Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a central figure in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. King's powerful leadership abilities coupled with his deep religious faith and compassionate nature enabled him to make a significant contribution toward the cause of civil rights. King's primary interest in the movement was to put an end to the practice of racial segregation which was common in the United States during that time. Segregation of the races affected all aspects of life: blacks were largely prohibited from attending the same schools as whites, their occupational opportunities were severely limited, and they were restricted from enjoying many of the rights and pleasures which American society offered to its white citizens. King's religious beliefs and his deep love for humanity motivated him to fight for an end to segregation. He led the African American people in many protests and demonstrations which helped to further the cause of racial equality. As a Baptist minister, King approached the cause of civil rights from a peaceful, non-violent perspective, which showed the world that significant change could occur in society without the use of violence. In a tragic turn of events, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while at the peak of his career as an activist and civil rights leader. Nonetheless, his life and death served to advance the cause of racial equality in the United States. This paper will discuss the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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orate at Boston University. It was there that he met Coretta Scott, a music student from Alabama. The two fell in love and were married on June 18, 1953. They continued to live in Boston while each pursued their studies. In 1954, after Coretta had graduated and Martin had passed his exams, leaving only his dissertation to be completed, the Kings moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where Martin had been invited to serve as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The Kings had mixed feelings about returning to the blatantly racist South after their years in Boston. However, Martin felt that as long as discrimination continued in the South, "it was his duty to return." Martin finished his dissertation in Montgomery and was awarded his Ph.D. in theology on June 5, 1955, only a few days after the United States Supreme Court made its landmark decision in favor of desegregating American schools. However, in the South, the desegregation order was not speedily obeyed. Tensions between whites and blacks ran high. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, a black woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger after the driver had ordered her to move. The leaders of Montgomery's

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