P.S.

124

Natalia Azad

7-701

January 20, 2015

Apple Essay: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist and Minister just like his grandfather
and his father. He was a great man that changed the world forever. And he did it by using words.
Dr. King never used violence or force to get what he wanted. He protested peaceful no matter
what. This is what made his noble, the fact that he wouldnt hurt no one. He believed everyone
was equal, no matter what color their skin was. He was such a passionate speaker that he not
only got African Americans to follow him, but also got many white people too. Dr. King was a
gently, intelligent man who had one dream and even though he wasnt alive to see that dream be
fulfilled to the fullest, he would have been very proud.
Dr. Kings original name was Michael king, Jr. But was later changed to Martin Luther
King, Jr. after a German Protestant religious leader. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929. He
was the son of Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Growing up, he wasnt very
religious. At the age of 12, Dr. Kings grandmother died from a heart attack in May 1941. This
battered him very much since when she passed he was out watching a parade against his parents.
He allegedly tried to commit suicide by jumping from the second story window of his house. Dr.
King entered Booker T. Washington High School and skipped the ninth and eleventh grades.
In 1944, Dr. King entered Morehouse College at 15 years old. In 1948, Dr. King earned
his sociology degree and attended liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
He was the valedictorian of his class in 1951 and he was student body president. He was
accepted to many colleges like Yale and Edinburgh but he enrolled into Boston University. In
June 1953, Dr. King married Coretta Scott. They had four children, which names Yolanda,
Martin Luther King the third, Dexter Scott, and Bernice. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks
famously refused to give up her seat on a bus. On the night she was arrested, Dr. King, E.D.
Nixon, the head of the NAACP and other civil rights leaders planned to boycott the buses. In
1956, the Supreme Court ruled segregation on transportation illegal. Later in 1957, the SCLC
was founded by Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, and 60 ministers and activists. On August 28, 1963,
more than 200,000 people went to the Lincoln Memorial to heard Martin Luther King, Jr. famous
speech, best known as the I Have a Dream speech.
Sadly, in April 4, 1968 Dr. King was assassinated by James Earl Ray. He was only 39
years old. Martin Luther King, Jr. will not only be remembers because of his passion for equality,
but also the struggles and obstacles he faced for us to have the freedom we have today. He was a
man who inspired others to do things that they never thought of doing. He helped open the eyes
of many people and show them that no matter what skin color someone is they are still human.
Because of the hardships Dr. King had to face, I have been able to meet people and have friends
that are from different cultures. For that I would like to thank Dr. King for doing everything that
he did.