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This article presents information on the U.S. civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Paper Project's Liberation Curriculum. The Liberation Curriculum has emphasized to change the way young people think about King, the modem African American freedom struggle, and the ongoing struggle for social justice. The Liberation Curriculum also explores King's ideological and political development, which in the popular mind has been frozen on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. The Curriculum emphasizes King's broader concern for human rights, such as his opposition to the Vietnam War and his efforts to bring about economic justice. It also seeks to clarify King's place in history, presenting students with the inspiring message that ordinary people can make extraordinary contributions to the cause of social justice.

This article focuses on the existing literature on Martin Luther King, Junior, a U.S. political activist, and assesses what has already been done, as well as points the gap that still need to be filled in what remains important field of study. The article makes specific references to civil right movements in the U.S. The article concludes that despite the attention given to King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by historians of civil rights movement, a number of gaps remain. Although recent works have some way in correcting the neglect of King's later years from 1965 to 68, there is still too little thorough investigation of them and in particular of King's stance on the Vietnam War.

This article focuses on the role young people played in the African American freedom struggle, specifically the Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama. From Barbara Johns leading a strike of her fellow students at Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, in 1951 to protest the inequities between black and white education, to the children of Birmingham who were arrested en masse as they dissented against the city's segregation policies, the contributions of young people were critical to the movement's success. While civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., was indeed a source of great inspiration for many people in the struggle, the movement was made up mostly of ordinary citizens who exhibited extraordinary courage and strength in their efforts to bring about social justice.

This article focuses on the speech entitled "Beyond Vietnam," delivered by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. in Riverside Church in New York City, on April 4, 1967, against the Vietnam War. Although some activists and newspapers supported King's statement, most responded with criticism. King's civil rights colleagues began to disassociate themselves from his radical stance, as the NAACP issued a statement against merging the civil rights movement and peace movement. King remained undeterred, stating that he was not fusing the civil rights and peace movements, as many had suggested. This article asks students to connect this speech to the present by having them consider which of King's ideas about America's role in the world are relevant today.

This article explores the roles of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, a minister for the Nation of Islam, in the African American freedom struggle in the U.S. Almost four decades after Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X offered sharply contrasting ideas regarding the future direction of African American politics, they still symbolize opposing positions that divide African Americans. Contemporary African American youth seeking social justice are still torn between racial integration and racial separation, between Martin's call for nonviolent resistance and Malcolm's insistence on any means necessary. Scholars have subjected Martin's life to meticulous, critical examination based on a wealth of archival materials, but writings on Malcolm have been hampered by over reliance on his own autobiographical statements and a tendency in biographical works toward biography rather than serious analysis.

This article presents views of U.S. civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. on war. Martin Luther King Jr.'s decision to take a public stand opposing the U.S. military intervention in Vietnam was among the most difficult of his career. He understood that many of his supporters in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference would condemn him for challenging U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson's war policies, but he also believed that these policies contradicted his basic beliefs. After the successful conclusion of the Montgomery bus boycott, he began to speak out with increasing frequency on issues of militarism and war. According to King, he was convinced during his student days of the power of nonviolence in group conflicts within nations, however, he was not yet convinced of its efficacy in conflicts between nations.

This article focuses on the views of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, the black nationalist, on the African American freedom struggle in the U.S. Years after the deaths of Martin Luther and Malcolm X, the two men still remain fixed images in the American consciousness, King an advocate of nonviolence, delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and Malcolm X, encouraging African Americans to fight racial oppression by any means necessary. The primary goal of this article is to challenge students' preconceived notions about King and Malcolm X and the roles they played in the African American struggle for freedom.