What Is The True Meaning Of Freedom History Essay

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” [Lb]. In the United States constitution it is stated “”We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.””, but this is untrue. If that were true Martin Luther King Jr. would not have fought for civil rights and equality for minority groups in America. Dr. King campaigned for man’s natural born rights, while others fought to stop them.

Martin Luther King at age 26 with over a year of experience as a pastor, was elected head of Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), King led MIA to boycott unfair bus segregation.” One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.”[Book] King wanted to end all the injustice, which blacks and minority groups faced.

The top 2% of the United States holds 90% of the nation’s wealth. “Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes… God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty.”[Paul to American Christians] Along with this the U.S governments spend billions in the Vietnam War, while the poor in suffered. King stated that the nation was heading a spiritual death. King promoted a guaranteed income for all families. It would help to spread the wealth in the nation.

In the fight for civil rights and equality Dr. King choice of weapon was non-violence.

“Living through the actual experience of the protest, nonviolence became more than a method to which I gave intellectual assent; it became a commitment to a way of life.”[dbook] Dr. King believed in the six principles of nonviolence. King created these principles with the influenced of the famous Indian philosopher Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The first principle – nonviolence is not passive, but requires courage. Just because you will not physical fight for that you want, doesn’t mean you’re weak. You must stand up against oppression. Dr. King in his many marches and speeches promoted this very principle. He didn’t let people oppress him; King used his courage to united people for a common cause.

The second principle – Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The purpose of nonviolence seeks to united people, who can understand each other. King wanted to give people the chance a redemption, which helped the minority of and the majority groups to be a peace. That would a crate a loving community.

The third principle – Nonviolent action is directed at eliminating evil, not destroying an evil-doer. “When we love on the agape level we love men not because we like them, not because their attitudes and ways appeal to us, but because God loves them. Here we rise to the position of loving the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed he does.”[book] Nonviolence believes in, what is written in the U.S constitution “that all men are created equal”. We are all equal and must respect and learn from on another. We must aim at destroying the evil within people, and not the people themselves.

The fourth principle – The willingness to accept suffering for the cause, if necessary, but never to inflict it. In Dr. King’s eulogy for the four little girls that were murder in Birmingham, Al, shows the meaning of this principle. “The spilled blood of these innocent girls may cause the whole citizenry of Birmingham to transform the negative extremes of a dark past into the positive extremes of a bright future. Indeed this tragic event may cause the white South to come to terms with its conscience.”[book] By taking in all pain and showing grief of your lost, may attack the evil’ doer conscience. Let the evil’ doer know that what he done is wrong, show him you will not attack, if you do your no better than him.

The fifth principle – A rejection of hatred, animosity or violence of the spirit, as well as refusal to commit physical violence.” Somehow we must believe that the most misguided among them can learn to respect the dignity and the worth of all human personality”[euoly].

Nonviolence rejects all evil intention. You can’t dehumanize your brother, because he’s your equal, too do that means to dehumanize yourself.

The six principle – Faith that justice will prevail. Dr. King stated “We have seen truth crucified and goodness buried, but we have kept going with the conviction that truth crushed to earth will rise again”[bus boycott] .You can’t half-heartily believe in your goals. Be able to keep going through the highs and lows.

Along with Dr. King there are many others leaders, who had similar views as him and those who’s views were different. Reverend Jesse Jackson In 1965 met Martin Luther King, at the Selma March, an effort to get blacks to register to vote. With King he fought for equality and his dream. “The American dream is a dream of hope and new possibilities. Then as now learning to live together under one big tent remains the moral imperative and the great opportunity of our times. for this dream, we challenged closed-door policies. We faced dogs, jails, untimely deaths. I had already been to jail twice trying to use a library and other public facilities. “[save the dream]. He led Operation Breadbasket, which goals were to provide more job opportunities for blacks.

The person, who influenced Dr. King in his Nonviolence approach, was the philosopher Mohandas K. Gandhi.  Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement that opposed British rule. He Gandhi created satyagraha (devotion to truth). Satyagraha was a non violence way to fix wrongs within the country. Gandhi over the years led campaigns to ease poverty, build religious, and expand women’s rights.

Frederick Douglass, a born slave, later he would become the leading spokesperson for the abolition of slavery and for racial equality. Douglass was invited to the anti-slavery convention in 184 in Massachusetts, to give a speech about his life as a slave. That speech led him to become one of the leading members of Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Douglass was constant attack by his opponents, for him being a slave, but he never flinched. Nonviolence is not passive, but requires courage. Douglass aligns with king, because of his courage to continue to use his voice for his cause, even with constant aggression from opponents.

Muammar Gaddafi, the Brotherly Leader and Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya(King of Libya). Gaddafi has been in power for over 40 years, protesting has recently grown bloody. The protesters are using King’s ideals to protest to end a dictatorship government, and the government in turns kills them. Gaddafi is using his government troops to kill innocent people, protesting his regime. Government is suppose to be their to protect the people, not harm them Many international powers, trying to force his to retired, saying he’s violating international humanitarian laws.

One of the most corrupt leaders in history, Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer of Germany.

Hitler eliminated all political parties and government institutions in Germany, establishing him as a dictator. Hitler moved the masses, to believe that they could rule the world. This believe help start the world’s bloodiest war, World War II. During the war, Hitler caused the Holocaust, the genocide of people of the Jewish faith. He striped them of their god given right, to live. Hitler beliefs and actions, goes against everything Dr. King stood for. Hitler didn’t want friends, he wanted slaves.

The Butcher of Uganda, Idi Amin, the president of Uganda. Amin seize power after a military coup. During his eight-year presidency over 500,000 were killed and destroy his country’s economy. Admin agreed with Hitler decision to kill the Jews. Amin went as far is say he was the hero of Africa. Amin killed all that stood in his way. He believe his cause was a righteous one, but he goes against all King’s ideas. A man that orders half a million people killed can’t be called a hero.