Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. He was the oldest son of Martin Luther King

Sr. and Alberta Williams. As a young child Martin attended local segregated schools where he excelled. At that time I’m sure you know blacks couldn’t attend certain

places with whites.

When Martin was 15 years old he attended Morehouse college and graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology in 1948.

After graduating with honors from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in

1951, he went to Boston University where he earned a doctoral degree in systematic

theology in 1955.

While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott, a music student and native of Alabama. They

were married in 1953 and had four children. In 1954 King accepted his first pastorate at the Dexter Avenue Baptist

Church in Montgomery, Alabama, a church with a well-educated congregation that had

recently been led by a minister who had protested against segregation.

King was a very well spoken person. Him as well as many other African American

leaders had tried to go out and persuade blacks that they didn’t have to take the

unfair segregation that was happening to them. Eventually many blacks caught on

and therefore causing the Civil Rights Movement.

One person in particular that Dr. King’s words touched was Rosa Parks. One day while coming

home from a long day at work, Mrs. Parks rode the bus. At this time blacks were supposed to sit in the back of the bus, well Mrs. Parks sat towards

the front. At first a man I believe came by and told her to get up. She refused. Then the bus driver told her to get up. She refused. Finally the bus

driver called the police and Mrs. Parks was arrested. This is what started the Montgomery Bus

Boycott. At this time blacks did not ride buses therefore causing the bus companies to become

broke.

On August 28, 1963, King delivered a stirring address to an audience of more than 200,000 civil

rights supporters. His “I Have a Dream” speech expressed the hopes of the civil rights movement in oratory as moving as any in American history: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up

and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men

are created equal.' ... I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin

but by the content of their character.”

On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. had returned to room 306 of the

Lorraine Motel. By 5 p.m. he was hungry and looked forward to supper.

King shaved, splashed on cologne and stepped onto the balcony. He paused; a .30-06 rifle shot slammed King back

against the wall, his arms stretched out to his sides as if he were to be crucified

As you can see Martin Luther King was not only a wonderful leader but he helped

change the lives of many African Americans. I hope that you enjoyed some

of this information about Marin Luther King Jr.

For links to some more information go to

www.martinlutherking.8m.comhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/mlk/legacy/legacy.htm

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/mlk.page/