Written by Madison W. , Illustration by Princess E.
Imagine this: You are a small child living in the southern part of the United States during segregation. You have enjoyed playing with your neighbor, whose family is white, however, one day, your neighbor comes over and clearly states, “Sorry, but my dad said we can’t play anymore.” You have just been rejected because of the color of your skin. That is what happened to Martin Luther King Jr. when he was a child. Black rights were very limited during segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important civil rights leader who made a powerful impact on black citizens in America.
To begin with, Martin had a difficult early life. Martin was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a minister at a church. Martin had never liked violence and when he was bullied at school, he sat there and took it. Peace was Martin’s nature. In the source titled, “Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!”, by Mason Fitzpatrick, the text stated that Martin was so intelligent that he skipped two grades in school! He started college at the age 15. Talk about smart! Also, let’s discuss Martin’s later life and career. He studied theology so that he could become a pastor. According to the source titled, “Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!”, by Mason Fitzpatrick, he says that King earned his doctorate in Philosophy in 1955. This shows just how intuitive Martin was as a kid.
Lastly, let’s look at some of the many accomplishments from King. He started off the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. He was inspired to arrange this boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white man. At the time, blacks had to give up their seats to whites if a white person wanted the seat on a bus. This is what led to a boycott of the bus system in Montgomery. Then, around 1960, sit-ins started to take place. Black teens would walk into whites-only bars/restaurants and very casually sit down and wait to be served. These movements became very powerful, yet they did not include any violence. According to, “Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!”, by Mason Fitzpatrick, the text says that Martin organized a march to Washington D.C. with over 250,000 people, and listened to his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” Unfortunately, some people did not agree with King in a very nasty way. In 1968, a man with hatred in his heart took hold of a gun and shot King to death. It was a mighty blow to the black community.
To sum it all up, Martin Luther King Jr. was a beacon of hope in the darkness that was called racism. Today, we celebrate him every year on January 15th. King was very important to U.S. history in many ways. Not only was he brave and inspirational, but he was peaceful and good-willed. Martin Luther King Jr. had a very tough childhood, a good career, and a good role in the civil rights movement. This man showed us that if you try hard enough, you can succeed.
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