Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1929-1986
Photo Courtesy of Biography
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was originally names Michael King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King was born into a very religious family where both his father and grandfather were preachers and he ultimatly followed in their footsteps. Though Martin Luther was named Michael after his father Michael Sr. Michael Sr. then decided to change his name to Martin Luther after the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther, Martin Luther Jr. followed his father in his name change as well. Martin Luther was a very well educated young man and had gotten a Sociology degree from Morehouse College and then attended a liberal seminary in Pennsylvania. He was top of his class and thrived in all of his studies. After school he went to go and continue his studies for a doctorate at Boston University where he then met Coretta Scott who became his wife in June of 1953. While King was working on his dissertation he became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery. He completed his Ph.D in 1955 King was only 25 years old at the time.
During this time there was a great deal of aggravation with African American people. They were having their fight for civil rights and could use all the help they could get. King was asked to be apart of the movement and turned in down until his friend called him after he turned it down and persuaded King to be part of this movement. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott King was elected to lead the boycott and ultimately is the well known face during the Civil Rights Movement and of the NAACP. During his time as leader, Martin Luther King accomplished a lot for African Americans and unfortunately also took a lot of the blame, his house was bombed while his family was in it and he was also assassinated on April 4, 1968 while standing outside on the balcony of Lorraine Motel. Hearing about his death caused may more riots and demonstrations. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for what he has done during his era and we now have schools named after him and also a national holiday to give reverence towards him.
Time Line of Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15, 1929—Martin Luther King Jr. was born
September 20, 1944—King begins his freshman year at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
February 25, 1948—King is ordained and appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta
June 8, 1948—King receives his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College
September 14, 1948—King begins his studies at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania
May 6-8, 1951—King graduates from Crozer with a bachelor of divinity degree
September 13, 1951—King begins his graduate studies in systematic theology at Boston University
June 18, 1953—King and Coretta Scott are married
September 1, 1954—King begins his pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama
June 5, 1955—King is awarded his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University
December 1, 1955—Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to vacate her seat and move to the rear of a city bus in Montgomery to make way for a white passenger. One-day boycott of the city’s buses was called for on Monday December 5th
December 5, 1955—King becomes president at a mass meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church for the Montgomery Improvement association
January 30, 1956—King’s house is bombed while his wife and daughter are there
May 17, 1957—King delivers his first national address “Give Us the Ballot” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
June 13, 1957—King and Ralph Abernathy meet with Vice President Richard Nixon and issue a statement on their meeting
June 23, 1958—King and other civil rights leaders meet with President Eisenhower in Washington.
September 20, 1958—During King’s book signing he is stabbed by Izola Ware Curry
February 3, 1959—King goes on a month-long visit to India
June 23, 1960—King meets privately in New York with Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy
October 19, 1960—King is arrested during sit-in demonstrations
October 16, 1961—King meets with President John F. Kennedy and urges him to issue a second Emancipation Proclamation to eliminate racial segregation
August 28, 1963—The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is held on the Lincoln Memorial. King delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech
October 10, 1963—U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy authorizes the FBI to wiretap King’s home phone
January 18, 1964—President Johnson meets with King, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and James Farmer and seeks support for his War on Poverty initiative
December 4, 1967—King publicly reveals his plans to organize a mass civil disobedience campaign, the Poor People’s Campaign, in Washington, D.C., to force the government to end poverty
April 3, 1968—King returns to Memphis. Delivers his final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
April 4, 1968—King is shot and killed
April 9, 1968—King is buried in Atlanta
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