There once was a girl named Weslee who accepted the fact that she had a boy’s name, except when others teased her for it. She didn’t think it was fair and their comments were sometimes too mean and they affected her self esteem. The weather was nice out one day during a track meet, so she decided to enter a sprinting contest as a boy, and it was a sight to see. She thought there was no way she could lose whether she was a girl or not, unless her shoe lace was loose which actually happened two days before. While she was waiting stationary for the race to start, she thought she might alter her strategy. It’s not right that a girl had to race with boys in order to prove herself. But she had to do something; it was the principle of the matter. Instead of racing, she decided to write to her principal on her new stationery, and effectively fix her problem. The letter went a little something like this:
Dear Principal Fasko,
You’re very good school administrator, but I believe that your job is also to keep bullying out of the school system. It seems these days woman are meant for only one thing, and it’s to go to the altar and get married, then become a housewife. It’s a sort of rite of passage. But I don’t want to be that kind of girl. I am okay with having a boy’s name, and I want to be able to do everything that a boy can do. I hope that this letter will affect the thoughts of other girls as well. Please stop the bullying in our school, because they’re hurting people’s feelings. It could leave people with lasting effects later in life.
Sincerely, Weslee
Who’s to say this letter wouldn’t help? She needed to go directly to the site of the problem, and that is what she did. She wanted to help someone else whose life was like hers, and one day, maybe be cited for her work, even if she had to trek across the country to get it. But then again, that might cost her a large bus fare.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Coretta Scott King
The wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was no stranger to the hardships of African Americans in the mid 1900s. She was born April 27, 1927, in Heiberger, Alabama. She was quickly exposed to the horrible effcets of segregation. She had to walk for five miles everyday to a one room school house, while her whites peers road buses to a bigger, much nicer school that was even closer in distance. Despite her obstacles, Corretta managed to succeed in the world of academia and graduated as valedictorian of Lincoln High School. She then went on to study music in Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. There she received a BA in music and education. She was then offered a scholarship to attend The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. There she studied concert singing. This is where she met Martin Luther King, Jr. for the first time, as he was attending theology school. They fell in love and were married on June 18, 1953. Martin Luther King, Sr. married them.
Mrs. King then finished school and followed her husband to Alabama. There she was found side by side with her husband as an active memeber in the Civil Rights Movement. She and her first born child barely escaped death when their home was bombed in 1956. Because she had a degree in singing, Mrs. King put on what was called Freedom Concerts to raise awareness for the Civil Rights Movement, and this put her in the spot light. She was then ask to speak publicly all the time. She was the first woman to deliver the Class Day Address at Harvard and the first woman to preach at the St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England.
After her husband's tragic death she was determined more then ever to keep his dream, that he spoke so passionately about, alive. She created the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. She also began writing a book titled My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King maintained her husband's commitment to the cause of economic justice. In 1974 she formed the Full Employment Action Council, a broad coalition of over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment and equal economic opportunity.
Mrs. King led the successful campaign to establish Dr. King's birthday, January 15, as a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986. In 1985 Mrs. King and three of her children were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., for protesting against that country's apartheid system of racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Ten years later, she stood with Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg when he was sworn in as President of South Africa.
She kept MLK's dream alive and continued to inspire other people just as he had in the past.
"Coretta Scott King." Academy of Achievement. 2 May 2007 http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/kin1bio-1.
Mrs. King then finished school and followed her husband to Alabama. There she was found side by side with her husband as an active memeber in the Civil Rights Movement. She and her first born child barely escaped death when their home was bombed in 1956. Because she had a degree in singing, Mrs. King put on what was called Freedom Concerts to raise awareness for the Civil Rights Movement, and this put her in the spot light. She was then ask to speak publicly all the time. She was the first woman to deliver the Class Day Address at Harvard and the first woman to preach at the St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England.
After her husband's tragic death she was determined more then ever to keep his dream, that he spoke so passionately about, alive. She created the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. She also began writing a book titled My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King maintained her husband's commitment to the cause of economic justice. In 1974 she formed the Full Employment Action Council, a broad coalition of over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment and equal economic opportunity.
