500+ Words Essay on Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was a minister who conducted the civil rights movement. He was also an African-American leader in the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s real name was Michael King Jr. He was a Baptist minister. He also participated in civil rights activists, which began in the mid-1950’s, which had a seismic impact on race relations in American relations.
With his constant efforts, King Martin became the leader of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Being able to speak inspirationally and energetically, King Martin additionally played a major role in airing the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the US, and he also played a pivotal role in enacting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Early Life of Martin Luther King
Martin was born on January 15, 1929, as a second child of Alberta Williams King and Michael King Sr., A.D. Williams was his grandfather who had been a rural minister for many years and finally moved to Atlanta in 1893.
He was able to take care of small and struggling Ebenezer Baptist church, having just 13 members, and wherein within a few time, he made it into a big and forceful congregation.
Education of Martin Luther King
Initially, King Martin was admitted in segregated public schools, while at the age 15, he got admission to Morehouse College to study Medicine and Law.
Since he was not interested in following the footstep of his father, thus, he changed his mind accordingly guided by Dr Benjamin Mays, who was an advocate for racial equality. When he completed his graduation in 1948, he moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a Bachelor of Divinity degree, where he won a remarkable fellowship, and he was also chosen as the president of his predominantly white senior class.
In 1953, he got admission at Boston University to accomplish his coursework, and after two years, he was also able to earn a doctorate in systematic theology. Meantime, he met with Coretta Scott, studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. She was a single from Alabama.
The two married in the same year and were blessed with four children named Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, Yolanda Dennis King and Bernice Albertine King who were with them until their deaths.
After his marriage, King Martin continued his research work at Boston Graduate School and in 1955, he was able to get his PHD. At the same time, King Martin was also an eminent Civil Right Activist who kept trying to get rid of discrimination and to abolish unfair segregation laws in the South.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1956, two attempts were made by throwing bombs on to the porch of Martin Luther King Jr’s house, fortunately, both times, the bombs did not explode. In this same year, King Martin was arrested because of taking part in hindering operations of buses without having a legal cause.
He also published a book named “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story” in 1958. In 1960, he along with his family moved to Atlanta where he became the co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church of his father’s old church.
Martin Luther King Jr. was pressurized to lead a march in Albany in 1962. Afterwards, he gave a speech that inspired millions of Africa-American people. Being a powerful speaker and influencing nature, he was elected as the leader of a group known as the Montgomery Improvement
Association.
After that, King Martin started a protest against segregated buses. This protest was started when an old lady named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, and later she was arrested. After this protest, King Jr. encouraged the public to boycott the segregated buses also. All this made white people angry for King Martin, and they also wanted to kill them by throwing bombs in his house.
To end this violence, Martin Luther, with other African-American ministers, established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During the conference, African-American College boys started occupying white tables only. This protest was interrupted by the southern police that was also shown on the television. Meanwhile, President Kennedy sent a bill to deal with this situation in favour of Congress. Soon, there was the end of segregation law.
Reason for Martin Luther to be popular
Martin Luther King was a very dedicated personality who led his life towards serving the community. He is also famous as MLK Jr. He became more popular after becoming the spokesperson and leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Aside, he was actively participated in many boycotts and protests; in fact, he was a peaceful person that had faith only in non-violence and Christian beliefs. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were inspirational personalities for him. His genuine and continuous efforts to make the people free from racism and giving civil rights to the people elected him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Death and Memorial of King Martin
In 1968, Martin King was giving a speech in Tennessee in front of a massive crowd, named as “I’ve been to the mountain top”; unfortunately, James Earl Ray shot him and he died. That speech was about African-American garbage men. The attacker was caught, and unfortunately, he was sentenced to jail for only nine years.
Every year, on King Martin’s birthday, Martin Luther King Day is celebrated in the US as a national holiday to honour his work. Besides, his name was given to a school and a building and even built his Memorial at Independence Mall.
In a nutshell, Martin Luther was an exceptional personality who dedicated his entire life for his community. Only because of him, African-American people were able to get their civil rights seamless. His active leadership and inspiring speeches have no comparison.
Quotes written by Martin Luther King
- “Faith is taking the first step, even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
- “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
- “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
- “That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”
- Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
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