Dr. MLK had a dream.Who or what inspired him ?
Racism played an important role...
2006-12-13 15:13:42 · 4 answers · asked by Xquisite Shawtey 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
He is not the originator of these ideas or truths - he expoused them in his speeches but their existence has been paraphrased and expressed through countless others.
2006-12-13 15:21:12 · answer #1 · answered by enricodiroma 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds as though you are writing a paper or just curious in some very specific areas. This answer should not be chosen as the best because it does not fully answer the question or provide many specific details. It's simply my opinion and I hope it helps somehow.
I think MLK gave the civil rights movement some form of focus and rational direction. We had a number of people like Malcolm X who advocated the use of violence, and while these people may have had good ideas and intentions, they were diluted by the "any means necessary" mindset. Dr. King tried to show that peaceful means garner much more respect and understanding and eventually results than unfocused violence.
If you are writing a paper, you may even be able to apply it to current situations, such as the violence that still persists in part of the African American culture and the religious violence seen in the Middle East and involved in terrorist attacks.
Clearly, the September 11th attacks didn't foster appreciation for Islam, it just distracted from the peaceful lifestyles of the majority of the Muslims. I believe this was partially the basis of Dr. King's philosophy, that violence just breeds more hatred and disrespect, and detracts from those who are actually trying to make a positive difference.
Again, this is all just part of my opinion, and I don't claim any sort of factual basis. Hopefully, though, I've shown how the ideas of the civil rights movement extend beyond just that one area into other forms of discrimination.
2006-12-13 23:38:39 · answer #2 · answered by me_unlike_you 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two major influences on MLK were Hnry David Thoreau and Gandhi also MLK was a Reverend so i bet most of his influence came from Jesus and the bible.
To your initial question, those ideas have been around since the dawn of civilization, i think MLK's mainly influenced the southern US, where he undoubtedly influenced the legal system much more than the population of whites.
2006-12-14 00:12:56 · answer #3 · answered by marc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if not for him then you could make me do whatever you wanted you could beat me tie me up call me names and make me crawl and call you Mistress wait that's kinda hot damn this civil rights thing
2006-12-13 23:29:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