Mrs. King led the successful campaign to establish Dr. King's birthday, January 15, as a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986. In 1985 Mrs. King and three of her children were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., for protesting against that country's apartheid system of racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Ten years later, she stood with Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg when he was sworn in as President of South Africa.
She kept MLK's dream alive and continued to inspire other people just as he had in the past.
"Coretta Scott King." Academy of Achievement. 2 May 2007 http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/kin1bio-1.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
What? How?
The Civil Rights Movement was sparked by many events that left the African American people of our country angry and pained. There were many acts of violence against their community that were completely wrong anf uncalled for. They were ready for a change. Here is a time line of events that were either a cause of the movement, or steps in the right direction.
1954-(May 17) Brown v. Board of Education: This case decided that segregation was unconstitutional, and it over turned the Plessy vs. Fergeson case that allowed segregation with a "seperate but equal" law.
1955-(Aug.) Emmett Till: A fourteen year old who was beaten and shot, then left for dead in the Tallahatchie River after being kidnapped in Mississippi. He was excused of whistling at a white woman, and the men who kidnapped him thought that death would be the best punishment.
(Dec. 1) Rosa Parks: Refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, which was custom at the time in the South. Her arrest started the boycott of the bus line in Montgomery AL, by the black community. This was one of Martin Luther King's first civil rights movement participation. Buses were desegregated Dec. 21, 1956.
1957- (Sept.) The Little Rock Nine: Central High School attempted to desegregate their all-white school, but the nine African American students were blocked from entering. President Eisenhower had to call in troops to get the students into the school. Integration wasn't going to be as simple as once believed.
1960- (Feb. 1) Greensboro, N.C.: Four black students North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College are refused service at a Woolworth's lunch counter. They begin a sit- in protest which sparks many other non-violent protests through out the South. They are finally served lunch at the same spot six months later.
1961- (May 4) "Freedom Riders": Student volunteers begin taking bus trips through the South to test out new laws that prohibit segregation in interstate travel facilities. They are harassed by angry mobs all along the way.
1954-(May 17) Brown v. Board of Education: This case decided that segregation was unconstitutional, and it over turned the Plessy vs. Fergeson case that allowed segregation with a "seperate but equal" law.
1955-(Aug.) Emmett Till: A fourteen year old who was beaten and shot, then left for dead in the Tallahatchie River after being kidnapped in Mississippi. He was excused of whistling at a white woman, and the men who kidnapped him thought that death would be the best punishment.
(Dec. 1) Rosa Parks: Refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, which was custom at the time in the South. Her arrest started the boycott of the bus line in Montgomery AL, by the black community. This was one of Martin Luther King's first civil rights movement participation. Buses were desegregated Dec. 21, 1956.
1957- (Sept.) The Little Rock Nine: Central High School attempted to desegregate their all-white school, but the nine African American students were blocked from entering. President Eisenhower had to call in troops to get the students into the school. Integration wasn't going to be as simple as once believed.
1960- (Feb. 1) Greensboro, N.C.: Four black students North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College are refused service at a Woolworth's lunch counter. They begin a sit- in protest which sparks many other non-violent protests through out the South. They are finally served lunch at the same spot six months later.
1961- (May 4) "Freedom Riders": Student volunteers begin taking bus trips through the South to test out new laws that prohibit segregation in interstate travel facilities. They are harassed by angry mobs all along the way.
Time Line Continued...
1962- (Oct. 1) James Meredith: The first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Violence and riots surrounding the incident cause President Kennedy to send 5,000 federal troops.
1963- (April 16) MLK: Wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail after being arrested during an anti- segregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama.
(June 12) Medgar Evers: NAACP field secretary is murdered and Byron De La Beckwith is tried twice in 1964, both times resulted in hung juries. He is finally convicted of murder thirty years later.
