Similarities Between Frederick Douglass And Martin Luther King Jr

The Civil rights movement was a long and hard fight for freedom in our nation. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the many people who devoted themselves and fought for the movement. He did it in hope to make the world a better place. Outraged and indignant, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham city jail” addresses the events that took place in the name of freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. reflects on the events, through his use of tone, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical tools.

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.

Both the Martin Luther King and The Declaration of Independence both took place a long time ago in America. The Declaration of Independence was about the United States Of America branching off from Britain and becoming an Independent country. The United States felt they should be more independent and that Britain was not treating them fairly. Since America branched off from Britain, the American people and government came up with The Declaration of Independence. The Martin Luther King speech elaborated on racism and civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. stated that he had a dream that one day all men, women, and children would be equal and there would be no racism. Both of these documents are very important In American history.

Although a century apart, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Frederick Douglass’s What to a Slave is the fourth of July are kindred spirits. Notwithstanding the many differences in their respective writing styles, deep down the essence of the message conveyed is still very much the same. Both Martin Luther King Junior and Frederick Douglas had similar beliefs and concepts related to the treatment of the African American community. They both describe a tough yet heart breaking situation that makes them question their moral values and doubt the system and its ability to change for better. Both King and Douglass were advocating for the same thing: their constitutional sanction of freedom.

Inequality and racism have always been present in the history of America. Many people battle these injustices through different forms, such as writing, speaking, or protesting. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Frederick Douglass are both experienced in writing and speaking against certain injustices. In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” as well as in Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” they claim that injustice and inequality must be combatted in order for everyone to be free and equal.

With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final:” not slavery and oppression.” he's saying that although the Founding Fathers were peace men but they wanted to take action, they wanted a revolution in where they tried to make things right. I believe that his speech made the wake up and realize that they needed to take action right away and stop slavery because white and black people are no different from each

As time passed by, Frederick Douglass became well known. He empowered African Americans to develop their own skills to make a change in society. In Frederick’s opinion, he believed that people uphold the power to form a better future. Frederick questioned saying, “ what to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim” (Douglass 12).

In his 1963 speech, “I Have A Dream”, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asserts that now is the time to conquer racial inequality and it can be done neither alone nor through hate. Martin Luther King, Jr. begins his speech where the freedom began- The Emancipation Proclamation. The slaves were freed, but have those empty promises of the constitution been fulfilled? Segregation, as well as subconscious discrimination, have deprived even the free man of their unalienable rights.

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” he uses periodic sentences, syntax, diction, and allusions to write about his beliefs about the immense struggles African Americans experienced to gain their rights, how he views just and unjust laws, the many different influences have in their lives, and the cruel nature of the citizens, which are still prevalent today. First of all, African Americans went through immense struggles to get the rights they have today. African Americans watched their family members be innocently killed, experienced multiple cruel acts of segregation, and often felt strong resentment to the White population. For instance, Dr. King uses a periodic sentence and imagery to express the immense struggles African Americans endured to gain the

Ideologies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X The Civil Rights Movement 1950s and1960s consisted of the efforts made by Civil rights activist to end racial segregation and discrimination. Even though basic civil rights for African America where granted through the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments of the United States Constitution (Franklin, 535-536). However, Jim Crow laws and institutionalized racism continued to oppress African Americans decades later and considered them second class citizen. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are probably the most prominent African American civil rights leaders of the 20th century.

Both Frederick Douglass and Socrates prioritize the True over their reputations. Willing to admit his weaknesses, Douglass’s main goal is to seek the True even if it means leaving his reputation undefended. He begins his speech by having a “distrust of [his] ability” and claims that when it comes to public speaking, he has “little experience” (Douglass). Douglass admits that topics concerning American history should be discussed with people who were educated through the school system instead of with a slave who has no educational background. He ultimately establishes trust with his audience by pursuing the True over maintaining his reputation. Sharing similar priorities with Douglass, Socrates humbly accepts Callicles’ refutations and allows his reputation to be vulnerable.

To start with, it is hard to underestimate what Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglas did for the United States of America. People continue to respect them and their willingness to change this world into something better. Besides their strong love to liberty these representatives of the history of United States are usually presented as keepers of fundamental American values such as openness, informality, individualism, enterprise, directness, self-reliance and honesty. It is clear that these two men are very different from each other, but they do have a number of similarities that will be presented below as well as differences.

“I Have a Dream,” however, played a major step into changing it. It managed to inspire a generation of blacks to never give up and made thousands of white Americans bitterly ashamed of their actions, forging a new start for society. Even now, it continues to make generations of people, not just Americans, to give up their racist beliefs and advocate social colorblindness. Without King, America would be probably still heavily segregated. Other than the speech’s heartwarming and moving content, King’s effective structure along with the usage of all three rhetorical modes and certain rhetorical tropes and schemes has revealed the reason “I Have a Dream” as a masterpiece of rhetoric and it persuades hundreds of thousands of people support the blacks instead of treating them

Both lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speech are similar in that they both express the concept of freedom to achieve their purpose. However, they each have different ideas about freedom, and about what they want their audience to do. Both influential speeches rely heavily on rhetorical devices to convey their purpose. In King’s speech, the use of sensory and visceral language is abundant, creating an emotional and powerful atmosphere. “Manacles of discrimination,” “Lonely island of poverty” and “Chains of discrimination” paint a bleak picture of life as a minority in America, and contrasts phrases such as “Bright day of justice” and “Sacred obligation” which symbolize freedom.

The ultimate goal of justice is slowly but surely been achieved today for the black community. A day that heavily influenced this achievement was in 1963 during the March on Washington, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The man who changed lives that day only wanted those who heard him to apply his message to their lives. In his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses repetition, specific, illustrative detail and examples, allusions, and figurative language in order to amplify his message that his audience needed to bond together in order to fight for civil rights and justice now. Dr. King emphasizes the fact that his dream is to achieve racial equality and justice through the use of repetition.