Quiz: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.?
1) How old was he when he received the Nobel Peace Prize?
A) 40
B) 25
C) 35
D) 30
2) What was his wife's name?
A) Caroline
B) Mary
C) Henrietta
D) Coretta
3) Where was he born?
A) Atlanta, Georgia
B) New York, New York
C) Montgomery, Alabama
D) Chicago, Illinois
4) At what age did he start college?
A) 13
B) 20
C) 15
D) 18
5) What was the first movement he led?
A) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
B) The Birmingham Campaign
C) The Poor People's Campaign
D) The March on Washington
*To check your answers highlight the below area.
Answers:
1) C
2) D
3) A
4) C
5) A
A) 40
B) 25
C) 35
D) 30
2) What was his wife's name?
A) Caroline
B) Mary
C) Henrietta
D) Coretta
3) Where was he born?
A) Atlanta, Georgia
B) New York, New York
C) Montgomery, Alabama
D) Chicago, Illinois
4) At what age did he start college?
A) 13
B) 20
C) 15
D) 18
5) What was the first movement he led?
A) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
B) The Birmingham Campaign
C) The Poor People's Campaign
D) The March on Washington
*To check your answers highlight the below area.
Answers:
1) C
2) D
3) A
4) C
5) A
Lindsey Hecox
Miss Appell
Honors English II
28 April 2014
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Revolutionary
Martin Luther King Jr. came into the world on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Born a Baptist minister’s son, he was expected to have a good upbringing and become a respectable person in society. He far exceeded this expectation by coming to be one of the major influences in the battle for desegregation. King led many nonviolent protests and marches, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and March on Washington, as well as promoting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For these reasons, he should be awarded the Giant Difference Award. Martin Luther King Jr. was an exceptionally powerful peacemaker and leader who changed the world he lived in for the better, and forever changed the world as we know it today.
King was a bright individual from a young age, rising far beyond the abilities of his peers. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School at age fifteen and entered Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. King graduated Morehouse and entered Crozer Theological Seminary, graduating and being ordained to the Baptist ministry at age nineteen. He was well educated as well as having experience in a wide range of social interactions, helping him to be a very amiable individual. He went on to pursue graduate studies at Boston University where he received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology and met his future wife, Coretta Scott. In 1953, they married and settled in Montgomery, Alabama. A few years later, on December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks, another notable influence in desegregation, was arrested for refusing to give her seat up to a white passenger on a bus. Her simple refusal caused uproar among Montgomery residents, King included. Being a minister, Martin Luther King Jr. was quite active in the community. There was no question that he would be a great candidate for president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. On December 5th, four days after Rosa Parks' arrest, King was elected president of the association and chosen as the official spokesman of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The efforts of King and others did not go unnoticed. Other cities began their own boycotts, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court's decision on November 13, 1956 to make bus segregation illegal. His first major influence in desegregation had become a success, displaying his credibility as a remarkable leader and peacemaker.
The bus boycotts were just the beginning of King's great fight against desegregation. In 1957, he formed the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was joined by others who wanted to fight for the freedom of the minority. He began speaking to groups of all sizes and skin colors: his largest speech was given to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington D.C. on May 17, 1957. In 1958, the U.S. Congress passed the first Civil Rights Act since reconstruction (King Institute Resources). While King's acts are rewarding, they do not come without complications. The same year, he was nearly stabbed while on a speaking tour and meeting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other officials to discuss the struggle of black Americans. Although there were those who were critical of his efforts, he always had a great crowd of supports behind him. King admired and demonstrated the nonviolence policy of Mohatma Ghandi, which influenced much of the way he led his marches and protests. In 1959, he resigned from being a pastor to focus solely on his civil rights efforts and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to better lead the SCLC. He was devoted and enthusiastic about his work. A year after moving, his father, who had always wanted him to follow his footsteps in becoming a minister, persuaded King to lend some of his time to working as co-pastor with him at his childhood church.
