Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela

By Alexis Pabón and Estefan Arzola

EnglishMrs.Abreu

Introduction

• In this project we will be talking about the life of both black and brave men. Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. who change the society of the world and sacrifice a lot of their time for what we have now, non-discrimination.

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. • He was an eloquent minister and leader of civil-rights.• In Mid 1950’s until his death (1968) he promoted non-

violent means to achieve civil-rights.• He earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozier

Theological Seminary in 1951 and Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University in 1955.

• He lead a black bus boycott and lasted 382 days and he ninety others where arrested.

• He and several others were found guilty, but appealed their case.

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Between 1957 and 1968, he traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty five hundred times appearing wherever there was injustice, protest and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles.

• In this years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention by the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience and the “Letter from a Birmingham jail”.

Martin Luther King Jr.

• In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

• In 1963 Martin inspired a growing national civil rights movement and also he led massive march on Washington DC where he delivered his now famous, I have a dream speech.

• At age 35 he was the youngest man to have received the novel price.

• On April 4, 1968 he was shot by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Nelson Mandela

• Was Born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918.

• Mandela himself was educated at University Collage of Fort Hare and the University Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942.

• He joined the ANC (African National Congress) in 1944.

Nelson Mandela

• In June 1971, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics.

• This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

• Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentence to five years imprisonment with hard labour.

Nelson Mandela

• On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentence to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town.

• Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990.

Nelson Mandela

• The next 4 years were also difficult as South African society suffered inter cultural violence between ANC and Inkarta supporters.

• In 1993 Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Price.

Nelson Mandela

• However on May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically elected State President of South Africa on and was President until June 1999.

• Since retiring from office Mandela has continued to be an international figure of great stature. He is one of the few politicians who have gone beyond a political role.

‘‘ I have a dream ”

• Martin Luther King Jr. started his speech as follow: “ I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”

• He talked about how many years before, the Emancipation Proclamation was brought to make justice to Negro slaves, however, many years after thet, the black community continued to suffer segregation and discrimination.

M.L.K. speech

• He states that there was a promise to all men black or white, which guaranteed rights of “ Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But America defaulted on this promise.

• His hope was “to make justice reality for all of God’s children”.

• In order to reach this goal, he invited his people to “not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

M.L.K. speech

• Things he pointed out as injustice for the black people included police brutality, not being able to log in the motels of the highways, signs stating: “For Whites Only”, don’t having the right to vote.

• “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Nelson Mandela: Speech on Release from Prison, 1990

• After a quarter century in jail, Nelson Mandela, the leader of South Africa African National Congress, was released and faced the world’s press in a speech carried live throughout the world.

• Mr. Nelson Mandela started his speech as follows: “Comrades and fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and the freedom for all.”

N.M. speech

• He continued to give thanks to all people who where there for him during the days of his imprisonment.

• He also emphasizes about the anti- apartheid struggle and gave thanks to all who contributed to keep the country standing still over injustice: the working class, the religious communities, the youth, the women.

N.M. speech

• He makes a call for the liberation of the political prisoners, an end of white monopoly on political power and a restructuring of their political and economic systems.

• “Our march towards freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.”

The Apartheid

• At this point his speech intention was starting to be pointed out as he added: The apartheid “has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security.”

• It caused an incalculable destruction, millions of homeless and unemployed people, the ruins of the economy.

• In 1960 and armed struggle was founded (African National Congress armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe), as a defensive action against the apartheid; after a few years, he was taken to prison.

Comparison of the Speeches

• Martin Luther King speech (1963) was about freedom and democracy for the black community. At that same time, in the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Nelson Mandela was convicted and sent to prison for his anti-apartheid movement.

• So may years had passed from Martin Luther Jr. speech, and the struggle of the black community continued. In his speech to the nation on 1990 when he got out of prison, Nelson Mandela talked about the same things as King did years before.

Comparison of the Speeches

• Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela speeches are about unity of races to overcome racism from many decades and to collide into one voice to raise a land of freedom.

Comparison of the Speeches

• Both in their speeches fought for justice to the black people and described how this community has struggle against the white power and discrimination. They both strongly stated they will not give up this fight, although in different tones. Luther King is more directed to black people and tells them to continue to fight, but with the soul. Mandela speech is more of call to people of every color to stand unite and fight trough democracy.

Conclusion

• We both learn a lot from this project. We learned that the life of this both fine and intelligent gentlemen was not easy.

• They fought for civil-rights, for the honor of black people and for freedom.

• We also learn that is wasn’t fair that the white people had the happy life and the black people were pushed over like dogs.

Photos of Martin and Mandela

Photos of Martin and Mandela