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Inspiration of Gandhi

In 1959, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decided to visit Gandhi’s family in India. Martin Luther King had followed Gandhi’s philosophies of non violent protest. Some say the Gandhi was Martin Luther King’s role model as Gandhi had achieved many things with non-violent protests. By visiting India, Martin Luther King Jr. understood the ideas of non violent protests and his understanding of Gandhi’s became clearer. Gandhi had supported Martin Luther King’s goals and was influential in supplying knowledge to Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King then went back to the United States where he was able to apply his new-learned knowledge.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Birmingham Alabama was known as one of the most dangerous cities in America during the 1960s. Many black churches and homes were bombed or torched as the city received its nickname, “Bomingham”. One day, Martin Luther King ordered a manifesto in which all restrooms, water fountains, and other public areas would become desegregated. As he was leading a march, police arrested him and threw him into city jail in solitary confinement. He then received a letter which had signatures of eight white clergymen. Martin Luther King then decided to write a letter back to them which became known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.

The Right to Vote

Throughout history up until 1965, blacks were not able to vote. In Selma, Alabama, 99% of whites were registered voters while the majority of blacks could not vote. Martin Luther King felt this was a good place where he could strive to achieve the right to vote for all blacks. On January 18, 1965, Dr. King led 400 marchers to the county courthouse where they could register to vote. As hundreds of people lined up to vote, many disobeyed the orders of Sheriff Clark, and violence erupted. As Dr. King witnessed from across the street, voters were mistreated, assaulted, and thrown into police cars.

A Great Man is Born

Michael Luther King was born on a Tuesday in his home in Atlanta Georgia. He was born son of Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King. He was their first son but their second child. He was the brother of Yolanda Denise, Dexter Scott, and Bernice Albertine. Dr. King started school at the Yonge Street Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. He then moved to the David T. Howard Elementary School also in Atlanta Georgia. Dr. King eventually moved to high school but only completed two years. He then decided to go straight to college without formally graduating from his high school.

Assassination of Dr. King

At around 6 PM on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead with a bullet to his neck. Blood was spilled all over the balcony of the window at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Many African Americans along with white Americans were outraged when the news came out. Many African American created riots in the streets of many American cities. There have been many controversies about who pulled the trigger. Some even say it was the government. Martin Luther King’s assassination was one of the most upsetting assassinations in all of history as Dr. King had worked for 13 years fighting for the rights of blacks.

Nobel Peace Prize

On December 10, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. He was awarded this prize on behalf of his excellent work in the civil rights movement in the United States. Dr. King was awarded 273,000 Swedish Kronor for his excellent work. Yet the day before Dr. King accepted the prize, 40 churches were burned down in the city of Mississippi alone. Many other people in the cities of Birmingham, Mississippi, and Philadelphia lost their lives in the United States. Dr. King was very honored in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, yet he knew that there was still a lot of work to be done.

" I Have a Dream" Speech

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in the capital of the United States, Washington DC. His speech was one of the most historical speeches of all time. An astonishing turn out of 250,000 Americans marched along with Martin Luther King to support the Civil Rights Movement. He gave his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. He gave his speech there because President Lincoln had fought for the rights of slaves (during the civil war). His speech that he gave in Washington helped move along the Civil Rights movement, getting African Americans closer to equality.

Bus Boycott

In the late 1950’s, Martin Luther King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During the 1950’s buses in the southern part of the United States were segregated between whites and blacks. Many African American found this very offensive and decided to boycott the bus system. African Americans worked together by carpooling, taking taxis, and walking together to work. At first the movement was small, but it grew with the help of leaders such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The Montgomery Bus Boycott turned out to be one of the most influential movements in history and was important to the Civil Rights movements led by Martin Luther King.