Compare And Contrast David Walker And Martin Luther King
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Since the beginning of American history, African Americans have had to deal with outright mistreatment and inferiority within society. During slavery, African Americans were completely stripped of their basic civil rights and liberties; they were not considered to be human. During the Civil Rights Movement, although African Americans had gained their freedom nearly a century ago, they still were not treated with dignity and respect, forced to advocate for the rights given to them as citizens of the United States. Because of the racism African Americans experienced, leaders such as David Walker and Martin Luther King organized efforts to help African Americans gain more respect and inclusion in American society. Both leaders had significant influence during the time in which they lived, directly addressing the oppressors and their actions against African Americans. David Walker’s “Appeal and Article I” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” illustrate the harsh realities of social oppression and church hypocrisy, in which thwarted African Americans from enjoying their civil, political, and social rights.
King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during the Civil Rights Movement, a time in which African Americans actively strived toward gaining their full rights as American citizens. Walker wrote his appeal during the abolitionist movement, when the goal was to end the institution of slavery in the United States. Although the two leaders lived in different