Osvaldo Beltran

Ms. Lightner
January 29, 2015
7th ELA- 1st Period

Martin Luther King Jr.

Do you know who was Martin Luther King Jr. also known as MLK? Do you know what his
most famous speech was called? Do you know what famous march was held and where he gave
his most famous speech on August 28. Well today you will learn a few things about the man best
known as MLK.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King was the
middle child of his parents Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther King, Sr. His older sister
was Christine King Farris and his younger brother was Alfred Daniel Williams King. Martin
Luther King Jr. attended Booker T. High School, but skipped ninth and twelfth grade. King
didnt get to graduate from High School. Then, he went to Morehouse College when he was just
15 years old. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1984with a Bachelor of Arts in
Sociology. King then enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania which is
where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1951. He then began Doctoral Studies
in Systematic Theology at Boston University. And, all of the schools that King attended to were
segregated.
Martin Luther King Jr. married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953 in Heiberger, Alabama. King
and Scott had four children who were Martin Luther King III, Yolanda King, Dexter Scott King,
and Bernice King. King became a pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery,
Alabama at the age of 25. Their family live in Alabama for less than a year until, it became the
epicenter of the burgeoning struggle for civil rights. King was a Christian which was one of the
reasons why he became a pastor. He also thought that violence wasnt the right way to handle
things.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a good leader because he was a peaceful leader. He thought that
violence wasnt the right way to handle things. He got inspired by Mahatma Gandhi which was
also a peaceful leader. King lead the March on Washington which is where a lot of people
gathered to listen to Kings famous I Have A Dream speech. In his speech he talked about how
he wanted peace and equality for everyone no matter what their race was. Later that year, King
was named Man of the Year by TIME Magazine. In 1964, King was the youngest man who was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On the evening of April 4, 1968, King was shot while standing
on a balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. King had traveled to Tennessee to support a

sanitation workers strike. James Earl Ray was the man who shot MLK, pleaded guilty to Kings
to Kings murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
In conclusion, MLK was a good leader. Even though he was murdered at a young age , he
helped passed the laws that stopped segregation. He even got the Nobel Peace Prize for never
using violence against other people. King got inspired for not using violence by Mahatma
Gandhi. President Ronald Reagan signed bill creating a U.S. federal holiday in honor of MLK.
This holiday is now celebrated on the third Monday of January. Now you know a little bit of who
MLK was and how he wanted everybody to have peace and equality.
Martin Luther King Jr.history.com.web.1February2015. http://www.history.com/topics/blackhistory/martin-luther-king-jr