Katie

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."- MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

media type="youtube" key="sAHd-vS74vk&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"media type="youtube" key="PbUtL_0vAJk&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" "I HAVE A DREAM" "SEGREGATION"

Introduction/About Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King was born January 15 1929 in Atlanta Georgia, USA. He entered Morehouse College when he was 15, skipping his 9th and 12th high school grades without formally graduating. In 1948 he graduated Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951. Martin Luther King then began doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at Boston University and received his Doctor of Philosophy on the 5th of June, 1955. He was a prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister; he became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery bus boycott and became the first president of the southern Christian leadership conference. His efforts led to the 1963 march on Washington for jobs and freedom, where he delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964 Martin Luther King became the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. Martin Luther King was wMARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. as assassinated on the 4th of April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and congressional gold medal in 2004. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1989.

METHODS OF PROTEST

Martin Luther King Jr. had a very non violent approach towards protesting. He believed in peaceful protests, like Gandhi. He believed that non-violent protest was the only type of protest that made a difference. He used boycotts and non-cooperation. He believed that the protest wasn’t against people, but against justice and injustice. His methods of protest did require suffering; they had to accept violence without retaliating and had to go to jail if necessary.

__INFLUENCE__ An early influence on Martin Luther King Jr. was Howard Thurman. Howard was a class mate of Martin’s father at Morehouse College. He was a mentor to Martin and his friends. Another influence to Martin was Gandhi. Martin was inspired by Gandhi’s success with non-violent activism. Martin visited Gandhi’s family in 1959; the trip affected Martin in a profound way giving him a better understanding of non-violent resistance and America’s struggle for civil rights.

LIFE IF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DIDN’T SUCCEED.

If Martin Luther King Jr. hadn’t of been successful I believe that African American’s rights would have taken a lot longer to get to where they are today. White American’s wouldn’t have tried to fix it but the pressure from other countries would have left them with no choice, I believe that African Americans would have never been able to have the same rights as White Americans.

__LIFE IF MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS ALIVE TODAY.__ If Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive today I think he would have helped the rights of many other races and helped to bring peace between people and countries. Martin Luther King Jr. Beliefs Martin Luther King Jr. believed that african americans were owed compensation for all the historical wrongs against them, as well as other disadvantaged Americans, he proposed a government compensatory US$50 billion over 10 years to all disadvantaged groups. He said "The money spent would be more than amply justified by the benefits that would accure to the nation through a spectacular decline in school drop pouts, family break ups, crime rates, illegitimacy, swollen relief rolls, rioting and other social evils". He was completely against the Vietnam War and thought America needed big moral changes.

__How did Martin Luther King Jr. die?__ Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennesse. He was there in support of the black sanitary public work employees. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at 6:01pm while he was standing on the 2nd floors balcony. The bullet entered through his right cheek smashing his jaw and then travelling down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder. After emergency surgery, Martin Luther King Jr. was announced dead at 7:05pm at St. Joseph's Hospital.

bliography

__ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_OvAJk __ __ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr __

__ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAHd-v574vk __ __ http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/martinlutherking/a/mlks_philosophy.htm __ __ http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2003/Gandhi-Influence-King20jan03.htm __ __ http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives/voices/aa-political10.htm __

= =

= =