Historical Context
_Halfway through the 20th century, it would seem as though America was a
country of freedom and equality. The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery a
century earlier, and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were
created to ensure African Americans equal protection, due process,
and male suffrage.
However, Southern whites resisted these policies socially and politically. Many public facilities were segregated, as justified by the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, but as proven later by Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, "separate [facilities were] inherently unequal". Discriminatory laws restricting African Americans' abilities to vote were passed, and white supremacy groups often built up intimidation, drawing African Americans away from the voting booth.
However, Southern whites resisted these policies socially and politically. Many public facilities were segregated, as justified by the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson, but as proven later by Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, "separate [facilities were] inherently unequal". Discriminatory laws restricting African Americans' abilities to vote were passed, and white supremacy groups often built up intimidation, drawing African Americans away from the voting booth.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
_Born
January 15, 1929, was Martin Luther King Jr., originally
named Michael King. He was first
familiarized with segregation as he attended a black and white elementary school, and
he was not allowed to play with a white child.
The King was surrounded by an immense amount of religion, as his father
and grandfather were both well-known Baptist reverends, and a loving family.
He was a precocious child, entering Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. Later, he received a Bachelor of Divinity at Crozer Theological Seminary. From Crozer, King studied at Boston University, where he sought a deep foundation for his own theological and ethical preferences. Throughout his studies he was familiarized with the beliefs of contemporary Protestant theologians, but more importantly, with Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence. At the age of twenty-five, he became a pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
"Martin's a very rare, a very great man; Martin's rare for two reasons; probably just because he is and because he's a real Christian. He really believes in nonviolence."
-James Baldwin (1963)
_
He was a precocious child, entering Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. Later, he received a Bachelor of Divinity at Crozer Theological Seminary. From Crozer, King studied at Boston University, where he sought a deep foundation for his own theological and ethical preferences. Throughout his studies he was familiarized with the beliefs of contemporary Protestant theologians, but more importantly, with Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence. At the age of twenty-five, he became a pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
"Martin's a very rare, a very great man; Martin's rare for two reasons; probably just because he is and because he's a real Christian. He really believes in nonviolence."
-James Baldwin (1963)
_