mlk essay examples

Martin Luther King Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on martin luter king.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American leader in the U.S. He lost his life while performing a peaceful protest for the betterment of blacks in America. His real name was Michael King Jr. He completed his studies and attained a Ph.D. After that, he joined the American Civil Right Movement. He was among one of the great men who dedicated their life for the community.

Reason for Martin Luther King to be famous

There are two reasons for someone to be famous either he is a good man or a very bad person. Martin Luther King was among the good one who dedicated his life to the community. Martin Luther King was also known as MLK Jr. He gained popularity after he became the leader and spokesperson of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Martin Luther King was an American activist, minister, and humanitarian. Also, he had worked for several other causes and actively participated in many protests and boycotts. He was a peaceful man that has faith in Christian beliefs and non-violence. Also, his inspiration for them was the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. For his work in the field of civil rights, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize.

He was a great speaker that motivated the blacks to protest using non-violence. Also, he uses peaceful strategies like a boycott, protest march , and sit-ins, etc. for protests against the government.

Impact of King

King is one of the renowned leaders of the African-American who worked for the welfare of his community throughout his life. He was very famous among the community and is the strongest voice of the community. King and his fellow companies and peaceful protesters forced the government several times to bend their laws. Also, kings’ life made a seismic impact on life and thinking of the blacks. He was among one of the great leaders of the era.

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Humanitarian and civil rights work

As we know that King was a civic leader . Also, he has taken part in many civil right campaigns and boycotts like the Bus Boycott, Voting Rights and the most famous March on Washington. In this march along with more than 200,000 people, he marched towards Washington for human right. Also, it’s the largest human right campaign in U.S.A. history. During the protest, he gave a speech named “I Have a Dream” which is history’s one of the renowned speeches.

Death and memorial

During his life working as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement he makes many enemies. Also, the government and plans do everything to hurt his reputation. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Every year the US celebrates his anniversary as Martin Luther King Jr. day in the US. Also, they honored kings’ memory by naming school and building after him and a Memorial at Independence Mall.

Martin Luther King was a great man who dedicated his whole life for his community. Also, he was an active leader and a great spokesperson that not only served his people but also humanity. It was due to his contribution that the African-American got their civil rights.

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

Mahatma Gandhi
APJ Abdul Kalam
Jawaharlal Nehru
Swami Vivekananda
Mother Teresa
Rabindranath Tagore
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Subhash Chandra Bose
Abraham Lincoln
Martin Luther King

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How to Write the MLK Scholars Program NYU Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Moriah Adeghe in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

Approaching the prompt.

Why You Should Do Your Research

Example Essay

The Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Scholars Program at New York University (NYU) has an extra essay with a 200-word limit. The prompt asks:

“In what ways have you enacted change in your community and what has been your motivation for doing so? This can include enacting change globally, locally, or within your family (200 words, optional).”

In this article, we go over the best ways to approach this essay and how to make yours unique. For more information on NYU’s other application essays, check out our post on how to write the NYU supplemental admissions essays .

The MLK Scholars Program is an NYU program dedicated to educating and empowering students to build an inclusive and civically engaged community of leaders. The prompt for the MLK Scholars’ essay is completely optional, so you only have to write this essay if you want to be a part of the program.

This prompt is a generic, open-ended question that enables you to respond in many different ways.

As a general tip, your response to this prompt should not only express your interest in the program but also reflect the values that led you to apply. These should align with those of the MLK Scholars Program and how you’re committed to contributing to social justice both inside and outside your community.

Why You Should Do Your Research

Before you begin writing your response, you need to research Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his work, and his message thoroughly. This will help you understand which of your values are relevant, what you should highlight, and how you can align your essay with the values that he embodied. You want to prove to admissions officers that your values and characteristics align with the mission and spirit of the program. By doing your research, you can strategically position the experiences that you write about to show that you are the type of student the program is seeking.