(Aug. 28) "I have a dream" Speech: MLK deilvers his famous speech to over 200,000 people during the March on Washthington protest at the Lincoln Memorial.
(Sept. 15) Sixteenth Street Baptist Church: Four girls are murdered are murdered when attending Sunday school when a car explodes outside of the church. This incident is followed by riots which result in more young deaths.
1964- (Aug. 4) Neshoba Country, Miss.: The bodies of three civil-rights workers—two white, one black—are found in an earthen dam. They were arrested by the police on speeding charges, incarcerated for several hours, and then released into the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, who then murdered them.
1965- (Feb. 21) Malcolm X: Black nationalist and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is shot to death.
(March 7) "Bloody Sunday": Blacks begin a march to Montgomery in support of voting rights but are stopped at the Pettus Bridge by a blockade. Fifty protesters are hospitalized due to police tear gas, whips, and clubs.
(Sept. 24, 1965) Affirmative Action: President Johnson issues Executive Order 11246, and enforces affirmative action for the first time.
1968- (April 4) Memphis, Tenn: Martin Luther King, just shy of 40, is shot on the balcony of his hotel room. Escaped convict and committed racist James Earl Ray is convicted of the crime.
"Civil Rights Timeline." Infoplease. 8 Apr. 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html.
1963- (April 16) MLK: Wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail after being arrested during an anti- segregation protest in Birmingham, Alabama.
(June 12) Medgar Evers: NAACP field secretary is murdered and Byron De La Beckwith is tried twice in 1964, both times resulted in hung juries. He is finally convicted of murder thirty years later.
(Aug. 28) "I have a dream" Speech: MLK deilvers his famous speech to over 200,000 people during the March on Washthington protest at the Lincoln Memorial.
(Sept. 15) Sixteenth Street Baptist Church: Four girls are murdered are murdered when attending Sunday school when a car explodes outside of the church. This incident is followed by riots which result in more young deaths.
1964- (Aug. 4) Neshoba Country, Miss.: The bodies of three civil-rights workers—two white, one black—are found in an earthen dam. They were arrested by the police on speeding charges, incarcerated for several hours, and then released into the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, who then murdered them.
1965- (Feb. 21) Malcolm X: Black nationalist and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is shot to death.
(March 7) "Bloody Sunday": Blacks begin a march to Montgomery in support of voting rights but are stopped at the Pettus Bridge by a blockade. Fifty protesters are hospitalized due to police tear gas, whips, and clubs.
(Sept. 24, 1965) Affirmative Action: President Johnson issues Executive Order 11246, and enforces affirmative action for the first time.
1968- (April 4) Memphis, Tenn: Martin Luther King, just shy of 40, is shot on the balcony of his hotel room. Escaped convict and committed racist James Earl Ray is convicted of the crime.
"Civil Rights Timeline." Infoplease. 8 Apr. 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
When? Where?
After becoming the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King became a member of of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Bowling, 116). He mobilized the black community during a 382-day boycott of the city's bus lines. He overcame arrest and violent harassment (the thing he was trying so hard to stop. His work paid off however, when the US Supreme Court decided that the segregation of public buses was unconstitutional. In 1957 King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which provided leadership for the civil rights movement.
For the next eleven years King was speaking anywhere that injustice or protest occurred relating to the civil rights movement. He traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times all across the country. He also managed to finish five books and many other articles on the subject. He tooks his ideals for leadership from his strong Christian background, and operated in his organizations using the Gandhi’s techniques. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech took place in Washington, DC, where he led a peacful march that some 250,000 people participated in (Martin).
Bowling, Lawson. Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society; A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005.
"Martin Luther King." NobelPrize.Org. 6 Feb. 2007.
For the next eleven years King was speaking anywhere that injustice or protest occurred relating to the civil rights movement. He traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times all across the country. He also managed to finish five books and many other articles on the subject. He tooks his ideals for leadership from his strong Christian background, and operated in his organizations using the Gandhi’s techniques. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech took place in Washington, DC, where he led a peacful march that some 250,000 people participated in (Martin).
