Martin Luther King Biography

Martin Luther King Biography
Martin Luther King Jr was one of Americas most influential civil rights
activists. His passionate, but non violent protests, helped to raise
awareness of racial inequalities in America, leading to significant political
change. Martin Luther King was also an eloquent orator who captured the
imagination and hearts of people, both black and white.
Early Life of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929. Both his
father and grandfather were pastors in an African-American Baptist
church. M. Luther King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta,
(segregated schooling) and then went to study at Crozer Theological
Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University. During his time at
University Martin Luther King became aware of the vast inequality and
injustice faced by black Americans; in particular he was influenced
by Gandhis philosophy of non-violent protest. The philosophy of Gandhi
tied in with the teachings of his Baptist faith. At the age of 24, King
married Coretta Scott, a beautiful and talented young woman. After
getting married, King became a priest at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama.
Montgomery Bus Boycott

A turning point in the life of Martin Luther King was the Montgomery Bus
Boycott which he helped to promote. His boycott also became a turning
point in the civil rights struggle attracting national press for the cause.
It began in innocuous circumstances on 5 December 1955.Rosa Parks, a

civil rights activist, refused to given up her seat she was sitting in a
white only area. This broke the strict segregation of coloured and white
people on the Montgomery buses. The bus company refused to back
down and so Martin Luther King helped to organise a strike where
coloured people refused to use any of the city buses. The boycott lasted
for several months, the issue was then brought to the Supreme Court
who declared the segregation was unconstitutional.
Civil Rights Movement.

After the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, King and other
ministers founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
This proved to be a nucleus for the growing civil rights movement. Later
there would be arguments about the best approach to take. In particular
the 1960s saw the rise of the Black power movement, epitomised
by Malcolm X and other black nationalist groups. However, King always
remained committed to the ideals of non violent struggle.
Martin Luther King and Malcolm X briefly meet in 1964 before going to
listen to a Senate debate about civil rights in Washington.
(image Wikicommons)
Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King was an inspirational and influential speaker; he had

the capacity to move and uplift his audiences. In particular he could offer
a vision of hope. He captured the injustice of the time but also felt that
this injustice was like a passing cloud. King frequently made references
to God, the Bible and his Christian Faith.
And this is what Jesus means when he said: How is it that
you can see the mote in your brothers eye and not see the
beam in your own eye? Or to put it in Moffatts translation:
How is it that you see the splinter in your brothers eye and
fail to see the plank in your own eye? And this is one of the
tragedies of human nature. So we begin to love our
enemies and love those persons that hate us whether in
collective life or individual life by looking at ourselves.
Martin Luther King
His speeches were largely free of revenge, instead focusing on the need
to move forward. He was named as Man of the Year by Time magazine in
1963, it followed his famous and iconic I have a Dream Speech
delivered in Washington during a civil rights march.
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 one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be
able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood
Martin Luther King
The following year, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for his work towards social justice. King announced he would turn
over the prize money $54,123 to the civil rights movement. With the
prestige of the Nobel prize King was increasingly consulted by politicians
such as Lyndon Johnson.
However, Kings opposition to the Vietnam War did not endear him to the
Johnson administration; King also began receiving increased scrutiny
from the authorities, such as the FBI.
On April 4th 1968, King was assassinated. It was one day after he had
delivered his final speech Ive Been to the Mountaintop
In his honour America have instigated a national Martin Luther King Day.
He remains symbolic of Americas fight for justice and racial equality.

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What was the turning point in Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and the civil rights movement?

How did Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches inspire and move people?

Martin Luther King Biography

Early Life of Martin Luther King

Montgomery Bus Boycott

It began in innocuous circumstances on 5 December 1955.Rosa Parks, a

Civil Rights Movement.

Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King was an inspirational and influential speaker; he had

out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to

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