The ideal response to this prompt would include the following information: an experience that sparked your interest in social justice, an issue that you want to tackle, and how being an MLK Scholar will help you reach your future goals and how these goals align with the program’s mission. Including these three topics in your essay will demonstrate why you are a good candidate for the program.

A good way to brainstorm how you want your essay to sound is by reading other students’ essays for inspiration. The following essay was written by an MLK Scholars applicant who was accepted into the program.

“‘No! Por favor!’ I checked the clock. 10:30 a.m. and already the fourth time I’ve heard someone scream from Mr. Wilson’s office. When I accepted a summer internship as a law clerk, I never anticipated 90% of the cases would be deportation based.

“Nearly every hopeful face I greeted with a smile on the way in, walked out with their head down and their cheek stained with tears. How foolish it was to think that I could make a positive impact on the world this summer when all I do is file paperwork as people’s lives are torn to pieces. While nowhere near the despair the deported clients felt, my personal frustration toward my helplessness manifested into resolve to fix this country’s immigration policies. Instead of working within the restraints of unjust laws, I plan to be leading discussions and writing the language that will help aspiring citizens, not punish them.

“As an MLK Scholar, my ambitions will be fostered and hopefully blossomed into a reality. I’m eager to work with faculty that will aid my research on immigration policies and other nations during the first-year research seminar. Not only will I have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with immigration lawyers in the heart of New York City, but the program’s travel colloquia will perfectly allow me to get an up-close look at the immigration policies of the countries I researched. While my journey with immigration law had a disheartening beginning, the MLK Scholars Program will turn my dream of justice into a reality.”

The student established an emotional connection to the topic of social justice with their anecdote; they then explained what they hope to change about the world and what they plan to do at NYU to achieve this. This student’s drive and passion for social justice are exactly what admissions officers are looking for. They want students who will be leaders both on campus and beyond. This essay shows the student’s drive, passions, and how they believe that they will be able to make a difference and impact the problems that they are passionate about.

Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech

I have a dream: essay introduction, martin luther king’s speech: essay conclusion, reference list.

One of the finest explanations of American’s dream is the powerful speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. He delivered the speech at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, in Washington D.C. The speech is mainly centered on racial equality and stoppage of discrimination.

At that time, racial segregation ruled in almost all places: be it schools, neighborhoods and even in social places. With violence and riots so often, it was a disturbing moment for America although the U.S government was doing nothing to change the situation. Through the speech, Dr. King was educating inspiring and informing both the civil supporters and the unborn generation in the world to reach out to their dreams and giving his audience hope for a better future.

Up to the time when he was delivering the speech, African Americans were still under slavery from the white people as indicated in the below excerpt.

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 is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land (Luther, 1963, para. 2).

The speech depicts the idea that someone can actually be anything that he dreams of becoming. Dr. King suggested that America is a land full of opportunities and that Americans should maximize on them. Before transforming the world, he saw the need to begin in America. Dr. King began the speech with a rhetoric phrase, ’Now is the time’, a tool that he used throughout speech. In the sixth paragraph of his speech, he used the phrase six times.

He was echoing to his audience to get hold of the moment. More so he used the phrase, ‘I have a dream eight times. By so doing he was echoing future hope for the people that will make them forget about all the slavery sufferings and injustices that they had faced while under slavery.

This is a sign of hope for the future too. He brought in the idea of slavery to suggest that it is still operational in today’s world. By using the word ‘slave-owners’, Dr. King was referring to the white, however to calm any tension between the black and the white people, he re-unites them by saying, “… will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood” (Luther, 1963, para.12).

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.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners ………, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice…. I have a dream today (Luther, 1963, para.12).

The dream in the above context symbolizes the aspirations that Dr. King had of America setting the stage for the rest of the world. He also says that ‘this nation will rise up’ meaning that he had fathomed a revolution time when the Americans will be accepted as right persons in the States (Luther, 1963, para.12).

There was an established racial discrimination that is why he sent such a strong message to the white. More importantly is the fact that his words were advocating for peace hence providing the vision that anyone would buy it. There above discussion hence shows that Martin Luther King, Jr was really, an effective public speaker.