Bowling, Lawson. Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society; A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005.
"Martin Luther King." NobelPrize.Org. 6 Feb. 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Who?
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was just two years old, Martin Luther King Sr. took the pastor position at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, replacing his father-in-law (Martin).This is when King’s strong Christian background began to emerge. His family, church, and school were the most important thing in King’s life as a child. King was quoted saying
There were also several instances that occurred when King was young that influenced his way of thinking in a negative way. For example starting at the age of five, King was influenced by witnessing soup lines during the Great Depression. At the age of six he felt what it was like to be subjected to racism. The father of one of his white friends banned his son from playing with King because he was a child of color (Moses, 10). Despite these negative events in King’s young life, when he first entered public school, he proved to be an excellent young student (Bowling, 116).
Gandhi was one of the major influences on King’s operational philosophies. Gandhi believed on solving problems, big and small, with out using violence. Gandhi’s philosophy and technique of Satyagraha is the resistance to tyranny through truth and nonviolence (Misra 21). Truth, nonviolence, and Ahimsa, or love, are the bases of Satyagraha. Truth is the fullest possible concordance of one’s experience of a fact or and event or a thought by one’s senses and reason which one believes with one’s whole being as a witness (Misra, 32). Nonviolence is non-injury to any living creature by thought, word and deed in its negative aspect, and love or identity of interest with the ‘others’ in its positive aspect. All life is one (Misra, 32).
Gandhi believed that if injustice blocked the path of individuals or a community from living normal, free from fear lives, then they should adopt Satyagraha as a weapon. They should insist on truth being established and resist all authority or source of evil with nonviolence. He felt that conflict of interests are inevitable, but he believed that the ultimate interests of all are one and therefore, one should strive hard to see that no violence occurs, no destruction takes place, no bitterness is generated, and a solution is found which is just to both sides (Misra, 35). Gandhi’s moral law applies equally to all people, whether you are a common citizen, merchant, lawyer, politician, or a solider (Misra 24). He felt that until people can see that all human life is an integrated whole, there could be no peace in the world (Misra, 24).
"Martin Luther King." NobelPrize.Org. 6 Feb. 2007 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html.
Bowling, Lawson. Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society; A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005.
Misra, K.P., S.C. Gangal. Gandhi and the Contemporary World. Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1981.
There were also several instances that occurred when King was young that influenced his way of thinking in a negative way. For example starting at the age of five, King was influenced by witnessing soup lines during the Great Depression. At the age of six he felt what it was like to be subjected to racism. The father of one of his white friends banned his son from playing with King because he was a child of color (Moses, 10). Despite these negative events in King’s young life, when he first entered public school, he proved to be an excellent young student (Bowling, 116).
Gandhi was one of the major influences on King’s operational philosophies. Gandhi believed on solving problems, big and small, with out using violence. Gandhi’s philosophy and technique of Satyagraha is the resistance to tyranny through truth and nonviolence (Misra 21). Truth, nonviolence, and Ahimsa, or love, are the bases of Satyagraha. Truth is the fullest possible concordance of one’s experience of a fact or and event or a thought by one’s senses and reason which one believes with one’s whole being as a witness (Misra, 32). Nonviolence is non-injury to any living creature by thought, word and deed in its negative aspect, and love or identity of interest with the ‘others’ in its positive aspect. All life is one (Misra, 32).
Gandhi believed that if injustice blocked the path of individuals or a community from living normal, free from fear lives, then they should adopt Satyagraha as a weapon. They should insist on truth being established and resist all authority or source of evil with nonviolence. He felt that conflict of interests are inevitable, but he believed that the ultimate interests of all are one and therefore, one should strive hard to see that no violence occurs, no destruction takes place, no bitterness is generated, and a solution is found which is just to both sides (Misra, 35). Gandhi’s moral law applies equally to all people, whether you are a common citizen, merchant, lawyer, politician, or a solider (Misra 24). He felt that until people can see that all human life is an integrated whole, there could be no peace in the world (Misra, 24).
