MARTIN LUTHER KING
his life history
BORN
 Michael king jr. Was born in january 15,1929
Atlanta,Georgia,US
DIED
Martin Luther king died on April 4,1968 (aged 39)
Memphis, Tennesse,US
CHILDREN
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Yolanda Denise king (1953 -1968)
Martin Luther king the 3 rd (1957)
Dexter Scott King (1961)
Bernice Albertine King (1963)
WIFE
 Martin Luther king wife is Coretta Scott King (1953 -1968)
PARENTS
PART OF SPEECH
RELIGION
 As a Christian minister, Martin Luther King's main influence
was Jesus Christ and the Christian gospels, which he would
almost always quote in his religious meetings, speeches at
church, and in public discourses. King's faith was strongly
based in Jesus' commandment of loving your neighbor as
yourself, loving God above all, and loving your enemies,
praying for them and blessing them. His non-violent thought
was also based in the injuction to turn the other cheek in
the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' teaching of putting the
sword back into its place (Matthew 26:52). [18] In his
famous Letter from Birmingham Jail , King urged action
consistent with what he describes as Jesus' "extremist" love,
and also quoted numerous other Christian pacifist authors,
which was very usual for him. In his speech I've Been to the
Mountaintop, he stated that he just wanted to do God's will.
LET IT RING!!
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
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Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Reverend Martin Luther
K i n g , S r . a n d A l b e r t a W i l l i a m s K i n g . [1] H i s l e g a l n a m e a t b i r t h w a s " M i c h a e l K i n g " . [2] K i n g ' s f a t h e r
was also born Michael King. The father "changed" both names on his own during a 1934 trip to Nazi
Germany to attend the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress in Berlin. It was during this time he
c h o s e t o b e c a l l e d M a r t i n L u t h e r K i n g i n h o n o r o f t h e g r e a t G e r m a n r e f o r m e r M a r t i n L u t h e r . [3]
Martin, Jr., was a middle child, between an older sister, Willie Christine King , and a younger
b r o t h e r , A l f r e d D a n i e l W i l l i a m s K i n g . [4] K i n g s a n g w i t h h i s c h u r c h c h o i r a t t h e 1 9 3 9 A t l a n t a p r e m i e r e
o f t h e m o v i e G o n e w i t h t h e W i n d . [5]
K i n g w a s o r i g i n a l l y s k e p t i c a l o f m a n y o f C h r i s t i a n i t y ' s c l a i m s . [6] A t t h e a g e o f t h i r t e e n , h e d e n i e d
the bodily resurrection of Jesus during Sunday school. From this point, he stated, "doubts began to
s p r i n g f o r t h u n r e l e n t i n g l y " . [7] H o w e v e r , h e l a t e r c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e B i b l e h a s " m a n y p r o f o u n d t r u t h s
w h i c h o n e c a n n o t e s c a p e " a n d d e c i d e d t o e n t e r t h e s e m i n a r y . [6]
Growing up in Atlanta, King attended Booker T. Washington High School . A precocious student, he
skipped both the ninth and the twelfth grades and entered Morehouse College at age fifteen without
f o r m a l l y g r a d u a t i n g f r o m h i g h s c h o o l . [8] I n 1 9 4 8 , h e g r a d u a t e d f r o m M o r e h o u s e w i t h a B . A . d e g r e e
in sociology, and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania , from which he
g r a d u a t e d w i t h a B . D i v . d e g r e e i n 1 9 5 1 . [9][10] K i n g m a r r i e d C o r e t t a S c o t t , o n J u n e 1 8 , 1 9 5 3 , o n t h e
l a w n o f h e r p a r e n t s ' h o u s e i n h e r h o m e t o w n o f H e i b e r g e r , A l a b a m a . [11] T h e y b e c a m e t h e p a r e n t s o f
f o u r c h i l d r e n : Y o l a n d a K i n g , M a r t i n L u t h e r K i n g I I I , D e x t e r S c o t t K i n g , a n d B e r n i c e K i n g . [12] D u r i n g
their marriage, King limited Coretta's role in the civil rights movement, and expected her to be a
h o u s e w i f e . [13]
King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, when he was
t w e n t y - f i v e y e a r s o l d , i n 1 9 5 4 . [14] K i n g t h e n b e g a n d o c t o r a l s t u d i e s i n s y s t e m a t i c t h e o l o g y a t B o s t o n
University and received his Ph.D. degree on June 5, 1955, with a dissertation on "A Comparison of
the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman". An academic
inquiry concluded in October 1991 that portions of his dissertation had been plagiarized and he had
acted improperly. However, "[d] espite its finding, the committee said that 'no thought should be
given to the revocation of Dr. King's doctoral degree,' an action that the panel said would serve no
p u r p o s e . " [15][16][17]
:)
NON-VIOLENCE
 Veteran African- American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin had
studied Gandhi's teachings [19] and Christian pacifism and applied
them with the Journey of Reconciliation in the 1940s. Rustin
counseled King to dedicate himself to the principles of non violence. [20] Rustin served as King's main advisor and mentor
throughout his early activism. [21]
 Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's success with non-violent activism,
King had "for a long time...wanted to take a trip to
India". [22] With assistance from the Quaker group the American
Friends Service Committee , he was able to make the journey in
April 1959. [23] The trip to India affected King, deepening his
understanding of non-violent resistance and his commitment to
America's struggle for civil rights. In a radio address made
during his final evening in India, King reflected, "Since being in
India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of
nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to
oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human
dignity".
