Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King was born on 15th January 1929 In Atlanta, Georgia. Martin was first called Michael, after his father. In 1943 his father changed his name and his son’s name to Martin Luther after a German leader. His father and grandfather were both preachers and Martins mother was a school teacher.

Education

Martin attended segregated public school in Georgia, he gradated school at the age of 14 years old. Martin then went on to college in 1948. As one of just six young black in his college out of 100 students, he was eager to prove himself.

Martin was always a good student, he studied hard, arriving at classes punctually and spending lots of long hours at his desk. At his time at Crozer King nether forgot his roots in the black church even Crozer was essentially a white area.

 In June 1951 Kings time at Crozer has ended, he graduated first in his class. After spending his summer in Atlanta, the 22 year old headed north to Boston University. That when he met his wife Coretta, they married in 1953. After his marriage King became a pastor in Alabama.

Also in the year of 1955 Martin got his first job as a Minster. Martin started making speeches about freedom, but he then began to get death threats.

Enemies

 Through, 1957 and 1958 he toured and gave speeches, and finished his book. The more successful he became the more enemies he had. White racists continued to harass him whenever they could, on one occasion in 1958 he was arrested and beaten up by a policeman in front of a press photographer. Martin used his public trial to address the nation on the evils of the situation in the south.

Not all his enemies were white, on 20th September 1958 King was signing copies of books in a New York Bookstore, when a middle-aged African American woman approached him. She asked whether he was Martin Luther King and when he said yes she stabbed a razor sharp letter opener into his chest.

I have a Dream

In 1963 king travelled 275,000 miles and gave 350 speeches and everywhere he went he was surrounded by people asking for his autograph. On the 28th August 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial King gave his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech. It was extremely successful. But it blow into violence, later in the autumn four girls lives were taken by angry whites. The assassination of Kennedy in November was a personal blow to Martin Luther King, who had started to admire the young president.

Death

In early in March 1968 King was about to head a march, when he discovered there was violence he called off the march. He flew home back to Atlanta. He was determined to lead a non violent march, he flew back to Memphis on the 3rd April and that evening gave his last address. As he was standing of the balcony of Lorraine Motel he was shot and killed. The bullet tore away half his neck and jaw. Rushed to the hospital he was pronounced dead an hour later.

References: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/king_martin_luther.shtml

Martin Luther King Jr,  David Downing