"Martin Luther King." NobelPrize.Org. 6 Feb. 2007 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html.
Bowling, Lawson. Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society; A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005.
Misra, K.P., S.C. Gangal. Gandhi and the Contemporary World. Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1981.
Is the evidence there?
When talking about Martin Luther King Jr., I think many would agree that there is definately no lack of information out there. He was one of the most influencial people in the history of the United States. Not only is Dr. King famous as a person, but the issues he addressed were also such a large part of our history, that it wont be soon forgetten.
The Civil Rights Movement was huge. It effected everyone in the nation, where they were for or against the rights of American Americans. Once the laws were passed and Dr. King's dream came true, our nation was never the same. There was no more legal segregation, and people were legally created equal.
Today there is still a lot of racism problems out there, and I think the best way to get past it all, would be to learn from our history, and not make the same mistakes over and over again. There are books, movies, websites, journals, speeches, parades, strikes, and many other things that show the part of our history that we need to always remember, otherwise, our country could become divided once again.
The Civil Rights Movement was huge. It effected everyone in the nation, where they were for or against the rights of American Americans. Once the laws were passed and Dr. King's dream came true, our nation was never the same. There was no more legal segregation, and people were legally created equal.
Today there is still a lot of racism problems out there, and I think the best way to get past it all, would be to learn from our history, and not make the same mistakes over and over again. There are books, movies, websites, journals, speeches, parades, strikes, and many other things that show the part of our history that we need to always remember, otherwise, our country could become divided once again.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Expository
My research paper is most likely going to be an expository research paper. I say this because I will be putting forth specific information, as opposed to bringing up an argument, or trying to persuade the reader to believe what I am writing about. There really is no right or wrong idea about my paper, because it is simply straight up facts about the social, moral, and political philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr.
One might take the information about Dr. King’s beliefs as being right or wrong, but the facts that I will be presenting come straight from our country’s history, and for the most part can not be challenged. If i were to be writing a persuasive research paper, I might try to get the reader to believe in what Martin Luther King Jr. believed in. I may argue that segregation and discrimination are wrong, and should not have gone on as long as they did without a law against them.
One might take the information about Dr. King’s beliefs as being right or wrong, but the facts that I will be presenting come straight from our country’s history, and for the most part can not be challenged. If i were to be writing a persuasive research paper, I might try to get the reader to believe in what Martin Luther King Jr. believed in. I may argue that segregation and discrimination are wrong, and should not have gone on as long as they did without a law against them.
Source # 5
My fifth source is a book titled Revolution of Conscience by Greg Moses. I found a certain section in the book useful, because it discusses events in Kings life both at a young age and an adult.
His family, church, and school were the most important thing in King’s life as a child. He was quoted saying: “It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present. It is quite easy for me to think of the universe as basically friendly mainly because of my uplifting hereditary and environmental circumstances. It is quite easy for me to lean toward optimism than pessimism about human nature mainly because of my childhood experiences”.
There were also several instances that occurred when King was young that influenced his way of thinking in a negative way. For example starting at the age of five, King was influenced by witnessing soup lines during the Great Depression. At the age of six he felt what it was like to be subjected to racism. The father of one of his white friends banned his son from playing with King because he was a child of color. Despite these negative events in King’s young life, when he first entered public school, he proved to be an excellent young student
Moses, Greg. Revolution of Conscience. New York: The Guilford Press, 1997.
His family, church, and school were the most important thing in King’s life as a child. He was quoted saying: “It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present. It is quite easy for me to think of the universe as basically friendly mainly because of my uplifting hereditary and environmental circumstances. It is quite easy for me to lean toward optimism than pessimism about human nature mainly because of my childhood experiences”.