Luther, M. (1963). I have a dream. Web.

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Three Essays on Religion

Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.

Date: September 1, 1948 to May 31, 1951 ?

Location: Chester, Pa. ?

Genre: Essay

Topic: Martin Luther King, Jr. - Education

In the following three essays, King wrestles with the role of religion in modern society. In the first assignment, he calls science and religion “different though converging truths” that both “spring from the same seeds of vital human needs.” King emphasizes an awareness of God’s presence in the second document, noting that religion’s purpose “is not to perpetuate a dogma or a theology; but to produce living witnesses and testimonies to the power of God in human experience.” In the final handwritten essay King acknowledges the life-affirming nature of Christianity, observing that its adherents have consistently “looked forward for a time to come when the law of love becomes the law of life.”

"Science and Religion"

There is widespread belief in the minds of many that there is a conflict between science and religion. But there is no fundamental issue between the two. While the conflict has been waged long and furiously, it has been on issues utterly unrelated either to religion or to science. The conflict has been largely one of trespassing, and as soon as religion and science discover their legitimate spheres the conflict ceases.

Religion, of course, has been very slow and loath to surrender its claim to sovereignty in all departments of human life; and science overjoyed with recent victories, has been quick to lay claim to a similar sovereignty. Hence the conflict.

But there was never a conflict between religion and science as such. There cannot be. Their respective worlds are different. Their methods are dissimilar and their immediate objectives are not the same. The method of science is observation, that of religion contemplation. Science investigates. Religion interprets. One seeks causes, the other ends. Science thinks in terms of history, religion in terms of teleology. One is a survey, the other an outlook.

The conflict was always between superstition disguised as religion and materialism disguised as science, between pseudo-science and pseudo-religion.

Religion and science are two hemispheres of human thought. They are different though converging truths. Both science and religion spring from the same seeds of vital human needs.

Science is the response to the human need of knowledge and power. Religion is the response to the human need for hope and certitude. One is an outreaching for mastery, the other for perfection. Both are man-made, and like man himself, are hedged about with limitations. Neither science nor religion, by itself, is sufficient for man. Science is not civilization. Science is organized knowledge; but civilization which is the art of noble and progressive communal living requires much more than knowledge. It needs beauty which is art, and faith and moral aspiration which are religion. It needs artistic and spiritual values along with the intellectual.

Man cannot live by facts alone. What we know is little enough. What we are likely to know will always be little in comparison with what there is to know. But man has a wish-life which must build inverted pyramids upon the apexes of known facts. This is not logical. It is, however, psychological.

Science and religion are not rivals. It is only when one attempts to be the oracle at the others shrine that confusion arises. Whan the scientist from his laboratory, on the basis of alleged scientific knowledge presumes to issue pronouncements on God, on the origin and destiny of life, and on man's place in the scheme of things he is [ passing? ] out worthless checks. When the religionist delivers ultimatums to the scientist on the basis of certain cosomologies embedded in the sacred text then he is a sorry spectacle indeed.

When religion, however, on the strength of its own postulates, speaks to men of God and the moral order of the universe, when it utters its prophetic burden of justice and love and holiness and peace, then its voice is the voice of the eternal spiritual truth, irrefutable and invincible.,

"The Purpose of Religion"

What is the purpose of religion? 1 Is it to perpetuate an idea about God? Is it totally dependent upon revelation? What part does psychological experience play? Is religion synonymous with theology?

Harry Emerson Fosdick says that the most hopeful thing about any system of theology is that it will not last. 2 This statement will shock some. But is the purpose of religion the perpetuation of theological ideas? Religion is not validated by ideas, but by experience.

