How do we define the personality traits of a hero?

1. How do we define the personality traits of a hero? The hero must be a strong leader and must be self-disciplined. They also must work well with other and be adaptable and adventurous. (What makes a hero a hero?) Personal courage, caring for others, perseverance and optimism. (Exploring character traits through international heroes)

2. How did opposing groups affect the heroes journey? King was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association, the group that coordinated the bus boycott (1955–56), aiming to end racial segregation in public transportation. In the course of the 381-day action he was arrested and jailed, his home was bombed, and many threats were made against his life. (King, Luther Martin, Jr) On the last two issues, King’s strategies were severely challenged. In Chicago, where his first major northern campaign was launched, he was publicly opposed by local black Baptists. There, too, his marchers were met by mobs of whites, armed with clubs and led by uniformed neo-Nazis and members of the KU Klux Klan. As for the war in Vietnam, most blacks felt that their own problems deserved priority and that the black leadership should concentrate on fighting racial injustice at home. (King, Luther Martin, Jr) King organized an initial march from Selma to the state capitol building in Montgomery but did not lead it himself. The marchers were turned back by state troopers with nightsticks and tear gas. He was determined to lead a second march, despite an injunction by a federal court and efforts from Washington to persuade him to cancel it. Heading a procession of 1,500 marchers, black and white, he set out across Pettus Bridge outside Selma until the group came to a barricade of state troopers. (David L. Lewis)

3. How does a hero reflect his/her particular culture and society? During the time period of Martin Luther King Jr’s work, there was an extraordinairy amount of hatred directed at african americans, in turn causing a lot of anger in their culture. Determined to make a change, african americans changed the country by following his peaceful example and perseverance. (IIye Avery) “Opposition took many forms, from the passive resistance of slaves who performed poor work for their masters, to slave revolts, to slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad, to African Americans' participation in the Abolitionist movement and their joining the Union army during the Civil War. During this trying period African Americans preserved their heritage and social institutions.” (We shall overcome---introduction)

4. How does a hero represent his/her time period and geographical area? Martin Luther King Jr represents a big part of the civil rights movement, leading people and giving many the courage to stand up for themselves. This time period is generally known for the big movement and for him. (The Seattle Times) He also represents the south in that he was constantly exposed to racism and violence. He shows however, that through all of the discrimination and hatred, there were still peaceful people just trying to make the world better for everyone. (King, Luther Martin, Jr)

5. How do various cultures reward or recognize their heroes? Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was also voted 6th in a Person Of The Century Poll conducted by Time Magazine. (Martin Luther King) Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the most outstanding personalities of the year, 1957 The Spingarn Medal from NAACP, 1957. The Russwurm Award from the National Newspaper Publishers, 1957. The Second Annual Achievement Award - The Guardian Association of the Police Department of New York, 1958. Magazine of New Dehli recognized Dr. King as one of the sixteen world leaders who had contributed most to the advancement of freedom during 1959. Named American of the Decade by Laundry, Dry Cleaning, and Die Workers International Union, 1963. The John Dewey Award, from the United Federation of Teachers, 1964. The John F. Kennedy Award, from the Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago, 1964. The Nobel Peace Prize, 1964 American Liberties Medallion for his “exceptional advancements of the principles of human liberty” from the American Jewish Committee, 1965 Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 1966 The Marcus Garvey Prize for Human Rights, presented by the Jamaican Government. (posthumously) 1968. The Rosa L. Parks Award, presented by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (posthumously) 1968. Presidential Medal of Freedom from Jimmy Carter, (posthumously, 1977) (2012. Happiness Delivered)

6. What was Martin Luther King Jr's childhood like, and how did it affect his outlook on life? -Born in Atlanta, Georgia. Ordained as a baptist minister at the age of 17 (KING, Martin Luther, Jr ) -Received a Ph.D. from Boston University (KING, Martin Luther, Jr ) -”Lived on Auburn Avenue, otherwise known as “Sweet Auburn,” the bustling “black Wall Street,” home to some of the country's largest and most prosperous black businesses and black churches” (David L., Lewis) -Attempted suicide at age 12 after learning about the death of his grandmother (David L., Lewis ) -Spent a summer on a tobacco farm in Conneticut before attending college, exposing him to the possibilities of whites and blacks co-existing peacefully. (David L., Lewis)

7. Did he support other groups other than African Americans? In early 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders planned a Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C., for the spring. The group planned to demand that President Lyndon Johnson and Congress help the poor get jobs, health care and decent homes. (Poor People’s Campaign) “In  November 27, 1967,Dr Martin Luther King JR. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized a Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice and housing for the poor in the United States, aiming itself at rebuilding America's cities. The Poor People's Campaign did not focus on just poor black people but addressed all poor people. Martin Luther King Jr. labeled the Poor People's Campaign the "second phase," of the civil rights struggle.” (Poor People’s Campaign-History)

8. How did his family affect his work? The eldest son of MartinLutherKing, Sr. (1899–1984), a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams King (1904–74) (King Martin Luther, Jr) “Martin Luther King Sr. helped to inspire his son to enter the ministry. A Baptist minister himself, King was the pastor of Atlanta’s famed Ebenezer Baptist Church for more than four decades. King’s reach extended beyond the church and touched virtually every facet of black life in the city. His role as president of both the local NAACP and the Civil and Political League secured his place as a community leader and a pioneer of the modern Civil Rights Movement.” (King, Martin Luther, Sr.)

9. What was his first step in his journey? “In Montgomery, the black community was outraged when a woman on her way home from work, ROSA L. Parks, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a municipal bus to a white man. King was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association, the group that coordinated the bus boycott (1955–56), aiming to end racial segregation in public transportation. In the course of the 381-day action he was arrested and jailed, his home was bombed, and many threats were made against his life. The boycott ended with a mandate from the Supreme Court outlawing all segregated public transportation in the city. The Montgomery boycott was a clear victory for nonviolent protest, and King emerged as a highly respected leader. “ (King, Martin Luther, Jr.) King spent the summer on a tobacco farm in Connecticut; it was his first extended stay away from home and his first substantial experience of race relations outside the segregated South. He was shocked by how peacefully the races mixed in the North. “Negroes and whites go [to] the same church,” he noted in a letter to his parents. “I never [thought] that a person of my race could eat anywhere.” This summer experience in the North only deepened King's growing hatred of racial segregation. (David L. Lewis)

10. How is he remembered and honored today? On Nov. 2, 1983, President Reagan signed into law a bill designating the third Monday of January each year as a federal holiday to honor the late civil rights leader Dr. MartinLutherKingJr. "All right-thinking people, all right-thinking Americans are joined in spirit with us this day as the highest recognition which this nation gives is bestowed upon Martin Luther King Jr., one who also was the recipient of the highest, recognition which the world bestows, the Nobel Peace Prize. (President Ronald Reagan..) On January 15, 1983, more than 100,000 people gathered at the Washington Monument in public support for the King holiday. Marchers called on the Senate and President Ronald Reagan to pass the bill. An office dedicated to the effort was opened in Washington, D.C., and more than 6 million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress in favor of the holiday. This was the largest petition in U.S. history presented in favor of an issue. (Williams, Jasmin K.)