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Who was Martin Luther King jr. ? - Referat
Martin Luther King Junior was born on the 15th of January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia as Michael King Junior. He was a Human rights activist and fights a lot against racial segregation. His speech „I have a dream“ became world-famous. Because of his faith and his dreams he accepted death. Therefore today he is called a martyr. Martin Luther King died at the 4th of April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
On the 15th of January 1929 in Atlanta, the couple Alberta Christine Williams King and Michael King senior get a child. Micheal King junior was born. His Mother Alberta King was a teacher. She lived from 1904 to 1974. His father Michael King senior was a pastor. He lived from 1899 to 1984.
Martin Luther King Junior is grown up very religious. During a trip threw Germany his father let the name Micheal change into Martin Luther. He does this in honour of Martin Luther, the instigator of the reformation in the 16th century. During his lifetime, racial discrimination was still a big issue in the US. Black people were marginalized and had nearly no rights. They had to go to separate schools, were not allowed to ride on a bus with white people, eat in the same restaurant or work in the same place.
After elementary school, King wasn’t allowed to meet his white friend. After this, he stood up for the Rights from black people. Already as a child, he stood up and made speeches and works as an assistant pastor at his father’s church in Georgia. There he started to study Sociology at the "Morehouse College“. In 1948 he finished it. After this, he started to study theology at the „Crozer Theological Seminary“ in Pennsylvania in 1951. He was the best student in his class. He read books from a lot of famous Authors but especially Mahatma Gandhi. He was fascinated by the non-violent action in his books. He said: "From Gandhi, I learned my operational technique.“ That means, that he learns how to act nonviolently.
After the second study, he started to work as a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama. At the 18th of June 1953, he married his long-time girlfriend Coretta Scott Williams. Together they got four children. During the 1950’s he leads a peaceful protest group called "Southern Christian Leadership Conference“ or short SCLC. They boycotted the public transport. That means, they didn’t use it. The protests lasted 381 days and were successful. Since then, racial discrimination in public transport was forbidden. Martin Luther King was arrested a few times but thanks to the former President of the united states John F. Kennedy he was always set free again.
Martin Luther King met John F. Kennedy to adopt the law abolishing racial segregation. During the process, John F. Kennedy gets killed by an Assassin. His Successor Lyndon Johnson finished the law. On the second of July 1964 the law „Civil Rights Act“ was finished and on the way. The law says that racism discrimination is illegal.
Martin Luther King gets the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and the Time magazine appointed him as the „Man of the Year“ in 1963. At the 4th of April 1968 Martin Luther King jr. get killed. Probably by white racists. After his death, big uprisings started in the US. The protests were accompanied by slogans like „Burn, Baby, Burn" and „We must seek revenge for the murder of Dr King“. Look familiar? Today, on the third Monday in January each year, people in the US celebrate Martin Luther King Day. For many Americans, it is an official holiday.
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