Next began a new revolution, lunch counter sit-ins. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a group of students at a department store sat at the lunch counter and refused to give up their seats to white customers when asked. The trend spread across the region. King was not willing to let this stand be taken on its own. In Atlanta, King was arrested while participating in his own sit-in at a restaurant, sentencing him to four months in jail. He was released on account of arbitration from John and Robert Kennedy. In 1961, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in interstate transportation illegal, and the first Freedom Ride through the South was initiated. King was arrested once in 1962 after an unsuccessful march in Albany, Georgia on July 27th, but more importantly both King and Ralph Abernathy were arrested on Good Friday, April 12th, 1963 on charges of demonstrating without a permit. The next day, the Birmingham campaign, a crucial event in the battle to end segregation in the South, was put in motion while MLK sat in a jail cell for eleven days, writing his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Even while he was contained in jail, King composed one of his most
influential pieces of writing and remained the inspiration to the active protesters in the Birmingham campaign. The Birmingham
agreement was declared, prompting the desegregation of public places including stores, restaurants, and schools, and allowing blacks to be hired with higher titles and charges against protesters dropped. MLK’s efforts were rewarded once again. The battle for desegregation becomes increasingly successful, as King guides a Freedom Walk with a crowd of 125,000 people on June 23rd in Detroit (King Institute Resources). A few months later, on August 28th, 1963, the largest civil rights demonstration in history, the renowned March on Washington was led by King and other activists, attracting nearly 250,000 people. It was at this pivotal event that MLK made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech before the massive crowd, preaching about a vision of blacks and whites living equally in a world that is far beyond the harsh days of segregation. This idea sparked inspiration in the minds of many, making this a crucial
event.
The next year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed on July 2nd at the White House, with King in attendance. King remarked, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service). This seemed to be a year of success. Earlier in the year, King was featured as Man of the Year on the cover of Time magazine. Later the same year, King received the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest individual to have been awarded the Prize at age 35. These achievements demonstrated how countless others believed King was an admirable authority to his cause. Despite these remarkable achievements, King is shockingly stoned by Black Muslims in Harlem that summer, and the remorse of President Kennedy's assassination still looms. Regardless, he looked passed the unkindness of his detractors and continued to be successful in his endeavors. King once stated, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service).
Voting rights proves to be the next obstacle for King and fellow activists. On February 2nd, 1965, King is arrested during a voting rights demonstration in Selma, Alabama (King Institute Resources). The Voting Rights Act was signed into law later that year by President Johnson. MLK then looked to socioeconomic problems of black Americans. King voiced his beliefs, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service). He drew attention to the poor living conditions of minorities by moving to a neighborhood in the Chicago slums. King chooses this life for himself to make a point that some citizens have to live this way in their everyday lives. He made efforts to create awareness about this issue so aid may be given in return to those less fortunate. King sacrificed his simple daily pleasures to help those who did not receive help and were not cared about, just avoided. The March against Fear begins in June that year. A month later, King fights to end discrimination in schools, employment, and housing in Chicago with an avid campaign (King Institute Resources).
In 1967, King is faced with a conviction for demonstrating without a permit by a Birmingham court which is taken to the Supreme Court, causing him to spend four days in Birmingham jail. King does not let the law stop him, he continues to protest and march, initiating the Poor People's Campaign on November 27th, 1967, working to assist poor individuals of all races. The following year, the campaign held a March on Washington, insisting on receiving a $12 billion Economic Bill of Rights to aid in employment for capable laborers and steady incomes for those who are incapable of working, as well as termination of housing discrimination. On April 3rd, 1968, King presented his famous “I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech in Memphis, Tennessee, in regards to the Memphis SanitationStrike, which he marched for earlier in the year. The very next day, at sunset on April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot dead on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. An uproar of riots in 130 American cities alone occurred, yielding 20,000 arrests. Many, including King’s son, Dexter King, claimed that the federal government was involved in the murder, though it was never proven (Branch). King's funeral was held on April 9th, proving to be an international event (King Institute Resources).
Although he was no longer there physically, King's presence lived on. The Open Housing Act was passed by Congress within a week of his assassination (King Institute Resources). Almost two decades later in 1986, far beyond the heat of segregation, a national holiday was declared in King's honor, supporting the claim that he is the most influential peace maker in history. As the declaration of independence stated in 1776, nearly 150 years before King’s birth, “All men are created equal,”though this was not always true. Martin Luther King Jr. fought segregation to validate the often overlooked claim that all men are alike in rights and privileges.
Works Cited
Branch, Taylor. The King Years. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 2013. Print.
Brown, Mitchell. "Timeline of Events in Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s Life." Timeline of Events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life.
