Martin Luther King

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Ph.D. (Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, January 15, 1929 - died in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 4 April 1968 at age 39 years) is a Nobel Laureate, Baptist minister and human rights activist African-American. He was one of the most important leaders in U.S. history and the history of non-violence in modern times, and considered a hero, peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world. One and a half decades after his assassination in 1968, the United States set a holiday to commemorate Martin Luther King Day.

Curriculum vitae

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia from the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr.. and Alberta Williams King. He married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953. He graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree (in Sociology) in 1948, and from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Divinity degree (Bachelor of Theology) in 1951. She holds Ph.D.nya in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955.


King was a Baptist minister in Montgomery, Alabama who fought against racial discrimination. In 1963, King led demonstrations in Birmingham bus boycott. Boycott was done without using violence. He followed the principles of Mahatma Gandhi who fought to avoid violence. For several years, he made a great success, but gradually the young black people away because they can not accept antikekerasannya. Instead, King has never stopped and expand its program.


His work

Due to its action in discrimination against black people, King was jailed in Birmingham jail. In prison, he wrote, entitled, Letter from Birmingham Jail, In his letter, King stated that he felt called upon to voice their prophetic voice against the injustices of his day. He also criticized those who do not agree to a boycott of the bus in Birmingham. To him, they are the ones who are not sensitive and can not conduct an analysis of the main causes of the boycott. According to King, they are swept up in the circumstances and unable to break the dominance of the power of white people.


He not only fought against the discrimination of black people, but also against the property and the Vietnam War. King's greatness lies in dreams, especially high and spectacular style as a preacher. His speech was titled "I Have a Dream" on the parade marching to Washington, DC (August 28, 1963) made him more famous. He is revered by many honorable titles. In 1963, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was shot to death when he did act in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The shock of his death caused much unrest and clashes in various cities across the United States.