Historical and Legal Importance of Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta Georgia. The reason why Martin Luther King Jr. is important is his vision for everyone to be treated equally and not be judged for who they are such as their religion, culture, and race. Moreover, because of being judged by their race African Americans weren’t allowed to vote, however, Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t give up on his dream. He supported voting rights for African Americans by producing speeches and marches such as the march from Selma to Montgomery. 

Furthermore, Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, “Give Us the Ballot” was created to advocate or support the allowance for African Americans to vote. Dr. King announced the speech on May 17, 1957, at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. The speech, “Give Us the Ballot” states, “Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal governments for passage of the anti-lynching law, we will by the power of our vote write the law on the statute books of the south and bring an end to dastardly acts of the hooded perpetrators of violence.” King’s speech, “Give Us the Ballot” also states, “Give us the ballot (Give us the ballot), and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs (yeah) into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens”. Subsequently, President Lyndon Johnson was a person who believed that everyone should have voting rights including African Americans. President Johnson states, “Because it is not just Negroes it is, but really all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.” On August 6, 1965 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As per, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans were now allowed to vote. The black were finally able to vote in poll taxes and literacy tests. 

Equally important, as of 2020 voting has changed over time since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Voting in 2020 is diverse because of its profound equality and requirements. “Those who do not respond and don't vote over two more federal election cycles are dropped from the list of registered voters. Between 2011 and 2014, nearly 2 million names were purged”. In addition, in Tennessee, a bill was passed to prevent people from cheating in voting. Moreover, a person has to be older than eighteen and has to be a citizen of the United States, although some states don’t oblige registrations such as North Dakota. 

Additionally, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played an important role in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King advocated voting rights for African Americans by creating speeches such as “Give Us the Ballot”. Dr. King’s hope for the world and vision was to end the judgment of the others as far as their culture, race, and religion. He didn’t plan on ever giving up and continued to fight for African Americans even until his death which occurred on April 4, 1968. Even though African Americans were not allowed to vote, President Lyndon Johnson believed that everyone should have the right to vote. African Americans were finally allowed to vote on August 6, 1965, after President Johnson had signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

To conclude, voting in 2020 exhibits because even though people are diverse they are still allowed to vote, although must follow the requirements as per each state within the United States of America.