Martin Luther King Jr Research Paper

Martin Luther King, Jr., was at first a Baptist minister and social activist. He led the Civil Rights Movement that inspired many African-Americans to become leaders. His life was full of love and challenges that he overcame. He is an important figure in American history that everyone still cherishes. Martin Luther King, Jr, was a famous American because of his early years, his participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and other historical events, and his assassination fought for a change in the world.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1897 in a small rural farm in central Georgia where his father, Michael “Daddy” King over looked the farm. He had two brothers and one sister. Their names were Michael Jr., Alfred Daniel ,and Willie Christine

King’s father had hoped that he would go into ministry and join him at Ebenezer Baptist. Martin Luther King, Jr., was soon known as a man that wanted nonviolence. The inspiration for much of King’s work was the Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, who relied on a nonviolent approach to achieve his goal of Indian independence from Great Britain. In February 1959, he visited Gandhi and wanted to try again in nonviolent activities (Wukovits 18-45). The Monday after they found Parks guilty of violating a state segregation law she was fined fourteen dollars. Black leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and selected King as the president. Since the South had not had that right for years, blacks had never utilized the strength that a group could use when it voted as a unit (Wukovits 34-46). King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, well-trained with solid family connections, and had professional standings (Rayson 3). King was the main person behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. He also helped bring such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of !964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was named man of the year by TIME magazine and was the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (Williams 1-5). His next step was to make a big demonstration in Washington D.C. made of many organizations, all asking for a peace treaty (Rayson