Clarke March 23, 2010
5-Burzinski English
Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X., Rosa Parks, James Peck, and Robert F. Kennedy were all life changing civil rights leaders, but most would say the most courageous, important civil rights leader was Martin Luther King Jr. In the following essay, there are amazing facts about who Martin was as a person, what he really strived to do, and opinion wise, if his dream really came to reality.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January fifteenth, 1929, in the segregated vicinity of Atlanta, Georgia. He was the first son, and second child of his father, Reverend Martin Luther King Sr., and his mother, Alberta Williams King. He went to Morehouse College, and while there, he received numerous degrees. Later, on June eighteenth, 1953, he married Corretta Scott. A little while later, he became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. He was arrested thirty times for his civil rights participation. That’s why so many people hated him, and why so many people loved him. People had mixed feelings for him because of his participation in the civil rights movement. However, in 1968, somebody who really hated him and wasn’t for the civil rights act, James Earl Ray, assassinated him on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Martin Luther King Jr. strived to do many things. First, he strived to make people of different races, mostly African Americans, and whites equal. A second dream that he tried to make into reality was to create peace throughout the U.S., and throughout the world. During the civil rights movement, he tried to make more people participate, and help with the major issue.
Martin’s dream has not yet come true. One reason is that, even though there are laws against segregation, there is still the Ku-Klux-Klan, and other hate groups within the U.S. Though, enough people supported him that he was able to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Even very famous people supported him like John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Baines Johnson. According to the Scholastic “Civil Rights: How Far Have We Come?” article, Kathy Wilmore (the author of the article) and most African Americans agree with me. Martin’s dream has not yet come true. Quoted from this article, “Let’s take a look at three problem areas- housing, education, and the political arena- where many African Americans still do not enjoy equality with other Americans.”
To recap, Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important civil rights leader of his time. He was born in the segregated city of Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, went to Morehouse College, married Corretta Scott at the age of twenty four, and was suddenly and sadly assassinated by James Earl Ray in 1968. He strived to make people of different races, mostly African Americans, and whites equal. Another thing that he dreamed of was to make peace throughout the United States and the world. Lastly, Martin’s dream has not yet come true. Even though there are laws against segregation, the Ku-Klux-Klan and other hate groups are still out in the U.S.