English 1110.01 at 1:30, MW
9/25/18
Vietnam Research Writing Exercise
Martin Luther King is always remembered as the great civil rights leader who, through his peaceful means, ended segregation across the nation. However, just giving him credit for that does a disservice to this great man. Dr. King worked for many other great goals such as equal pay for all people in the work place and fighting for the poor. One thing that is never talked about, though, is his stance on Vietnam. Most people expected him to keep his stance on the Vietnam, but he didn't. He was extremely vocal about it. His stance was made vocal in his "Beyond Vietnam" speech given on April 4, 1967 at the Riverside Church.
There are several key points that Dr. King made in this speech. One of the first things he brings up is the irony that black soldiers faced in Vietnam. In the speech, Dr. King orates about the irony that many black soldiers faced. In the deep south, they never had true freedom and liberty. How could they possibly fight to spread this arbitrary concept that they themselves never knew about to a land that we're told is savage? He then declares, "O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, and yet I swear this oath—America will be!"
Another point that Dr. King makes in the speech is about the hypocrisy of the United State's actions in the past and present to Vietnam. He talks about how we supported French tyranny of the country until we perceive that it might become communist. He questions this and compares the war to a futile attempt at recolonization. He also makes a point about how the United States has continually interfered with the freedom and sovereignty of Vietnam.
Above is a photo of Dr. King giving the Beyond Vietnam Speech to the Riverside Church in New York City.
At the end of the speech, he offers an optimistic message to the people. He proclaims that he will continue to support the protesters of the war and implores the people to be vocal to the government. Even though it's an unpopular stance, it must be done so America can truly stand for freedom and liberty.
Below is a link to a copy of the Beyond Vietnam speech that I used for this assignment.
I never heard about this speech. It was nice reading about a speech by MLK.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very interesting to see this, as I had never heard about it prior to this assignment. What Dr. King says about blacks being forced to fight for freedom in a country that never involved them, while also living in one that never gave them true freedom, reminds me of Muhammad Ali’s very similar opinions on th war. He too felt it was hypocritical to fight for people who never cared for his own people.
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