Martin Luther King Jr. expected to take over as pastor of his father's successful church in Atlanta, then retire to be a college professor. But adversity changed his plans.
While still attending divinity school in 1954, King served as the preacher at a church in Montgomery, Ala. The city had been a center of the slave trade and later numerous lynchings.
But King would become the voice of a movement that would help Blacks break down the barriers of segregation in the South and discrimination in jobs and housing everywhere. He marshaled support leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Leave A Lasting Legacy Like King
Not even adversity could stop King's lasting reforms. He spoke in Memphis, Tenn., on April 3, 1968, and the following evening an assassin killed him. He was 39 years old. Still, his influence remains today. President Ronald Reagan designated the third Monday of January as a national holiday to commemorate his legacy, starting in 1986.
"He improvised more than planned because he was attempting to do something that had never been tried in the United States, which was to bring about radical social change through a nonviolent protest movement," Jonathan Eig, author of "King: A Life," said. "No matter how often he failed, he kept trying, so the lesson for us is to never give up hope."
Learn To Communicate More Effectively
King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, into a middle-class family in a thriving Black section of Atlanta. It was just before the Great Depression hit America. King spent much of his childhood reading. He began memorizing passages from the Bible and skipped two grades at school.
"Martin's strong convictions, fearlessness and ambition came from his father, while his mother provided calmness and kindness," said Eig. "She also gave him singing lessons that helped him discover the power of his voice and encouraged him to memorize songs."
Public speaking became a passion when he was 15. And he studied local preachers. He'd then practice speaking in front of a mirror. King spent days writing and memorizing what to say. He gave his first sermon at 18 years old and became a sensation. King continued to tune his style, changing the cadence, telling stories that fit the audience and citing respected thinkers.
"He was able to speak to a broad array of audiences with messages that would resonate like almost no one else could," Eig said.
Adhere To Your Values To Achieve Success
Blacks won many rights during Reconstruction following the Civil War. But after federal troops withdrew from the South in 1877, segregation (aka Jim Crow) laws took hold. In Montgomery, the first capital of the Confederacy, Blacks had to sit at the back of buses. But in December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move her bus seat. Authorities arrested her.
King had been preaching a social gospel that combined activism to improve the lives of the community based on Christian values. That included loving one's enemies. A public transportation boycott tested these ideals. And the city arrested Black drivers of cars and taxis giving free rides to support the boycott.
King hesitated about what to do. But he took 20 minutes to prepare to speak to a crowd of 5,000 in and around his church. He had led a calm life until then. But at 26 he was being asked to take sides in a confrontation that would likely cause some whites to respond fiercely.
"Without notes and in a deep throbbing voice, he called out and the people responded, the noise pounding in waves that shook the building as he built to a climax, reminding them that they were patriots by nonviolently insisting on their rights," said Eig. "Historians have speculated on how he had the courage, but have overlooked what really motivated him, which were two experiences in deep prayer which gave him the conviction that God had called him to help his people."
Persist In The Face of Adversity
The bus boycott lasted 381 days. The initial reaction was the bombing of churches and homes and attempts to kill King, his family and other leaders and activists. He refused to have armed bodyguards. He thought no amount of security beyond the protection of God would be enough. "The ultimate freedom is fearlessness," he declared. His wife, Coretta, shared his beliefs, despite the great risk to the family.
The eventual result of King's actions was the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It was the first significant legislation to protect the rights of Blacks since 1875. King decided to take the campaign for equal rights to the nation. "Our ultimate aim is not to humiliate the white man but to win his understanding," he said.
Birmingham, Ala., nicknamed Bombingham, was a major challenge, with an active Ku Klux Klan. Blacks made up 40% of the population, but less than 10% of its eligible voters were registered. King was jailed in April 1963. But he used the time to write out his philosophy and goals on scraps of paper that were smuggled out, which became known as the "Letter from Birmingham Jail."
It was critical of white moderates who supported the campaign against segregation, but were not willing to sacrifice to change the laws in their areas to end job and housing discrimination. King decided to become more active outside of the South.
Inspire Everyone With A Vision Of The Future
In Detroit, Mich., Gov. George Romney declared "Freedom March Day" in June 1963, and 125,000 filled downtown. King spoke to 12,000 people squeezed into an arena, with those outside listening on loudspeakers. He mixed prayer, poetry and patriotism to urge all Americans to seize the opportunity to bring equality to everyone.
"I have a dream that the brotherhood of man will become a reality in this day and with this faith I will go out and carve a tunnel of hope through the mountain of despair," he said.
In August, the organizers of the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs urged Congress to pass stronger civil rights legislation. Most anticipated 100,000 would show up. But 250,000 filled the area around Tidal Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Celebrities such as Charlton Heston and Sidney Poitier sat on the stage as King spoke. King noted in his speech that a century after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, Blacks were still shackled by segregation, discrimination and poverty.
"I have a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal," King said. He added: "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. We will speed up the day when all of God's children ... will join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"
Change The World Like King
In 2011, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was opened next to the National Mall, within sight of the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.
"He had no illusions about the challenges of achieving his goals, with tremendous resistance at every level, and he had both personal and leadership weaknesses," said Eig. "There are still many minority families that lack in income and academic achievement in part because schools are still de facto segregated in many affluent areas. But he brought us much closer to where we should be."
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Keys
- The outspoken leader of the American civil rights movement, he helped drive the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- Overcame: Beatings and efforts to kill him and his family and followers, refusal of officials to allow Blacks into whites-only facilities, and resistance to enabling everyone to vote.
- Lesson: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
