Martin Luther King Jr Biography

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Born in a time of social turmoil and racial discrimination, Michael Luther King Jr. better known as Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Martin Luther King Jr. was the first born son and second child of Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Michael Luther King Jr. had his name changed by his father at about the age of 6 when he decided to refer to himself and his son as Martin Luther King. Little is known about MLK Jr.’s primary education only that he was a very smart kid that enjoyed learning. He attended local segregated public schools in Georgia where he later went on to graduate from high school at the age of fifteen. He then enrolled at Morehouse College where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1948. MLK Jr. decided to continue expanding his education by attending Crozer Theological Seminary from 1948 to 1951 and then attending Boston University’s school of Theology. Martín Luther King Jr. met his wife Coretta Scott while attending the university in Boston. MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott were married in Marion, Alabama on June 18, 1953. King Jr. went on to complete his Doctorate in 1955. That same year MLK Jr. began what would be a very important journey that would end up changing the nation’s civil right laws. In a century where the United States had experienced major change around the world, two world wars, and was in an ongoing arms race with the Soviet Union, there was change to be made within the nation as well. One of the first events to see Dr. King’s involvement in civil rights was December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. Rosa Parks was arrested for not wanting to give up her seat and was put in jail. Thi... ... middle of paper ... ...s is related to his philosophy about doing the right thing and about a being a good person. But it goes beyond this. He spoke often about having true compassion. It isn’t enough to help those in need, but we must truly care about them, to take a good look and see how they got that way. He asked us to examine how we as a society can change the conditions that led them to be there in the first place. Doing this makes us better as people. I have found that it also makes me feel better. Never give up on your dreams. While his life was cut tragically short, he died in pursuit of his dream and in spite of everything he faced, he never gave up on it. He faced obstacles I could never imagine having to face, and still persisted. This reminds me that the small things in my life that often seem insurmountable, are just my excuses for not taking action and are not obstacles.

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