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Learn about the life, inspirations, and achievements of Dr. King Luther King Jr., a pastor who fought for equality through peaceful acts of protest against discrimination and segregation. Discover his accomplishments, family, and significant events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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Dr. King Luther King Jr. By: Ayden Day
Who was Dr. King Luther King Jr.? Dr. Dr. King Luther King Jr. was a pastor, a civil rights leader that sought equality through peaceful acts. He believed discrimination and segregation was appalling and strongly led peaceful protests against it.
Perfect child. Willie Christine King (Older) Alfred Daniel King (Younger) Dr. King Luther King (Father) Alberta Williams King (Mother) Dr. King was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He had an older sister and a younger brother. When he was young, his name used to be Michael, so was his Dad’s name. His dad decided to change both of their names to Dr. King. He played with two boys. They were both white. When they started school, the boys father didn’t let them play. This was all becauseof the Jim Crow Laws. This is when he reliezed how unfair blacks weretreated.
Great Education Dr. King excelled in school and skipped two grades. He was able to attend a good high school in the North. This was Dr. King’s first time in the North. He was surprised to see that blacks and whites were in the same class rooms and the North didn’t have any Jim Crow Laws. Sadly, Dr. King returnedto the South to finish college. Dr. King hadto choose either to study being a lawyer or a minister. Since his Dad and two of his favorite teachers were ministers, hebecame one himself.
Henry David Inspirations Gandhi Dr. King had many inspirations. He was inspired by Abraham Lincoln when he was in elementary school. Henry David Thoreau inspired him in college. Mahatma Gandhi inspired him all through his life and Rosa Parks inspired him through his manhood. Lincoln inspired him by stopping slavery, Henry inspired him by doing anything he could to prove to show that slavery was wrong. Gandhi inspired him by showing India’s independents. Rosa Parks inspired him by saying “No” to a man on the bus that tried to take her seat on the bus. They all sacrificed something in there lives. They all inspired him do something in his life. Rosa Parks Abraham Lincoln
(1951) Coretta Scott King (2006) Dr. King met Ms. Coretta Scott in the year 1951. Mrs. Scott-King was born in Alabama. She was in Boston to study to be a singer. On Dr. Kings first date, they talked about the discomfort of living in the South. That day, he knew they would get married one day, and he was right. In 1953, they got married and lived in Boston for a while.
The King Family After they were married, they had 4 children. There first daughter was named Yolanda king. The second one is Dr. King Luther king III. The third one is Dexter Scott king. The fourth is Bernice King. Dr. King loved every single one of them and would be proud of them if he was here. They all supported each other when one is in need. They were supported a lot from other people. For example, someone who helped them was John F. Kennedy. He was a big help.
Becoming a Pastor Dr. King’s goal was to become a minister, but he actually became a pastor. A pastor is a higher rank compared to a minister. Before he came a pastor, he was accepted to two churches, one in New York and one in Massachusetts. While he was deciding which one he should go to, he got a letter from Montgomery, Alabama, to go to a church called Avenue Baptist Church. They needed a minister. As he was driving, he got worried. He wasn’t worried about talking in front of all those people. He was scared of being accepted. Life in the North was much better then in the South, and Alabama is a state from the South. He thought of helping all the black people in the area. He wanted to help them through the segregation and discrimination. This thought made him keep going.
Montgomery Bus Boycott The Montgomery Bus Boycott started when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. Dr. King was really mad at this act. He knew it was because of bus segregation. To support her, he started and led a boycott that involved the people of Montgomery to not take the bus. They had to walk, drive, or ride a train to work, school, and other places. This caused the bus company to lose money and they complained to the government. It took a year for the government to give in and take away bus segregation in Montgomery. This was Dr. King’s first act to change the nation. Dr. King was proud and all, but he didn’t just want to change the city, he wanted to change the nation.
Indian Trip In 1959, Dr. King and Coretta went on a trip to India. Dr. King wanted to see were Gandhi was raised. They saw how the poor and the rich were divided. Even though the rich and the poor were separated, they didn’t treat each other with disrespect like they did in America. They either left each other alone, or they helped each other a little. There was no conflict between them. There was segregation, but no discrimination.
