preview

Martin Luther King

Decent Essays

The month of May is set aside each year to celebrate African American History. When you think of Black History month, the first thing that we all think about is the historical speech, “I have a dream”. However, he did so much more than just present the speech that we all are familiar with had moral values that he stood for and was the leader of many civil right movements. This man is known as Martin Luther King. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Jr.’s parents were Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King Jr.’s father and his grandfather were both ministers and Martin’s mother was a school teacher. He had a sister by the name of Christine and a brother by the name of Alfred. His mother …show more content…

Johnson. Throughout his efforts he was arrested up to twenty times and he was physically abused at least four times. In 1964, Martin Luther King was the youngest man to ever receive the Noble Peace Prize. This was a high ranked award and was recognized worldwide. When was informed that he had been chosen for the prize money he stated that he was going to give a portion equally 54,123 to further the civil right movements. One evening on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was staying in a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was there to lead a protest march in sympathy of garbage workers who were on strike. He was standing on his balcony outside one early evening right outside his motel room when he was shot and assassinated by a single shot which hit his face and neck. Within an hour he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Not too long after the murder, a package was dropped off near the door of Canipe's Amusement Co. close by the scene, and a white Mustang sped away. The Memphis police officers found the pack to contain a .30-06 rifle, ammunition, a pair of binoculars, and other items. In 1968, the national holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated to honor this exceptional man and his efforts in the civil right movements. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King's birthday, January 15. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Get Access