Hamblett

Madelyne Hamblett
Mrs. Thompson
AP Lang, Block 1, Skinny B
7 May 2015
MLK Argumentative Essay
Imagine that everywhere you go, you are seen in higher status than those in
your community. This status brings respect and a louder voice in your community.
Now, you are asked to give this up; many people would not want to give up this
status or the perks that come with it. People would not understand what is wrong or
unjust about them holding this status. This is the exact conflict Martin Luther King
Jr. faced when he was fighting for civil rights. However, instead of a person, or a few
people, Martin Luther King was facing an entire race and asking them to give up
their status for a just cause. While MLK did succeed in his cause for civil rights, it
was not through the voluntary relinquishing of privileges by the privileged. I believe
advancements in civil rights and equality throughout history have only been made
through the effort and force of unprivileged peoples.

Indeed, this does not mean that all people do not want equality and fairness;

in fact, most individuals, privileged and unprivileged, want equality. The problem of
inequality lies in large groups of privileged people because when people are part of
a large group, they feel like a majority. So, the majority believes the injustices
occurring are for the best of the majority, and they are supported in this feeling by
the rest of the group.

Hamblett 2

One example of this is Nazi Germany. The Germans during the time of the

Nazi Regime noticed the injustices being done to Jews and other groups of people;
however, the country was doing the best it had since WW1, and the people who
were in the governments favor were enjoying the privileges. So, the German people
allowed the injustices done to the Jews in order to keep the benefits of a good
economy and government for the rest of the German people. The German people
only gave up their privileges when forced to after losing the war.

A second example of this is Apartheid in South Africa. The white South

Africans during the time of Apartheid noticed the injustices done to the black South
Africans; however, the whites were enjoying the power and higher status that
Apartheid afforded to them. So, the white South Africans allowed the injustices done
to the black South Africans in order to keep the benefits they reaped through
Apartheid. The white South Africans only gave up their privileges when forced to
after Apartheid was ended.

In the end, I am not saying people are not capable of voluntarily relinquishing

their privileges to provide equality for the unprivileged. However, history does not
seem to support the idea that privileged people will do this to advance civil rights. It
seems the only realistic way to advance civil rights, as MLK and his followers did is
to use some type of force.