Martin Luther King Jr. Essay -- American History

Martin Luther King Jr. On the first day of school, sophomore year, my history teacher presented me with the question of "Who is your hero?" I didn’t have a hero, and until then I hadn’t thought about the subject. Later in the year, my eyes caught a quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the bulletin board which stated somewhat to this effect, "Do not merely be a thermometer that records the ideas and principles of popular opinion; but rather a thermostat that transforms the mores of society." Out of all the quotes that had been posted over the year, it was this one that caught my attention and captured my emotion. When I would read it, I felt as if something inside me had been sparked. Little did I know that this man whom I had come to know for the "I have a dream speech" and civil rights would come to be my hero. After reading "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" while studying the civil rights movement I became intrigued in the beliefs of Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolence seemed like such a radical concept to me, yet I found myself agreeing with every point that he made. The va...