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6. Research. Mandela was called a rebel and ultimately imprisoned for his political views as he 5
strove for justice. In spite of his long imprisonment, he inspired lasting change in his country
and around the world. Research other leaders who have also been imprisoned for their
activism and were nonetheless able to motivate powerful and lasting change, selecting one
whom you find particularly compelling. Then share the ways in which the leader you selected section three
influenced or changed the world.
7. Multimodal. Mandela gave numerous speeches during his career as a political activist.
Research other speeches he made, and then select one that you find inspiring. Create a visual /
presentation using words from the speech you select and images (from various sources) that
capture the tone of the speech. Martin Luther King Jr.

I Have Been to the Mountaintop

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) was a Baptist minister and
civil rights leader whose contributions improved race relations in
America in the twentieth century. Through his political activism,
King played a vital role in ending the legal segregation that was Marvin Koner/Corbis/Getty Images
widespread in the South at the time. King’s leadership was
instrumental in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, two significant legislative acts
of the twentieth century that expanded equality for African American citizens. King also
helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his legendary
“I Have a Dream” speech. For his work in civil rights, King was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1964.
KEY CONTEXT In March of 1968, Martin Luther King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to lend his
support and inspiration to the black sanitation and public works employees who were on strike for
better wages and fair treatment. Violence between police and protestors had broken out at the rally
on March 28. This speech, “I Have Been to the Mountaintop,” was delivered to an audience of
supporters on April 3, 1968, and responds to that violence of a few days before. Tragically, this
speech was King’s last, as he was assassinated the following day by James Earl Ray, who confessed
and died in prison in 1998.

hank you very kindly, my friends. As storm warning. You reveal that you are
TI listened to Ralph Abernathy and his determined to go on anyhow.
eloquent and generous introduction and then Something is happening in Memphis;
thought about myself, I wondered who he was something is happening in our world. And you
talking about. It’s always good to have your know, if I were standing at the beginning of time,
closest friend and associate to say something with the possibility of taking a kind of general
good about you. And Ralph Abernathy is the and panoramic view of the whole of human
best friend that I have in the world. I’m delighted history up to now, and the Almighty said to me,
to see each of you here tonight in spite of a “Martin Luther King, which age would you like
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