BELIEVE
POLITICS
 As the leader of the SCLC, King maintained a policy of not publicly
endor sing a U.S. political par ty or candidate: "I feel someone must
remain in the position of non -alignment, so that he can look objectively
at both par ties and be the conscience of both —not the ser vant or
master of either." [33] In a 1958 inter view, he expressed his view that
neither par ty was per fect, saying, "I don't think the Republican par ty is
a par ty full of the almighty God nor is the Democratic par ty. They both
have weaknesses ... And I'm not inextricably bound to either par ty." [34]
 King critiqued both par ties' per formance on promoting racial equality:
 Actually, the Negro has been betrayed by both the Republican and the
Democratic par ty. The Democrats have betrayed him by capitulating to
the whims and caprices of the Southern Dixiecrats. The Republicans
have betrayed him by capitulating to the blatant hypocrisy of
reactionar y right wing nor thern Republicans. And this coalition of
southern Dixiecrats and right wing reactionar y nor thern Republicans
defeats ever y bill and ever y move towards liberal legislation in the area
of civil rights. [35]
RESPECT 
MARTIN LUTHER KING SPEECH
 I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in
history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the
history of our nation.
 Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic
shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation
Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great
beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been
seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a
joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
 But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One
hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled
by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a
lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of
material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still
languished in the corners of American society and finds
himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here
today to dramatize a shameful condition.
 In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent
words of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which
every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that
all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be
guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has
defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of
color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred
obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a
check which has come back marked "insuf ficient funds."
 But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
We refuse to believe that there are insuf ficient funds in the
great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come
to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the
riches of freedom and the security of justice.
 We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of
the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the
luxury of cooling of f or to take the tranquilizing drug of
gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of
democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate
valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now
is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial
injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to
make justice a reality for all of God's children.
 It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.
This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not
pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
Nineteen sixty -three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who
hope that the Negro needed to blow of f steam and will now be content
will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.
And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro
is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue
to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice
emerges.
 But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the
warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of
gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let
us not seek to satisfy our thir st for freedom by drinking from the cup of
bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the
high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative
protest to degenerate into physical violence. A gain and again, we must
rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
 The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro
community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people,
for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence
here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up
with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their
freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
 We cannot walk alone.
 And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall
always march ahead.
 We cannot turn back.
 There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights,
"When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as
long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of
police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our
bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in
the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We
cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is
from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be
satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites
Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in
Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he
has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied,
and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like
waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
 I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great
trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow
jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your
quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of
persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You
have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work
with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to
Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go
back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and
ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this
situation can and will be changed.
 Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my
friends.
 And so even though we face the difficulties of today and
tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
 I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self -evident, that
all men are created equal."
 I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slave owner s will be able to sit
down together at the table of brotherhood.
 I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state
sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of
oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
 I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.
 I have a dream today!
 I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists,
with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of
"interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama
little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little
white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
 I have a dream today!
 I h av e a d r e a m t h a t o n e d ay ev e r y v a l l ey s h a l l b e ex a l te d , a n d ev e r y h i l l a n d
m o un t ai n s h a l l b e m a d e l o w, t h e r o u g h p l a c e s w i l l b e m a d e p l a i n , a n d t h e c r o o ke d
p l a c e s w i l l b e m a d e s t r a i g h t ; " a n d t h e g l o r y o f t h e L o r d s h a l l b e r ev e a l e d a n d a l l
f l e s h s h a l l s e e i t to g et h e r. " 2
 T h i s i s o u r h o p e , a n d t h i s i s t h e f a i t h t h a t I g o b a c k to t h e S o u t h w i t h .
 W i t h t h i s f a i t h , w e w i l l b e a b l e to h ew o u t o f t h e m o un t a i n o f d e s p a i r a s to n e o f
h o p e . W i t h t h i s f a i t h , w e w i l l b e a b l e to t r a n s fo r m t h e j a n g l i n g d i s c o r d s o f o u r
n a t i o n i n to a b e a u t i f ul s y m p h o ny o f b r o t h e r h o o d . W i t h t h i s f a i t h , w e w i l l b e a b l e to
w o r k to g et h e r, to p r ay to g et h e r, to s t r u g g l e to g et h e r, to g o to j a i l to g et h e r, to s t a n d
u p f o r f r e e d o m to g et h e r, k n o w i n g t h a t w e w i l l b e f r e e o n e d ay.
 A n d t h i s w i l l b e t h e d ay - - t h i s w i l l b e t h e d ay w h e n a l l o f G o d ' s c h i l d r e n w i l l b e a b l e
to s i n g w i t h n ew m e a n i n g :
 M y c o u n t r y ' t i s o f t h e e , s w e et l a n d o f l i b e r t y, o f t h e e I s i n g .
 L a n d w h e r e my f a t h e r s d i e d , l a n d o f t h e P i l g r i m ' s p r i d e ,
 Fr o m eve r y m o u n t a i n s i d e , l e t f r e e d om r i n g !
 A n d i f A m e r i ca i s to b e a g r e a t n a t i o n , t h i s m u s t b e c o m e t r u e .
 A n d s o l et f r e e d o m r i n g f r o m t h e p r o d i g i o us h i l l to p s o f N ew H a m p s h i r e .
 L et f r e e d o m r i n g f r o m t h e m i g h t y m o un t a i n s o f N ew Yo r k .
 L et f r e e d o m r i n g f r o m t h e h e i g h te n i n g A l l e g h e n i e s o f Pe n n s y l va n i a .
 L et f r e e d o m r i n g f r o m t h e s n o w - c a p p e d Ro c k i e s o f C o l o r a d o .
 L et f r e e d o m r i n g f r o m t h e c u r va c e o us s l o p e s o f C a l i fo r n i a .
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring,
when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from
every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that
day when all of God's children, black men and white men,
Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to
join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
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Free at last! Free at last!
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Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! 3
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