The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Plessy vs Ferguson, 1896
Associated Archive Content : 32 results
A Look To The FutureFor the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Highlander Folk School, Dr. King delivers the speech "A Look To The Future." He uses a timeline to explain the adversities African Americans endured to gain recognition as American citizens. He also points out the efforts of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens Councils to make African Americans second class citizens. Lastly, Dr. King points out that America should be more maladjusted in order to avoid failing to cope with the demands of the normal social environment. |
A Look to the FutureDr. King addresses the Highlander Folk School during the organization's twenty-fifth anniversary. He discusses the many accomplishments and hurdles of the Civil Rights Movement. |
A Realistic Look at Race RelationsDr. King gives the three views one can take regarding the state of race relations: optimism, pessimism, and realistic. Dr. King argues for a realistic stance because America has accomplished much in race relations, but still has a long way to go. He further explains that he thinks segregation is in its last days. |
Address by MLK at SCLC Ministers ConferenceDr. King addresses those in attendance at the Southern Christian Ministers Conference. He brings words of encouragement to those working diligently for social change in Mississippi. He speaks words of promise that things will change since the Supreme Court has ruled segregation unconstitutional and he gives examples of how things are slowly changing. However, he acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, especially in the South. Dr. King lists actions that must be at the top of everyone's list to be taken care of. |
Address by MLK to the Hungry ClubDr. King addresses the members of The Hungry Club on the dilemma of "Negroes" obtaining complete equality. He refers to several passages from his "I Have a Dream" speech. |
Address to Members of the Hungry ClubDr. King discusses the Negro's dilemma in an address to the members of the Hungry Club in Atlanta, Georgia. He argues that some of the challenges facing the Negro are: taking advantage of all the new federal programs, encouraging youth to go into higher education, and developing massive action programs to rid unjust systems. Dr. King also states three myths the Negro should explore: the myth of time, the myth of "exaggerated progress," and the myth of "total reliance on the boothstrap philosophy." |
Address to the National Bar AssociationDr. King shares with the National Bar Association of Milwaukee, the history of segregation and why African Americans fight for equality. |
An Address by MLK at the 53rd Convention of the NAACPDr. King makes an address at the 53rd Convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Color People in Atlanta disputing the myths of the civil rights movement. In addition to expressing appreciation for the organization's work, Dr. King apologizes for the prejudice the NAACP had to endure in making accommodations for the conference in Atlanta. |
Annual Address Delivered at the First Annual Institute on Nonviolence and Social ChangeDr. King's speech at the First Annual Institute of Non-Violence and Social Change addresses many issues regarding the African American. The most recurring issues are of obtaining and maintaining freedom, equality and personal dignity. |
Convocation on Equal Justice Under the LawThis is a transcript of remarks made by Dr. King at the Convocation on Equal Justice Under Law, sponsored by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on May 28, 1964. |
Desegregation and the FutureThis document contains the first eight pages of Dr. King's address at the annual luncheon of the National Committee for Rural Schools at New York's Commodore Hotel in 1956. In it, he condemns segregation as an evil which has been allowed to exist in American life for too many decades. Dr. King points out that many states now stand in opposition to desegregation, and the federal government and the Supreme Court must now face how to make this new legislation a reality. |
Draft of Speech for SCLC in NashvilleDr. King is outlining a speech he later presented to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Nashville. |
Facing the Challenge of a New LifeDr. King uses Greek Philosophy, the Christian conception of agape love, and the need for nonviolent resistance as a guideline of "Facing the Challenge of a New Life" in America. Throughout the sermon, he encourages African Americans to remain committed to the nonviolent principles of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the precepts of Christian living to facilitate the birth of a new way of life in an America dealing with violent conflicts over social conditions. |
Justice Harlan ConcurringThis newspaper article discusses John Marshall Harlan's dissent with the case of "Plessy vs. Ferguson," and how Harlan was not acknowledged when the case was overturned. |
Letter from William W. Boyer to MLKThis Letter from William W. Boyer, Chairman of the Convocations Committee, to Dr. King informs Dr. King the transcription of his "Future of Integration" speech to the Kansas State University academic community has arrived. A copy of the transcription will be published in Issues 1968. |
