Free Essays on MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very intelligent and ambitious man and an outstanding public speaker. Today, black citizens have the basic Constitutional rights that used to be exclusive to whites, thanks to King. Martin Luther King Jr.’s main goal that drove him in all his actions was to achieve racial equality between whites and blacks. Although equality was his goal, Martin Luther King, Jr. would not say that he was â€Å"successful†. He would call all the positive actions that occurred during his life, that were spearheaded by him, as â€Å"progress†. â€Å"Success†, to King, was nothing short of total race equality. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King Sr. King Jr. had a strong religious background from the very start. He was the grandson of the Reverend A. D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church, and a founder of Atlanta’s NAACP chapter. Sr. succeeded Williams as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and, later, was active as a civil rights leader as well. Even though Martin Jr. questioned literal interpretation of scripture and resented religious emotionalism, King still admired black social gospel leaders, like his father and grandfather, who could use the church as an instrument for improving the lives of blacks in America (Carson 1). At Eighteen, King was licensed to preach and began assisting his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. A year later, King was ordained as a Baptist minister, and graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. After attending Morehouse, King went to Crozer Theologica l Seminary, on a scholarship, to study divinity. While studying at Crozer, King was intrigued by the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi, and began to learn more about the Indian philosopher’s teachings, especially non-violent protests (Stephanie 1). After graduating from Crozer as class valedictorian, with a Bachelor... Free Essays on MLK Free Essays on MLK â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Summary In Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, he explained his actions to his fellow clergymen. They accused him and his followers of engaging in â€Å"unwise and untimely† activities. He defended that they did not irresponsibly move into direct action, their activity in Birmingham was not extreme, and the laxity of the Church. Ordinarily, King barely glanced at the comments of his critics but he felt compelled to respond to the clergy. He felt that they were men of genuine good will and wholesome heart. In his essay, he listed many points of reason for his actions and imprisonment. One of the explanations was why he was in Birmingham jail in the first place. He said he was there because of its injustice and he came to answer the call for aid. It was important to him to help his fellow man in Birmingham because he strongly felt that â€Å"injustice anywhere was a threat to justice everywhere†. Whatever affected a person directly affected e veryone indirectly in the future. King’s first main point was that he and his followers did not move irresponsibly into direct action. His nonviolent direct action was taken in order to make society notice that there was an injustice present in that society and to force them to face the issue at hand. He wanted to dramatize the issue in order for it to be no longer ignored. His second major point was that their activity in Birmingham was not extreme. Their normal and healthy discontent was able to be channeled through the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. He claimed that John Bunyan, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln alike were all crucified for being â€Å"extremists†. If they were extreme, it was because of the cause of justice to all around the world. His last main point was that of his disappointment towards the white Church and its leadership. He thought that they were going to e among the strongest of their... Free Essays on MLK Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very intelligent and ambitious man and an outstanding public speaker. Today, black citizens have the basic Constitutional rights that used to be exclusive to whites, thanks to King. Martin Luther King Jr.’s main goal that drove him in all his actions was to achieve racial equality between whites and blacks. Although equality was his goal, Martin Luther King, Jr. would not say that he was â€Å"successful†. He would call all the positive actions that occurred during his life, that were spearheaded by him, as â€Å"progress†. â€Å"Success†, to King, was nothing short of total race equality. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King Sr. King Jr. had a strong religious background from the very start. He was the grandson of the Reverend A. D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church, and a founder of Atlanta’s NAACP chapter. Sr. succeeded Williams as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and, later, was active as a civil rights leader as well. Even though Martin Jr. questioned literal interpretation of scripture and resented religious emotionalism, King still admired black social gospel leaders, like his father and grandfather, who could use the church as an instrument for improving the lives of blacks in America (Carson 1). At Eighteen, King was licensed to preach and began assisting his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. A year later, King was ordained as a Baptist minister, and graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. After attending Morehouse, King went to Crozer Theologica l Seminary, on a scholarship, to study divinity. While studying at Crozer, King was intrigued by the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi, and began to learn more about the Indian philosopher’s teachings, especially non-violent protests (Stephanie 1). After graduating from Crozer as class valedictorian, with a Bachelor...