Martin Luther King. Does his crusade for equality still live on?

Pre-University Paper from the year 2015 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 15 Punkte, , language: English, abstract: 'If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he is not fit to live' - these words are still well-known today and have truly determined not only the life of one man, but of an entire race. Nobody has ever been able to influence the destiny of one class as much as this man did. Martin Luther King Jr.: A man whose one of a kind rhetorical skills and unique determination to make a change have rewritten endless chapters of history, of slavery, of segregation. A man who took very seriously what he said; a man who never gave up on his dream, not even after uncountable insults, attacks and assassination attempts; a man who stood for what he said and finally paid with the death. He was 'fit to live' though. And the result is that his legacy has not only protected innumerous 'Negros' from being insulted, humiliated and abused, but has also provided them more equality and a sense of unity and brotherhood. Special about his endeavour was his tremendous condemnation of any sort of violence, what he elucidated when he said that 'nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time.' The purpose of this paper is to discuss the sustainability of Martin Luther King's project and to conclude what impact it had and still has on the contemporary American society. First of all a brief overview of the history and situation of African Americans in North America from the beginning of their importation until the onset of the civil rights movement will be given in order to illustrate the circumstances King was facing and to acknowledge the improvements achieved by the civil rights movement activists in general and Martin Luther King in particular. In the following part King's life and beliefs will be more closely examined in order to explain how he had become the charismatic and influential leader living in the memories of a whole nation and how his relentless fight for his ideals has changed and shaped the face of America. In the last part it will be discussed whether and to which extent Martin Luther King still has an impact on today's American society by analysing recent examples which prove that thanks to Martin Luther King America has become a fairer and more human place, but also by exposing facts that pose challenges in terms of equality.