Life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Early Life

Martin (Michael) Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, he was born into a very religious family; his father being a leader at a major church in the area. His father influenced young Martin Luther King Jr.’s future activism: standing up and being defiant during his time towards the treatment of various minority groups. King’s father stood up against the mistreatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany and segregation in his own community. 

Teenage Years and Early Adulthood

King’s adolescent years were very turbulent, with major events, according to the History Channel, that would shape his future taking place. His grandmother passed away when he was 12, which took a major toll on him. When he entered high school, he went to the one and only high school in the city of Atlanta for African Americans. He also made his first speech in his junior year. Many commented on the passion he portrayed when he was speaking. After graduating, he went to Morehouse, a Historically Black College/University, where both his father and grandfather went. At Morehouse is where he found that his future was going to be in ministering. He went to Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University to finish his education to be a minister. At Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama is where he first started preaching as a pastor.

Activism

Most people know Martin Luther King Jr. from his work with civil rights. However, many know little about how much activism he was involved with. Besides his famous marches from Selma and the Montgomery bus boycott, he led sit-ins and protests in cities such as Albany, Georgia and St. Augustine, Florida according to the New York Times. In addition, he had also traveled to Chicago to protest against unequal access to jobs and housing in the city. All of this activism led to many acts and bills that passed through both state and federal legislatures. MLK’s actions directly impacted the America we live in today.

History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Origins

According to the History Channel, The first proposal to have a national holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. was brought up in 1979 by one Republican and one Democrat Senator. This plan however, failed to gain enough votes. The focus shifted to gaining public support and this turned out to be a very effective measure. Six million people signed the petition to make MLK day a national holiday. 

Passage

In 1983, President Reagan passed a bill that officially declared MLK day to be a national holiday. This was sent to the House of Representatives then the Senate with it passing with an overwhelming majority in both houses. Many states however did not observe the holiday with New Hampshire being the last state to adopt MLK Day as a holiday in 2000.