fought against racial prejudice, not just because his race suffered, but because he considered racism and segregation to be an affront to God's will. Though they undoubtedly tried, King’s parents couldn’t shield him completely from racism. was more the disciplinarian, while his wife's gentleness easily balanced out the father's strict hand. The King children grew up in a secure and loving environment. King had an older sister, Willie Christine, and a younger brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King. and Martin Luther: The Parallels Between the Two Leaders would follow his father's lead and adopt the name himself. in honor of the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther. He too became a successful minister and adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. stepped in as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law in 1931. The newlyweds moved to A.D.'s home in Atlanta. He married Alberta in 1926 after an eight-year courtship. came from a family of sharecroppers in a poor farming community. He married Jennie Celeste Parks and they had one child that survived, Alberta. He took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist church with around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation. Williams, was a rural minister for years and then moved to Atlanta in 1893. The King and Williams families had roots in rural Georgia. on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. He continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African American leaders in history.

King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors.

Through his activism and inspirational speeches, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. was a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist who had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s.Īmong his many efforts, King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). (1929-1968) Who Was Martin Luther King Jr?

The autobiography of martin luther king