This automatically raises the question of salvation. Is the basis for salvation in creeds and dogmas or in experience. Catholics would have us believe the former. For them, the church, its creeds, its popes and bishops have recited the essence of religion and that is all there is to it. On the other hand we say that each soul must make its own reconciliation to God; that no creed can take the place of that personal experience. This was expressed by Paul Tillich when he said, “There is natural religion which belongs to man by nature. But there is also a revealed religion which man receives from a supernatural reality.” 3 Relevant religion therefore, comes through revelation from God, on the one hand; and through repentance and acceptance of salvation on the other hand. 4 Dogma as an agent in salvation has no essential place.

This is the secret of our religion. This is what makes the saints move on in spite of problems and perplexities of life that they must face. This religion of experience by which man is aware of God seeking him and saving him helps him to see the hands of God moving through history.

Religion has to be interpreted for each age; stated in terms that that age can understand. But the essential purpose of religion remains the same. It is not to perpetuate a dogma or theology; but to produce living witnesses and testimonies to the power of God in human experience.

[ signed ] M. L. King Jr. 5

"The Philosophy of Life Undergirding Christianity and the Christian Ministry"

Basically Christianity is a value philosophy. It insists that there are eternal values of intrinsic, self-evidencing validity and worth, embracing the true and the beautiful and consummated in the Good. This value content is embodied in the life of Christ. So that Christian philosophy is first and foremost Christocentric. It begins and ends with the assumption that Christ is the revelation of God. 6

We might ask what are some of the specific values that Christianity seeks to conserve? First Christianity speaks of the value of the world. In its conception of the world, it is not negative; it stands over against the asceticisms, world denials, and world flights, for example, of the religions of India, and is world-affirming, life affirming, life creating. Gautama bids us flee from the world, but Jesus would have us use it, because God has made it for our sustenance, our discipline, and our happiness. 7 So that the Christian view of the world can be summed up by saying that it is a place in which God is fitting men and women for the Kingdom of God.

Christianity also insists on the value of persons. All human personality is supremely worthful. This is something of what Schweitzer has called “reverence for life.” 8 Hunan being must always be used as ends; never as means. I realize that there have been times that Christianity has short at this point. There have been periods in Christians history that persons have been dealt with as if they were means rather than ends. But Christianity at its highest and best has always insisted that persons are intrinsically valuable. And so it is the job of the Christian to love every man because God love love. We must not love men merely because of their social or economic position or because of their cultural contribution, but we are to love them because God they are of value to God.

Christianity is also concerned about the value of life itself. Christianity is concerned about the good life for every child, man, and woman and child. This concern for the good life and the value of life is no where better expressed than in the words of Jesus in the gospel of John: “I came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” 9 This emphasis has run throughout the Christian tradition. Christianity has always had a concern for the elimination of disease and pestilence. This is seen in the great interest that it has taken in the hospital movement.

Christianity is concerned about increasing value. The whole concept of the kingdom of God on earth expressing a concern for increasing value. We need not go into a dicussion of the nature and meaning of the Kingdom of God, only to say that Christians throughout the ages have held tenaciouly to this concept. They have looked forward for a time to come when the law of love becomes the law of life.

In the light of all that we have said about Christianity as a value philosophy, where does the ministry come into the picture? 10

1. King may have also considered the purpose of religion in a Morehouse paper that is no longer extant, as he began a third Morehouse paper, “Last week we attempted to discuss the purpose of religion” (King, “The Purpose of Education,” September 1946-February 1947, in Papers 1:122).

2. “Harry Emerson Fosdick” in American Spiritual Autobiographies: Fifteen Self-Portraits, ed. Louis Finkelstein (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1948), p. 114: “The theology of any generation cannot be understood, apart from the conditioning social matrix in which it is formulated. All systems of theology are as transient as the cultures they are patterned from.”

3. King further developed this theme in his dissertation: “[Tillich] finds a basis for God's transcendence in the conception of God as abyss. There is a basic inconsistency in Tillich's thought at this point. On the one hand he speaks as a religious naturalist making God wholly immanent in nature. On the other hand he speaks as an extreme supernaturalist making God almost comparable to the Barthian ‘wholly other’” (King, “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman,” 15 April 1955, in Papers 2:535).

