Martin Luther King, Jr.Man of Peace

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. His parents were Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Christine King.

Martin Luther’s father was the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Later in his life Martin Luther King, Jr. would also become a pastor in this church.

Martin Luther’s mother was a school teacher. She taught Martin Luther how to read before he started to school.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was very smart as a child. He started attending Morehouse College at the age of 15. In college he liked to play sports. While at Morehouse, he was ordained a Baptist minister.

Martin Luther continued his education by getting his Ph.D in 1955. He was then known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1953 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. married Corretta Scott. The couple had four children.

In 1955 a black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. This was against the law in Alabama. Mrs. Parks was arrested and put in jail. Dr. King decided that the people needed to protest using nonviolent actions.

Dr. King formed the Montgomery Improvement Association. This group got together and organized a boycott against the bus company in which Mrs. Parks was riding. This boycott hurt the bus company. In 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court said that the Alabama laws were unconstitutional and Montgomery buses were desegregated.

From this protest Dr. King started receiving national attention. He started speaking and organizing peaceful demonstrations for Civil Right through out the country. Martin Luther was often beaten and arrested during many of these demonstrations, but he still stood up for what he believed in.

In 1963, Dr. King organized the “March on Washington”. This event was to join together people of all races in a demonstration for world peace.

It was during this event that Dr. King gave his most famous speech “I Have a Dream” while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Click picture to view film clip.

In Memphis Tennessee, 1968, the garbage men went out on strike. Dr. King went to Memphis to try to help this group. While out on his motel balcony Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed by an assassin, James Earl Ray.

Today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is considered to be one of the most influential leaders and peace activist of our time. We honor him each year by celebrating his birthday on Martin Luther King Day.

• Boyhood of Martin Luther King Jr. The. United Learning. 1984. unitedstreaming. 13 January 2006 http://www.unitedstreaming.com