love and peace in order to replace issues of discrimination. The new identity in America is that the black Americans should have equal rights just as the white Americans. Some aspects of racial discrimination are less blatant today as compared to the past, although the racism scourge still exists (Mungazi, 2001). The critical issue that is commendable is that martin proved that a struggle can be addressed without violence. This has advanced the works of Martin in advancing nonviolence and equality. References Bennett, L (1964). What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Chicago, Johnson. Boomhower, R. E. (2008). Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana primary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Cohen, C. (1997). Communism, fascism, and democracy: the theoretical foundations (3rd Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Dyson, M. E. (2000). I may not get there with you: the true Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Free Press. Finkelman, P. (2009). Encyclopedia of African American history, 1896 to the present: from the age of segregation to the twenty-first century. New York: Oxford University Press. Frost, B., & Sikkenga, J. (2003). History of American political thought. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. Jackson, T. F., & King, M. L. (2007). From civil rights to human rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the struggle for economic justice. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press. Juchartz, L. R., Stolarek, E. A., & Rishoi, C. (2009). American dreams. New York: Pearson Longman. Laderman, G., & León, L. D. (2003). Religion and American cultures: an encyclopedia of traditions, diversity, and popular expressions. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. Manheimer, A. S. (2005). Martin Luther King Jr.: dreaming of equality. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. Mungazi, D. A. (2001). The journey to the Promised Land the African American struggle for development since the Civil War. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. Reston, J. (1963). “I Have a Dream…’: Peroration by Dr. King Sums Up a Day the Capital Will Remember,” New York Times, (29 August 1963). Read More