There were also several instances that occurred when King was young that influenced his way of thinking in a negative way. For example starting at the age of five, King was influenced by witnessing soup lines during the Great Depression. At the age of six he felt what it was like to be subjected to racism. The father of one of his white friends banned his son from playing with King because he was a child of color. Despite these negative events in King’s young life, when he first entered public school, he proved to be an excellent young student
Moses, Greg. Revolution of Conscience. New York: The Guilford Press, 1997.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Famous Words (source # 4)
During research, I came across a cite that was loaded with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. They are all pretty inspirational, and uplifting. I thought I would use this blog to share a few of the ones I thought were most interesting. They also give you a sense of how Dr. King spoke to his audiences while he was still alive.
"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."-MLK
"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers." - MLK 'Strength to Love,' 1963
"Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." - MLK Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1963
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."- MLK Strength to Love, 1963
"Quotations by Author." The Quotations Page. 17 Feb. 2007 http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Martin_Luther_King_Jr./.
Vietnam War
While researching about MLK's political philosophies, I found some information about his stand on the Vietnam War. First, he felt that the war took away from the poverty program that had been started in the U.S. It not only took attention away from the issue but also funding. He thought of the war as an enemy to the poor. Before the war, it looked as if there was going to be a solution to poverty, but as Vietnam began to buildup, that hope faded in the background. King knew that as long as our nation’s government was going to participate in the war, they would not give extra funds or attention to the poverty problem in their own backyard (Beyond p.9). Also, we were sending troops over to Vietnam, both black and white, to help guarentee liberties in Southeast Asia, which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem here at home in the U.S.. The nation was seeing pictures of young white men and young black men dying together for a nation that was unable to seat them together in school. The irony of the situation seemed to be overwhelming. It didn’t make much sense as to why we were sending blacks and whites to fight for liberty in a country so far away, when they didn’t have the same liberties back in their home country (Beyond p.10) I agree with much of what King says, because I didn't thing that it made much sense to participate in a war thousands of miles away, before we could solve the problems within our own country.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Peers Helping Peers
During Tuesday's class we got together and shared our papers. We are all working on different subjects and we all have somewhat different writing styles so I found it to be pretty helpful to get some insite on my paper.
I got a lot of help with changing up a few sentences or phrases that sounded awkward to the reader. Along with that my peers made a few grammer corrections such as commas and incorrect spelling. I think it is always helpful to have a new set of eyes go over your paper. They always seem to catch the mistakes that you miss from reading the paper too many times in your own head.
I basically gave the same kind of corrections to my peers as well. Again grammer and spelling errors, along with a few mechanical things. There was some repetition in one paper, and citation errors in the others.
Overall I thought that meeting as a group and going over our papers was helpful. I got to tell them what to look for and what I needed help with, and they delivered.
I got a lot of help with changing up a few sentences or phrases that sounded awkward to the reader. Along with that my peers made a few grammer corrections such as commas and incorrect spelling. I think it is always helpful to have a new set of eyes go over your paper. They always seem to catch the mistakes that you miss from reading the paper too many times in your own head.
I basically gave the same kind of corrections to my peers as well. Again grammer and spelling errors, along with a few mechanical things. There was some repetition in one paper, and citation errors in the others.
Overall I thought that meeting as a group and going over our papers was helpful. I got to tell them what to look for and what I needed help with, and they delivered.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Looking to Gandhi (source # 3)
I found out in my one of my other sources that Martin Luther King Jr. took his ideals from his strong Christian background, and his operational ways from Gandhi. That cued me in on finding more about Gandhi and his ideas in order to understand how MLK operated.
Dr. King was heavily influenced by Dr. Johnson, a famous educator, while he attended Crozer Theological Seminary. Dr. Johnson, having recently returned from India, was full of admiration for Gandhi. Gandhi was the subject of an address he made, which Dr. King attended his senior year. Dr. Johnson stressed Gandhi's demonstration of the redemptive power of love as an instrument of nonviolent social reform. King then pursued Gandhi's writings about ahimsa and satyagraha.
King then used what he learned and spoke of love as the answer to overcome social inequality issues. For example, when King's home was bombed in 1956, he urged the crowd to not resist police because violence must be met with nonviolence. He calmed the angry crowd down, and it was evident that the words of Gandhi were now embedded into his mind, and his life.
