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Martin Luther King Jr Accomplishments

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¨The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people¨(brainyquote). Martin Luther King Jr. is a name known worldwide. He prospered from an early age and continued to change the nation. King changed the way America looked at race equality. If it was not for Martin Luther King Jr.’a contributions, American citizens would not have a lot of the freedom or equality we have today. His determination and strong leadership were the reasons for his numerous successes. January 15, 1929 marks the day this American hero was born. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived on a Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. Unknowingly of their son’s future impact, parents Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams …show more content…

Jennie C. Williams, also lived with the family. Martin was very close with his grandmother. When Martin Sr. had to discipline Martin Jr., she always had words of comfort to help (Farris, 56). Martin was twelve years old when his grandmother suddenly passed away. It occurred one Sunday in May, 1941, when the family went on the usual routine of going to church. This time, however, Grandmother went to visit a different congregation after church instead of going home with everyone; everyone except, Martin Jr.. The young, mischievous boy decided to sneak downtown to see a parade. This act was forbidden by his father. During the parade, one of Martin’s friends found him and told him that Grandmother had died of a heart attack while at the church she was visiting. Martin took this very hard, thinking it was his fault due to his guilty act (Farris, 57). Distraught at the news that following night, he jumped from a second story window of the family home, supposedly attempting suicide (¨The Life and Death of Martin Luther King Jr., 13¨). Fortunately, he had no serious injuries from the incident and recovered from the loss of his …show more content…

He began high school at the age of fifteen, also managing his first job as a paperboy. Attending Booker T. Washington High School, Martin was an advanced student. He skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades and entered Morehouse College in 1944 within the same year. King was a determined student and popular with his classmates. While deciding on a career path, he hopped from wanting to become a fireman, to doctor, to lawyer (Rothman, 1). Martin questioned his religion and this discomfort continued through his adolescence. This led to him renewing his faith and finally deciding on following the footsteps of his father and becoming a minister. Concluding his senior year at Morehouse in 1948, Martin Jr. earned a sociology degree. He then attended the Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. King finished as valedictorian of his class in 1951. During his last year in seminary, Martin came under the guidance of Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays who influenced King’s spiritual development. Mays helped Martin see Christianity as a potential force for social change. After being accepted to several colleges for his doctoral study, King enrolled in Boston University (¨The Life and Death of Martin Luther King Jr.,

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