Speech 1017 Final Exam and

I. Introduction

A) Attention Grabber: How many of you have seen something that you thought wasn’t right, but stayed silent because it wasn’t “your business?”

B) Thesis: Martin Luther King Jr. was a transformative activist who led the way on race relations (alliteration) in America.

C) Preview of Main Points: Today we’ll learn about the history of race relations in America, Martin Luther King Jr.’s critical activism and lessons that can be applied to today’s society.

Transitions: Let’s begin by examining the evolution of the race relation issue in America.

II. Main Point 1: Slavery to Subordination

A) (History Channel’s webpage Slavery in America) 1619 Jamestown – 1st slaves

B) 1600 – 1800 Farming, Cornerstone Southern economy

C) 1830 – 1860 Abolitionist movement, Freed slaves, Underground Railroad

D) 1861 – 1865 Civil War, Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation

E) 13th / 14th Amd End slavery, 15th Voting rights

F) Sharecropping, Social suppression, Segregation & inequality, Legal violations

Transition: While the slaves were technically freed, the generations to follow would remain subordinated by the establishment of whites. Martin Luther King Jr. undertook the arduous task of changing this problem.

III. Main Point 2: MLK’s Life Work

A) (Nobel Peace’s webpage MLK Jr’s Biography updated 2017) Atlanta Pastoral Family

B) BA Morehouse College 1948, BD 1951, PhD 1955

C) Married, Baptist Pastor, Montgomery

D) NAACP, Bus Boycott – 1st demo

E) Endured Violence, “Negro” Leader

F) 1957 – 1968 6m miles/2500 speeches

G) Major Demos

1. “Coalition of Conscience”, Bus boycott

2. “Letter from Birmingham”

3. Voter Registration Drive AL

4. Washington DC March – “I Have a Dream”

5. Nobel Peace Prize, Time’s Man of the Year, President Johnson

H) Assassinated April 4, 1968 Memphis – “Mountaintop”

Transition: Although Marth Luther King Jr’s life ended that night, his legacy endures and can enlighten us today.

IV. Main Point 3: Lessons Learned

A) (Mary Elizabeth King, focused on Peace and Conflict Studies at the UN, journal article 2016 ‘Confluence of Thought’) Educated on Rights

B) Inclusive

C) Persistent

D) Peaceful

E) Police Brutality Today

Transition: In summary,

V. Conclusion

A) Summary of Main Points: We’ve learned about the evolution of race relations in America, MLK’s life work and some lessons for today’s society.

B) Restatement of Thesis: Martin Luther King Jr remains one of our most notable social activists in America to address race relations.

C) Last Thought: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” MLK

Organizational Pattern: Chronological

References