Power, Paul F. The Meanings of Gandhi. First ed. The UP of Hawaii, 1971. 158-163
Dr. King was heavily influenced by Dr. Johnson, a famous educator, while he attended Crozer Theological Seminary. Dr. Johnson, having recently returned from India, was full of admiration for Gandhi. Gandhi was the subject of an address he made, which Dr. King attended his senior year. Dr. Johnson stressed Gandhi's demonstration of the redemptive power of love as an instrument of nonviolent social reform. King then pursued Gandhi's writings about ahimsa and satyagraha.
King then used what he learned and spoke of love as the answer to overcome social inequality issues. For example, when King's home was bombed in 1956, he urged the crowd to not resist police because violence must be met with nonviolence. He calmed the angry crowd down, and it was evident that the words of Gandhi were now embedded into his mind, and his life.
Power, Paul F. The Meanings of Gandhi. First ed. The UP of Hawaii, 1971. 158-163
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
So Far...
Besides trying to keep track of how many blogs are due at this point in the semester, everything is going pretty well. As one could assume, there is plenty of information out there about Martin Luther King Jr., so I'm not having trouble finding any sources. I am, however, somewhat struggling on how to sift through these sources to find qualifying information for my paper. I think that once I make an outline of how I want my eight + pages to look, I'll be able to find the key information that I need.
I also think that right now I just have a jumble off things for this paper all scattered around, whether it be on my desk or in cyber space. Once I get organized and can really see my paper coming together I wont stress so much over it.
I know that there is plenty of information all over the place about Martin Luther King, but im worried that my paper is going to turn into a biography instead of just about the points I want to cover. Those points include his social, moral, and political philosophies. I know I can get away from MLK by talking about where he gets his ideals from which is his strong Christian background. I may be able to discuss that topic and get a few pages out of that and a few pages out of Gandhi which is where he got his operational ideas from. Im just hoping I can make this paper turn out the way I planned for.
I also think that right now I just have a jumble off things for this paper all scattered around, whether it be on my desk or in cyber space. Once I get organized and can really see my paper coming together I wont stress so much over it.
I know that there is plenty of information all over the place about Martin Luther King, but im worried that my paper is going to turn into a biography instead of just about the points I want to cover. Those points include his social, moral, and political philosophies. I know I can get away from MLK by talking about where he gets his ideals from which is his strong Christian background. I may be able to discuss that topic and get a few pages out of that and a few pages out of Gandhi which is where he got his operational ideas from. Im just hoping I can make this paper turn out the way I planned for.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
The Life of MLK (source # 2)
This source that I’ve found through the internet will be very useful to me during the course of writing my research paper. As you navigate through the website there are a variety of this to look at and go through. There is a brief biography of his life and his works. The biography skips through his life pretty fast, so I need to gather information to fill all the gaps that were left out, but it at least gives me somewhere to start. There is also a section that has parts of his speeches that I can use to put on blog spot to make the site a little bit more interesting. There is a timeline to better view his life and to get important dates and events from. There are photos I can also use to make the blog spot more appealing.
After going through this website i found out that there is a lot of information that i do not know about MLK. For example he wasn’t’ born with the name Martin, instead it was Michael. It was changed to Martin when he was six years old. However, the biography does not say why his name was changed, so that is an example of the kind of information I would be looking for in another source, in order to complete his background in my paper.
"The Life of Martin Luther King Jr." The Seattle Tmes. 01 Feb. 2007 .http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/king/biography.html.
After going through this website i found out that there is a lot of information that i do not know about MLK. For example he wasn’t’ born with the name Martin, instead it was Michael. It was changed to Martin when he was six years old. However, the biography does not say why his name was changed, so that is an example of the kind of information I would be looking for in another source, in order to complete his background in my paper.
"The Life of Martin Luther King Jr." The Seattle Tmes. 01 Feb. 2007 .http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/king/biography.html.
Martin Luther King Jr.