4. Commas were added after the words “religion” and “salvation.”

5. King folded this assignment lengthwise and signed his name on the verso of the last page.

6. King also penned a brief outline with this title (King, “The Philosophy of Life Undergirding Christianity and the Christian Ministry,” Outline, September 1948-May 1951). In the outline, King included the reference “see Enc. Of Religion p. 162.” This entry in An Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. Vergilius Ferm (New York: Philosophical Library, 1946) contains a definition of Christianity as “Christo-centric” and as consisting “of eternal values of intrinsic, self-evidencing validity and worth, embracing the true and the beautiful and consummated in the Good.” King kept this book in his personal library.

7. Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-ca. 483 BCE) was the historical Buddha.

8. For an example of Schweitzer's use of the phrase “reverence for life,” see Albert Schweitzer, “The Ethics of Reverence for Life,” Christendom 1 (1936): 225-239.

9. John 10:10.

10. In his outline for this paper, King elaborated: “The Ministry provides leadership in helping men to recognize and accept the eternal values in the Xty religion. a. The necessity of a call b. The necessity for disinterested love c. The [ necessity ] for moral uprightness” (King, “Philosophy of Life,” Outline, September 1948-May 1951).

Source: CSKC-INP, Coretta Scott King Collection, In Private Hands, Sermon file.

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Martin Luther King Essay Examples

Rhetorical analysis of the speech i have a dream by martin luther king.

In August 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the infamous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. In this memorable speech, King faces the lack of free will that African Americans had in society. One of the largest demonstrations in the...

Martin's "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" and 'A Call for Unity' Letter

This is “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “A call for unity” rhetorical analysis paper in which I will shortly analyse the relation between these two letters ans how Martin Luther King uses pathos and logos in his letter. April 16, 196, Martin Luther King, Jr.,...

Book Review: How Did Martin Luther King Changed the World

The book that I read was titled, Martin Luther King Jr.:Fulfilling a Dream, written by Jacqueline Conciatore Senter. The book gives a very good summary of King's life and goes into detail about the great things he did for the Civil Rights Movement. Senter also...

The Bioghraphy of the Brave: Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King Jr is the person that inspires me a lot. That is the reason why I chose to write about Martin Luther King Jr biography essay. This man was born on January 15, 1929 In Atlanta, which is in Georgia. King lived a...

Implementation of 'Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere'

Martin Luther King once said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, When people mention the word disability you find that every individual come up with their own definition without wanting to know if they are maybe right or not. This quote inspired me...

Martin Luther King Jr: Segregation Essay

In the work 'Martin Luther King Jr: Segregation Essay' we will talk about a historical activist of America Martin Luther King Jr, and research his influence on segregation and racial discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr played a crucial role in civil rights activism in America....

Falling America: Analysis of "Where Do We Go from Here?"

In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. published a book titled "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" In this book, he discussed the challenges facing America at that time, including racism, poverty, and economic inequality. He also offered a vision for how America...

I've Been to the Mountaintop' Speech Analysis

In I've Been to the Mountaintop essay the analysis of this speech is given. Out of the considerable number of speeches composed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 'I've Been to the Mountaintop', shows the best example of Kings means of getting a message across....

Martin Luther King Jr.: a Legacy of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Martin Luther King Jr. is an iconic figure in American history, celebrated for his tireless efforts in advancing civil rights and social justice. His life and work continue to inspire and resonate with people around the world. This essay delves into the remarkable journey of...

Luther, Lincoln and Kennedy: Equal Power for Social Change

An individual has the power to change society when he/she is an action-taker, understanding and confident. And history has plenty of real examples of such people. In “Luther, Lincoln and Kennedy similarities” essay we will briefly examine what influence did they make. MLK (Dr. Martin...

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About Martin Luther King

January 10, 1957 – April 4, 1968

King led a nonviolent campaign for racial justice during the civil rights movement. His contributions to the movement and to American democracy make him a worthy and important figure to learn about. MLK helped bring about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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