Martin Luther King Jr Research Paper

On January 15th, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. (his birth name was originally Michael King, Jr.) was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The parents of this remarkable man were Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., a highly religious man, and Alberta Williams King. He had a younger brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King, born July 30th, 1930, and one elder sister, Christine King Farris, born September 11th, 1927. When King was only 6, his father took a trip to Germany, and once he returned from his trip, was intent to change his as well as his son’s name from Michael to Martin Luther, after the first Protestant religious leader, Martin Luther. The name proved fitting for King, who had a rebellious heart, and believed in change. In 1941, King went to a parade that his parents forbade, and during the time he was watching it, his grandmother …show more content…
This event proved emotionally shattering for him, and would lead him to attempt suicide at age 12. This quote by Mahatma Gandhi may have had a profound impact on Martin’s motives, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. The area in which he grew up in, Atlanta, Georgia, was a highly segregated area (more violent than most since being in the Southern part of the United States) , and despite his parents best efforts and intentions, were helpless to protect their sons and daughter from the evil war of racism, to no avail. From an early age, King would demonstrate his non-violent personality. In certain situations where he would face certain violence, the other black children would run away, but Martin would stay, tolerating the physical and verbal blows from white people. He would continue this throughout his life without ever retaliating