Martin Luther King Jr.

            Without the visions of many other very inspired people King could not have viewed his goals in the same way. Martin Luther King Jr choose the role he played in our nations past because of a racial standpoint that is unapparent to the unsegregated. From Thomas Jefferson's United States Constitution to Mahatma Gandhi non-violent teachings, King has had many influential people attribute to his spiritual upbringing and visions. King has also used Jesus in his personal fight against the violence towards him and his fellow brothers. The non-violent teachings of Gandhi have had a tremendous affect on the way King views violence and his teachings gave a great alternative to open the doors to freedom. King used a variety of people, methods, and documents to help him in the implementation of the revolt against racial segregation. King used The Declaration of Independence to pull open the eyes of society and the white race towards the African Americans. .
             Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence states, "all men are created equal-(Declaration) and that very statement is the text our country thrives on. Martin Luther King Jr. was only trying to open the eyes of society by making it realize that America is not following the simple principles it was founded on: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- (Declaration). The Declaration of Independence is bursting with moral and united cries, and King notices these very cries and later in his life comes up with a civil plea of his own to society. "Let us not be judged on the color of our skin but on the content of our character- (Luther para. 4). King asked the question is our country is founded on having happiness. If so, where is the Negroes happiness? King answers many critics by referring to the Declaration of Independence. .
             One of the examples is the letter that King wrote from Birmingham jail and it shows how King used the document to cite examples to encourage "brotherhood and justice.