Martin Luther King By Sarah Arnold

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA and he was racially abused from a young age. An example was where his father was buying him shoes and the lady said he had to go back to the back of the store where black people were served even though the shop was empty. They refused and walked out.
1. King said his father regularly whipped him until he was fifteen and a neighbour reported hearing the elder King telling his son "he would make something of him even if he had to beat him to death.
  1. In 1948, he graduated from Morehouse with a B.A. degree in sociology, and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a B.Div. degree in 1951.
    1. King married Coretta Scott, on June 18, 1953, on the lawn of her parents' house in her hometown of Heiberger, Alabama.[25] They became the parents of four children: Yolanda King (b. 1955), Martin Luther King III (b. 1957), Dexter Scott King (b. 1961), and Bernice King (b. 1963).[26] During their marriage, King limited Coretta's role in the Civil Rights Movement, expecting her to be a housewife and mother.
2. . One peaceful strategy was for African Americans to have sit-ins (which is a place where people go to protest and don't leave until their demands are met). They would do this by sitting in a restaurant seat that was supposed to be only for white people. They would politely ask for some food and refuse to leave until someone gave them some. Another strategy that Martin Luther used was leading boycotts. This is where people would refuse to buy goods or services from people who did not treat white people and black people the same.
As a Christian minister, his main influence was Jesus Christ and the Christian gospels, which he would almost always quote in his religious meetings, speeches at church, and in public discourses. King's faith was strongly based in Jesus' commandment of loving your neighbour as yourself, loving God above all, and loving your enemies, praying for them and blessing them.
1. He first began to be well known in 1955 when he led a protest against the way black people were segregated on buses. At that time they had to sit at the back of the bus, separate from white people. He soon became world famous when he told his supporters, and the people who were against equal rights, that only peaceful ways should be used to solve the problem.
  1. In 1963, a civil rights march in Washington, DC happened that made King even more famous. The march was a major success. It was officially called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was held on August 28, 1963. The final speaker was Martin Luther King, Jr. He made his legendary 'I have a Dream' speech which was heard throughout the world.
    1. It told people about the civil rights movement in America. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The year 1964 was also when the Civil Rights Act was passed. This act banned many kinds of discrimination against black people.
In 1986, America created a national holiday. It is commonly known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in his honour. It is celebrated on the third Monday of the month of January. This is around the time of his birthday.
1. The holiday was created because people had campaigned for this to happen, including singer Stevie Wonder. He wrote a text for the campaign..
2. His death led to riots in many cities. In March 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of killing King. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. James Earl Ray died in 1998, his brother having disconnected life support he was attached to since February 11.
He was made the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. This association was created during the boycott. He became an important leader of the boycott. King was arrested for starting a boycott. He was fined $500 with $500 more in court costs.
1. is house was fire-bombed. Others involved with MIA were also intimidated. However, by the end of 1956, segregation had been removed in Montgomery and bus integration had been introduced. Another result of the boycott was the starting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This organization was committed to the use of non-violence.
King had clearly made enemies in his rise to fame. The Ku Klux Klan did what they could to hurt his reputation, this was especially in the South. Even the FBI kept a close eye on him.[5] On the evening of April 4, 1968, at 6:01 pm, while King was standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was preparing to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, a rifle shot rang out.
1. A bullet entered through his right cheek, and travelled down his neck, severing the jugular vein and major arteries in the process before lodging in his shoulder. Unconscious, he fell violently backwards onto the balcony. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where doctors opened his chest and performed manual heart massage. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.

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Martin Luther King By Sarah Arnold

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	Created by Sarah Arnold over 8 years ago