Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on Tuesday, January 15, 1929, at 501 Auburn Ave., N.E., Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second child born to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King.
In February of 1948, young Martin Luther felt he had received a vocation for the ministry, and he was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. In 1951, the young man earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
On June 18, 1953, Martin Luther King, Jr. married the former Coretta Scott. Reverend King, Sr. officiated at the wedding ceremony. Over the next ten years, the couple welcomed four children into their family: Yolanda Denise (November 17, 1955), Martin Luther III (October 23, 1957), Dexter Scott (January 30, 1961) and Bernice Albertine (March 28, 1963).
From September 1954 to November 1959, Mr. King was the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
In 1955 Mr. King received his Ph.D. degree (a Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology) from Boston University.
In 1963, Dr. King was named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year“, and in 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Also in 1963, Dr. King fell under the intense scrutiny of the FBI. Then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy approved the wiretapping of the King residence as well as the places from which he conducted his civil rights work.
On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was murdered by a bullet from the gun of one James Earl Ray, as he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
What made Dr. King such a threatening figure in American history, that he endured political and governmental scrutiny during his life, and fell victim to an assassin’s bullet at the age of only 39?
It appears that at a young age he already felt in his gut the revulsion against the segregation of the races, and the prejudices so prevalent in the society of his time. When he attended Crozer Theological Seminary, he became acquainted with Mahatma Gandhi‘s writings, especially the tactics Gandhi named "peaceful revolution." Another strong influence on the fertile mind of this young scholar was the work of Henry David Thoreau, whose essay entitled "Civil Disobedience" inspired Mr. King with is simple message of obeying one’s conscience instead of unjust rules.
Dr. King entered the civil rights movement after the arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1st , 1955. Mrs. Parks, an African-American, was arrested for failure to give up her bus seat to a Caucasian passenger. Due to her being well known in Montgomery, a small group of civil rights advocates ceased the moment to protest the racial segregation of the city’s bus system. The protest gained momentum, and the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed with Dr. King at the helm. The Association instigated the famed boycott of the bus company, which asked African Americans to either walk or find alternate modes of transportation. The boycott lasted 381 days, and finished when the Supreme Court declared Alabama’s transit segregation laws to be illegal.
On the heels of this victory, in 1957, Dr. King formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which became a hub for civil rights advocacy, holding numerous sit-ins and protest marches. During the protest marches, Dr. King and his supporters where again and again accosted by police with tear gas, attack dogs, and other physical force; nonetheless, he never wavered in his staunch adherence to non-violence. Ironically, this stand soon gave way to scathing criticism from within the civil rights movement, especially from the groups of younger, eager, and more militant protesters, who wanted to repay evil with evil.
Further rifts between Dr. King and the civil rights movement became more pronounced when he decided to tackle issues of poverty regardless of race. Additionally, some civil rights advocates were upset by his devoting much time and energy to the anti-Vietnam war movement.
Yet, regardless of any skirmishes within the civil rights movement, Dr. King is an undisputed hero of the movement. He excelled in the sincerity of his conviction, and his unwillingness to compromise in matters of non-violence. Sadly, it was his unwavering support of the cause he believed in that cost him his life.
Please be sure to remember Dr. King on Saturday when he could have celebrated his 76th birthday. Also, please remember that on Monday the United States will observe a holiday in his honor.
Please take a look at your host’s book recommendation. This DVD makes a great gift for the student in your house or the historic minded friend or family member.