Ed. Isaac Clark and Alexis Carrasquel. Louisiana State University, 2014. Web. 21
Apr. 2014.
Frady, Marshall. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life.
New York: Penguin Group, 2002. Print.
"King Institute Resources."King Institute
Resources. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute,
n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
"King, Martin Luther, Jr." EBSCOhost. MAS
Ultra-School Edition, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
"Martin Luther King Jr. Biography."
Http://www.biography.com/. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 2 Apr.
2014.
"Martin Luther King JR. Day Of
Service." The Official MLK Day of Service Site. U.S. Government, n.d.
Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Miss Appell
Honors English II
28 April 2014
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Revolutionary
Martin Luther King Jr. came into the world on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Born a Baptist minister’s son, he was expected to have a good upbringing and become a respectable person in society. He far exceeded this expectation by coming to be one of the major influences in the battle for desegregation. King led many nonviolent protests and marches, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and March on Washington, as well as promoting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For these reasons, he should be awarded the Giant Difference Award. Martin Luther King Jr. was an exceptionally powerful peacemaker and leader who changed the world he lived in for the better, and forever changed the world as we know it today.
King was a bright individual from a young age, rising far beyond the abilities of his peers. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School at age fifteen and entered Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. King graduated Morehouse and entered Crozer Theological Seminary, graduating and being ordained to the Baptist ministry at age nineteen. He was well educated as well as having experience in a wide range of social interactions, helping him to be a very amiable individual. He went on to pursue graduate studies at Boston University where he received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology and met his future wife, Coretta Scott. In 1953, they married and settled in Montgomery, Alabama. A few years later, on December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks, another notable influence in desegregation, was arrested for refusing to give her seat up to a white passenger on a bus. Her simple refusal caused uproar among Montgomery residents, King included. Being a minister, Martin Luther King Jr. was quite active in the community. There was no question that he would be a great candidate for president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. On December 5th, four days after Rosa Parks' arrest, King was elected president of the association and chosen as the official spokesman of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The efforts of King and others did not go unnoticed. Other cities began their own boycotts, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court's decision on November 13, 1956 to make bus segregation illegal. His first major influence in desegregation had become a success, displaying his credibility as a remarkable leader and peacemaker.
The bus boycotts were just the beginning of King's great fight against desegregation. In 1957, he formed the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was joined by others who wanted to fight for the freedom of the minority. He began speaking to groups of all sizes and skin colors: his largest speech was given to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington D.C. on May 17, 1957. In 1958, the U.S. Congress passed the first Civil Rights Act since reconstruction (King Institute Resources). While King's acts are rewarding, they do not come without complications. The same year, he was nearly stabbed while on a speaking tour and meeting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other officials to discuss the struggle of black Americans. Although there were those who were critical of his efforts, he always had a great crowd of supports behind him. King admired and demonstrated the nonviolence policy of Mohatma Ghandi, which influenced much of the way he led his marches and protests. In 1959, he resigned from being a pastor to focus solely on his civil rights efforts and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to better lead the SCLC. He was devoted and enthusiastic about his work. A year after moving, his father, who had always wanted him to follow his footsteps in becoming a minister, persuaded King to lend some of his time to working as co-pastor with him at his childhood church.
Next began a new revolution, lunch counter sit-ins. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a group of students at a department store sat at the lunch counter and refused to give up their seats to white customers when asked. The trend spread across the region. King was not willing to let this stand be taken on its own. In Atlanta, King was arrested while participating in his own sit-in at a restaurant, sentencing him to four months in jail. He was released on account of arbitration from John and Robert Kennedy. In 1961, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in interstate transportation illegal, and the first Freedom Ride through the South was initiated. King was arrested once in 1962 after an unsuccessful march in Albany, Georgia on July 27th, but more importantly both King and Ralph Abernathy were arrested on Good Friday, April 12th, 1963 on charges of demonstrating without a permit. The next day, the Birmingham campaign, a crucial event in the battle to end segregation in the South, was put in motion while MLK sat in a jail cell for eleven days, writing his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Even while he was contained in jail, King composed one of his most
influential pieces of writing and remained the inspiration to the active protesters in the Birmingham campaign. The Birmingham
agreement was declared, prompting the desegregation of public places including stores, restaurants, and schools, and allowing blacks to be hired with higher titles and charges against protesters dropped. MLK’s efforts were rewarded once again. The battle for desegregation becomes increasingly successful, as King guides a Freedom Walk with a crowd of 125,000 people on June 23rd in Detroit (King Institute Resources). A few months later, on August 28th, 1963, the largest civil rights demonstration in history, the renowned March on Washington was led by King and other activists, attracting nearly 250,000 people. It was at this pivotal event that MLK made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech before the massive crowd, preaching about a vision of blacks and whites living equally in a world that is far beyond the harsh days of segregation. This idea sparked inspiration in the minds of many, making this a crucial
event.