GettingArrested Through out his acts for equality, Dr. King got arrested a lot. People started thinking of him as a criminal. People stood up for him though and they were able to convince them that he didn't do anything and that the police were lying or over reacting to the problem. He didn’t deserve to go to jail. No matter how many times he went to prison, he kept on working for his rights. Prison pictures
John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the president at the time, was really helpful to the King family. Kennedy was a great support to Dr. King’s family. If he could, he would bail Dr. King out of jail. When he couldn’t, he would support his family until Dr. King was released. Dr. King was really happy to have the president at his side. He was very supportive, and was a really strong voice in Civil Rights. Just like Dr. King, Kennedy disagreed to the Jim Crow laws. He was assassinated three years after he was elected.
Bull Connor Bull Connor was one of Dr. King’s enemies. He was a cop that agreed to the Jim crow laws. He made black people regret supporting Civil Rights and made them not want to support it again. He made police men use their dogs to bite the people as they get beat. He even convinced firemen to spray black people as they protested. When he found Dr. King protesting, he threw him in jail right away. He couldn’t get bailed out this time, so he was on his own. He was usually able to call Mrs. Scott-King right away, but he couldn’t this time. His cell was cramped, dirty, and dark. He was all alone in the cell. There was this small window that gave off little light. Bull Connor was a brutal cop.
Children's March When Dr. King was let out of jail, he and some other Civil Rights leaders decided to have a “Children’s March”. Police wouldn’t arrest kids, would they? Many kids joined the march and skipped school. Some kids even jumped over school gates to be in the march. Bull Connor and his police men came too. Surprisingly, kids were arrested. They were also beat, bit by dogs, and sprayed on by the fire hose. Luckily, the Camera men, the News Reporters, and Journalists came too. They were there to see what's happening. Thanks to TV, people in the area were able to see what was happening. People were outraged! People stopped going to places like the Market. The Government finally said this:
Children's March • Lunch counters, restrooms, fitting rooms, and drinking fountains were not segregated anymore. • Blacks would be able to get better jobs. • Blacks were allowed to vote. • The protesters would be released from jail. • A committee of black people and white people would be formed to ease anger between the two races. All of the Jim Crow Laws in the city have been depleted! This was a great victory for Dr. King! But Dr. King wanted more. He wanted the whole nation to be desegregation.
Legacy of The Children's March Thanks to the Children’s March, it inspired many people in America. From North Carolina to Tennessee to Oklahoma. People held sit-ins, they marched, they protested in front of government establishments such as the White House. All the acts that the Americans are doing, were leading up to the end of segregation.
I Have A Dream A lot of people know Dr. King because of this speech. In my opinion, this is the best speech in the world. (Haven't heard many other speeches, so that’s probably why.) This speech inspired thousands. It all started on August 28, 1963, over 255,000 people came to march with Dr. King. They were marching to the Lincoln Memorial, the place were he delivered his famous speech. When he got there, he was ready to talk till his throat got dry. He had a speech written out already on a piece of paper. He threw that paper away. He wanted to speak from the heart. At that moment, he said his “I Have A Dream” speech. It made people cry in the audience. Not of sadness, but of joy. It was a really heart warming speech. This was the speech that made people look another way of segregation. They wanted to smash the Jim Crow Laws.
Nobel Piece Prize In 1964, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Piece Prize. This award was awarded to one person an year. The person must solve a problem using peace, and not violence. He was awarded this because he showed his acts with peace and not violence. Dr. Kings was perfect for this award. He wanted to be peaceful and strong at the same time, and he achieved it! He chose to give all the money to the millions of people who helped him gain it.
Assassination In 1968, Dr. King went back to Atlanta for a while. He was having a rough time with riots. He just wanted to think things through. Dr. King and another Civil Rights leader were making plans for another march. Later, he went outside on his balcony to get some cool air. He was tired. All of a sudden, a loud “bang!!!!” came out of the blue. People wanted to see what just happened. When they reached the scene, they were crying. Dr. King Luther King Jr. was dead. They were looking for the person that killed him. They finally found a man named James Earl Ray. They took him to jail immediately. He had a 99 year sentence in prison. He died in prison in 1998.
Legacy Dr. Kings legacy spread worldwide. He took the blanket of segregation and put on a clean blanket. Thanks to him, segregation and the Jim Crow Laws were lawfully removed. He inspired many African Americans to do something. If he was still was here today, he would have been proud of our world. Thanks to him, Africans are free and equal to whites.