African American Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

African American Studies - Essay Example While this long term outcome was the same for both men, they differed greatly in the way that they went about turning their ideas into action. Martin Luther King started out as a preacher with a purely religious set of goals. He followed in his family’s tradition, ministering to his own people in his own church and confining himself to religious teachings. Increasing violence against his congregation, and widespread atrocities in the southern states prompted him to change his position to a more political one, however and he became known for his commitment to non-violent political action. He supported bus boycotts, sit-ins, demonstrations and the famous march in Washington, and in word and deed he called black Americans to rise up and join together in resistance, but stopped short of any proactive acts of violence or even retaliation in the face of violence. In his most famous â€Å"I have a Dream† speech to a mostly black audience, he used his considerable talents as a public speaker to paint a future vision of an Alabama, the heart of the currently racist south where â€Å"†¦ little black boys and blac k girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.† (Luther King, 1963a) Using imagery drawn from the Bible he deliberately included white people in this vision, and stressed the unity of all people, male and female, black and white, rich and poor, depicting them as being in chains while they participate in this unjust society, and â€Å"free at last† (Luther King, 1963a) when slaves and oppressor together can enjoy equal rights. By advocating peaceful resistance, he managed to retain the moral high ground, and by stressing the common Christian religion and culture of the majority of blacks and whites in America, he sought to build trust and tackle instances of oppression one by