The next year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed on July 2nd at the White House, with King in attendance. King remarked, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service). This seemed to be a year of success. Earlier in the year, King was featured as Man of the Year on the cover of Time magazine. Later the same year, King received the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest individual to have been awarded the Prize at age 35. These achievements demonstrated how countless others believed King was an admirable authority to his cause. Despite these remarkable achievements, King is shockingly stoned by Black Muslims in Harlem that summer, and the remorse of President Kennedy's assassination still looms. Regardless, he looked passed the unkindness of his detractors and continued to be successful in his endeavors. King once stated, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service).
Voting rights proves to be the next obstacle for King and fellow activists. On February 2nd, 1965, King is arrested during a voting rights demonstration in Selma, Alabama (King Institute Resources). The Voting Rights Act was signed into law later that year by President Johnson. MLK then looked to socioeconomic problems of black Americans. King voiced his beliefs, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'” (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service). He drew attention to the poor living conditions of minorities by moving to a neighborhood in the Chicago slums. King chooses this life for himself to make a point that some citizens have to live this way in their everyday lives. He made efforts to create awareness about this issue so aid may be given in return to those less fortunate. King sacrificed his simple daily pleasures to help those who did not receive help and were not cared about, just avoided. The March against Fear begins in June that year. A month later, King fights to end discrimination in schools, employment, and housing in Chicago with an avid campaign (King Institute Resources).
In 1967, King is faced with a conviction for demonstrating without a permit by a Birmingham court which is taken to the Supreme Court, causing him to spend four days in Birmingham jail. King does not let the law stop him, he continues to protest and march, initiating the Poor People's Campaign on November 27th, 1967, working to assist poor individuals of all races. The following year, the campaign held a March on Washington, insisting on receiving a $12 billion Economic Bill of Rights to aid in employment for capable laborers and steady incomes for those who are incapable of working, as well as termination of housing discrimination. On April 3rd, 1968, King presented his famous “I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech in Memphis, Tennessee, in regards to the Memphis SanitationStrike, which he marched for earlier in the year. The very next day, at sunset on April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot dead on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. An uproar of riots in 130 American cities alone occurred, yielding 20,000 arrests. Many, including King’s son, Dexter King, claimed that the federal government was involved in the murder, though it was never proven (Branch). King's funeral was held on April 9th, proving to be an international event (King Institute Resources).
Although he was no longer there physically, King's presence lived on. The Open Housing Act was passed by Congress within a week of his assassination (King Institute Resources). Almost two decades later in 1986, far beyond the heat of segregation, a national holiday was declared in King's honor, supporting the claim that he is the most influential peace maker in history. As the declaration of independence stated in 1776, nearly 150 years before King’s birth, “All men are created equal,”though this was not always true. Martin Luther King Jr. fought segregation to validate the often overlooked claim that all men are alike in rights and privileges.
Works Cited
Branch, Taylor. The King Years. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 2013. Print.
Brown, Mitchell. "Timeline of Events in Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s Life." Timeline of Events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life.
Ed. Isaac Clark and Alexis Carrasquel. Louisiana State University, 2014. Web. 21
Apr. 2014.
Frady, Marshall. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life.
New York: Penguin Group, 2002. Print.
"King Institute Resources."King Institute
Resources. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute,
n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
"King, Martin Luther, Jr." EBSCOhost. MAS
Ultra-School Edition, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
"Martin Luther King Jr. Biography."
Http://www.biography.com/. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 2 Apr.
2014.
"Martin Luther King JR. Day Of
Service." The Official MLK Day of Service Site. U.S. Government, n.d.
Web. 27 Apr. 2014.