I’ve recently decided to switch my subject from discrimination to Martin Luther King Jr., in order to be able to organize my research in an easier fashion. I felt that discrimination was too broad of a subject, and I couldn’t think of the right topic to go with it. My topic is now the social, moral, and political philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr.
Obviously the main figure in of my paper will be Martin Luther King Jr., so I’ve decided to begin my research with learning about his background.
MLK was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. MLK’s father, Martin Luther King Sr. was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and his mother Alberta King was a teacher. Many might not know that MLK was born Michael Luther King and didn’t have his named changed to Martin until he was six years old.
MLK was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. MLK’s father, Martin Luther King Sr. was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and his mother Alberta King was a teacher. Many might not know that MLK was born Michael Luther King and didn’t have his named changed to Martin until he was six years old.
MLK never planned on following in his father’s footsteps in becoming a pastor, and he enrolled in to Morehouse College in 1944. While attending, he met a man by the name of Dr. Benjamin Mays who eventually showed King that becoming a pastor was the right thing for him to do. He then attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania after receiving a BA at Morehouse. At Crozer he won the Plafker Award for being the most outstanding student of his class, and along with that he won the J. Lewis Crozer Fellowship. King finished his doctorate in 1955 after he completed his dissertation.
He then moved to Montgomery, Alabama and became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. That was when he began to pave the way into the civil rights movement. He mobilized the black community during a 382-day boycott of the city's bus lines. He overcame arrest, violent harassment (the thing he was trying so hard to stop), and even the bombing of his house. His work paid off however, when the US supreme court decided that the segregation of public buses was unconstitutional.
"The Life of Martin Luther King Jr." The Seattle Tmes. 01 Feb. 2007.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/king/biography.html.
"The Life of Martin Luther King Jr." The Seattle Tmes. 01 Feb. 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Discrimination Source #1
I found this source to be helpful. It gives a lot of statistics and background information to help understand certain ideas about discrimination. It also names ways people discriminate other than then just racially. It surveyed people of different races on how they are treated by others, and measures their experiences in ways that are helpful in research.
Despite the end of legally-imposed segregation and the expansion of opportunities for African Americans, recent qualitative studies document the persistence of discrimination in a broad range of social settings for blacks. Other research indicates that Hispanics and Asian Americans also experience discrimination.
Nine items captured the frequency of the following experiences in day-to-day life:
1. being treated with less courtesy than others
2. less respect than others
3. receiving poorer service than others in restaurants or stores
4. people acting as if you are not smart
5. they are better than you
6. they are afraid of you
7. they think you are dishonest
8. being called names or insulted
9. being threatened or harassed.
"Discrimination." 25 Jan. 2007 http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Psychosocial/notebook/discrimination.html.
Despite the end of legally-imposed segregation and the expansion of opportunities for African Americans, recent qualitative studies document the persistence of discrimination in a broad range of social settings for blacks. Other research indicates that Hispanics and Asian Americans also experience discrimination.
Nine items captured the frequency of the following experiences in day-to-day life:
1. being treated with less courtesy than others
2. less respect than others
3. receiving poorer service than others in restaurants or stores
4. people acting as if you are not smart
5. they are better than you
6. they are afraid of you
7. they think you are dishonest
8. being called names or insulted
9. being threatened or harassed.
"Discrimination." 25 Jan. 2007 http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Psychosocial/notebook/discrimination.html.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
My Research Topic
Since I still have yet to choose a major here at KSU, using it for a research topic is not really an option. I could always research a topic I am interested in such as a hobby, but then again, since it would be a hobby, I probably wouldn't be learning very much new information. I would rather pick a topic that I have always wanted to know about, but have yet to take the time to sit down and research. Racism is still a very large issue in today's society, and I believe that it is because of communication gaps, or people not knowing about other people. Researching African American history and culture, could help close the gap. Knowing where the culture sparked from and how it was molded into what it is today could help me to understand where racism begins. Im not sure if this is going to be my topic for sure, but I think it would be a good way to spend my time researching.
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