Martin Luther King Junior is very famous for the "I have a Dream" speech he gave in Washington D.C in 1963. It was during a march and over a quarter of a million people attended. The speech is about how one day he wished that everyone would be treated equally no matter the color of their skin because God made them and loves them all. It;s a very moving speech. I think it had a huge effect on people because it made them feel like they had hope and that if they all work together they really could do it.
I think one of the reasons why Martin Luther King Jr.'s protests were so effective because he strongly encouraged the people to never be violent. Even if the police hurt them or beat them they will never return the violent acts. Doing things like the Bus Boycott or sitting in white cafes and not moving. He felt strongly about this tactic because of Gandhi and what was happening in India at the time. He even took a trip to India with his wife. When he returned he was even more faithful in non-violence protests because what he saw there confirmed his beliefs. His non-violence tactic was a major part of who he was and what he stood for.
I think Martin's relationship with John F. Kennedy is very interesting. Kennedy helped Martin out during his protests and freed him and a bunch of people when they were forcefully locked in their church. During the election Kennedy was the representative of change and equality for many colored people. They were overwhelmingly in favor for him. But since they were not allowed to vote he barley won the election. Kennedy was always a big supporter of King and I think they had a really great relationship.
It all started in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person and was arrested. That night there was a large meeting and all the colored people decided to officially start protesting and their first plan of action was boycotting all of the buses in Montgomery. Martin Luther King Jr. was made leader of the protest. It's important because it was the first major protest that he lead. Its lasted for a little over a year and was very successful. It got all of the colored people taking action in a way that they would get noticed. Eventually racial segregation was ended on all Montgomery public buses.
Martin was born on January 15th, 1929 to Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up with an older sister and a younger brother. His grandfather and his father were both pastors and he and his brother both grew up to become pastors as well. Martin went to Booker T. Washington High School. He skipped two grades and finished high school when he was 15. He then attended Morehouse College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. Then he went to Crozer Theological Seminary and got a Bachelor of Divinity degree. He married Coretta Scott when he was 24 and had 4 children throughout the years.
