The Journey of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) led America through one of its biggest milestones in history: the Civil Rights Movement. His upbringing prepared him for the role he assumed in achieving equality and desegregation between the Black and White communities. King showed the dedication and portrayed the emotion that one would need to prove himself as the strong and successful leader that America will forever look back upon as a hero (Martin).
Raised in Georgia by his parents Martin Luther King Sr. (a Baptist preacher) and Alberta Williams King, MLK displayed extraordinary knowledge by graduating from High School at the age of fifteen. He furthered his education at Morehouse College where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948, his Bachelor of Divinity at Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951, and finally his doctorate at Boston University in 1955. MLK’s many accomplishments include the success of the long-lasting Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, his award of Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 (Martin). MLK’s speech in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963, most famously known as his “I Have a Dream” speech, was the major turning point for the Civil Rights Movement. The crowd roared with enthusiasm as MLK proclaimed his dream that his “four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (YouTube). That speech sent the most powerful message of all to Americans nation-wide: equality is the only option they will accept.
On April 4, 1968, MLK had been assassinated on his motel balcony the night before he was to give a speech to fight for the rights of the garbage workers of Memphis, Tennessee. MLK left behind his four children and his wife, Coretta. Today, in almost every major city there is a street named in his honor. Every third Monday of January, Americans observe the life he lived with a national holiday (Martin). America was so lucky as to have such an amazing man who fought for what he believed in so much that he died for his cause.


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