MLK Address - The Association of The Bar of the City of New YorkDr. King gives an address to the Association of The Bar of the City of New York at the Hilton Hotel in New York. He praises lawyers for using their knowledge to aid the Civil Rights Movement. He states that Negro lawyers bring wisdom and a determination to win to the courtroom. Dr. King also defines an unjust law as a law that is "out of harmony with moral law of the universe." |
MLK Address at NAACP 53rd ConventionDr. King delivered this address to the NAACP's 53rd Annual Convention held in Morehouse College's gymnasium in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King argues that it is imperative to debunk the perceived myths concerning segregation and discrimination in order to foster a society free of racial inequalities. |
MLK Remarks at The World March Toward Human Rights LuncheonDr. King addresses the 25th anniversary of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Dr. King delivers remarks honoring the work of the Fund in combating the system of racial segregation and striving for human rights. He advocates the need for current civil rights legislation, but finds congressional hesitation frustrating and problematic. Referencing the 1964 Civil Right's Act, King is convinced that if the bill is not passed, the "nation will drift toward its moral and political doom." |
MLK Speech at SCLC Staff RetreatDr. King addresses the staff of the SCLC at a retreat in Frogmore, South Carolina. He divides his speech into three parts: "whence we have come, where we have come, and where do we go from here." Dr. King thoroughly discusses his thoughts on Communism, the practice of nonviolence, the belief that racism is an "ontological affirmation,"and the weaknesses of Black Power. |
MLK Speech: Acceptance of Spingarn MedalDr. King addresses the attendees at the NAACP 48th Annual Convention in Detroit, Michigan. He acknowledges the noble men and women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Movement, for which his leadership earned him this award. Dr. King also discusses the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the nonviolent approach needed for the American Negro to win freedom and justice. |
MLK's Remarks at the World March Toward Human Rights LuncheonThis is a draft of remarks made by Dr. King to the World March Toward Human Rights Luncheon of the NAACP's Legal Education Defense Fund. The event took place at the Americana Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. King states that human rights involve two elements: recognition and opportunity. Dr. King proposes that the United States launch a Bill of Rights for the Disadvantaged. |
Next Steps In The SouthThe Southern Regional Council publishes a pamphlet that addresses the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court Case and what its implications mean for society. The pamphlet goes on to answer several questions concerning school integration and gives background information on the case and the issues of segregation. |
Non-Violent Procedures to Inter-Racial HarmonyDr. King proclaims that race relations is a crisis that has existed for many years in America. As a result of unjust race relations, Negroes have embarked upon the current fight for equal rights. |
One Vote for Every Man: Civil Rights ActIn this draft of an article for the March 1965 IUD Agenda, an AFL-CIO monthly publication, Dr. King recounts the progress made by the Civil Rights Movement and states that the issue in 1965 is the right to vote and the venue is Selma, Alabama. He discusses the pattern of exclusion, including the abuse of power by local sheriffs, illegal use of local and state laws, delay tactics of registrars, and literacy tests. He outlines measures that a Civil Rights Act of 1965 should include. |
Outline of MLK's 1962 Address to NAACPIn Dr. King's handwriting, this outline is from a speech he later addressed to the NAACP, at its 53rd Annual Convention in Atlanta, GA. |
Remarks by MLK in Acceptance of the Spingarn MedalIn his acceptance speech for the Spingarn Medal, Dr. King remarks about the need for continuing the fight for social justice and equality around the world. He acknowledges the work of NAACP along with protesters as they continue to be on the frontline in addressing the nation's social ills. |
Seventh Annual Gandhi Memorial LectureHoward University presents Dr. King as its primary speaker for their seventh annual Gandhi Memorial Lecture in 1966. Dr. King traces the slow but meaningful progress society has made from slavery to the current civil rights movement. However, he notes that the present challenges in achieving equality involve not only the silence of individuals of good will but also the conditons that keep the Negro inferior. |
The Future of IntegrationDr. King discusses "The Future of Integration." King opens with background history of three distinct periods of race relations. The first period extends from 1619 to 1862, the era of slavery. The next period extends from 1863 to 1954 when blacks were emancipated, but still segregated. The third period started on May 17, 1954 when segregation was deemed unconstitutional and integration commenced. Furthermore, Dr. King explains the changes that occurred as a result of integration and how it will affect blacks and whites in the future. |
The Future of IntegrationDr. King addresses the issue of the Future of Integration to an assembly at the State University of Iowa on November 11, 1959. |
The Wind of Change is BlowingDr. King addresses the positive changes that have taken place across the world and how they should continue to occur until equality is reached. |