Martin Luther King Biography
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 Gandhi’s 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
Martin Luther King
Biography
Martin Luther King Jr
was one of America’s 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 Gandhi’s 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 give 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 brother’s eye
and not see the beam in your own eye?” Or to put it in Moffatt’s translation:
“How is it that you see the splinter in your brother’s 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, King’s
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 “I’ve
Been to the Mountaintop”
In his honour America
have instigated a national Martin Luther King Day. He remains symbolic of
America’s fight for justice and racial equality.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Martin
Luther King Biography“, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, 11th
Feb, 2008.
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