Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968 · The King family on the day of Martin’s graduation from Morehouse College •Martin Luther King, Sr., Alberta Williams King, Martin Luther King,

Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968

• January 15, 1929 Michael King, later known as Martin Luther King, Jr., is born at 501 Auburn Ave. in Atlanta, Georgia. (King at the age of 6)

• His father, his grandfather and his great grandfather were ministers. (Photo of Martin Luther King, Sr.)

• Ebenezer Baptist Church is where they preached.

In 1944 Martin Luther King, Jr. graduated from high school, he was 15 years old.

• He skipped both 9th and 12th grade.

• June 8, 1948

• King receives his bachelor of arts Degree in sociology from Morehouse College. (King is 19 years old)

• King with his sister, Willie Christine

The King family on the day of Martin’s graduation from Morehouse College

• Martin Luther King, Sr., Alberta Williams King, Martin Luther King, Jr., A.D. King, Willie Christine King. June 8, 1948.

• Sept. 1948 King begins his studies at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.

•In 1951 King enters Boston University for graduate studies. In 1955 he earned a Doctorate degree in Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University.

1953

• King is married to Coretta Scott at the Scott home near Marion, Alabama.

1955 Joins Bus Boycott in Montgomery, AL.

• King does this in support of Rosa Parks.

1948 GM Bus that Rosa Parks rode on. Acquired by Henry Ford Museum.

1955 King urges the black community to boycott bus service in Montgomery, AL.

Leaflet issued by the Women’s Political Council calling for a boycott of

Montgomery’s busses

Nov. 13, 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court rules that bus segregation is illegal. It is a victory for the boycott.

1957

• King forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. Its focus was on non-violent protest and putting the struggle for civil rights in moral terms.

1959

• King visits India to study Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence.

1960-1962

• King participates in sit-ins in North Carolina – involving service at restaurants

• Helps to pass legislation that bans segregation in interstate travel

1963

• King is arrested in Birmingham, AL on Good Friday (April 12) for demonstrating without a permit. He spends 11 days in jail.

Birmingham, Alabama - April, 1963

May 10th 1963

• Birmingham agreement is announced. Stores, restaurants and schools will be de-segregated.

• Hiring of blacks is implemented.

June 23, 1963

• King leads 125,000 people on Freedom Walk in Detroit.

August 28, 1963

• King leads the March on Washington. It is the largest civil rights demonstration in history. Approximately 250,000 people were in attendance. This is where he makes his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

July 2, 1964

• U.S. Civil Rights Act is passed. President Lyndon Johnson signs the act.

Dec. 10th 1964

• King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the youngest person to be awarded this prize. He was 35.

April 4th, 1968

• King is shot by James Earl Ray in Memphis TN. King was there to support striking black garbage workers.

Focus on “Letter From a Birmingham

Jail.”

Birmingham 1963

• King is arrested for civil disobedience because he was participating in demonstrations.

• Sit-ins at lunch counters.

• Boycotts of retailers.

• Birmingham was then known as one of the worst cities for race relations in America.

• It had often been referred to as Bombingham.

There had been at least 50 bombings of black homes and

churches. The city police force used police dogs and fire hoses to deal with

peaceful demonstrators.

• The city was not in the process of change- or acceptance of civil rights. In fact, later that year, on Sept. 15th there was a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church where four black girls were killed – and 23 other people were injured.

• Obviously, the city was in unrest. King had been asked to come to Birmingham to help.

• He led/participated in demonstrations. Sit-in’s at lunch counters and boycotts.

• He was arrested for this.

Birmingham, Alabama - April, 1963

• While King was in jail a group of eight fellow clergymen from Alabama wrote King a letter (Published in the city newspaper) criticizing his demonstrations and other activities.

• The clergymen said he should be patient and wait for change.

• Don’t push too hard.

• King wrote this famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a response to the criticism of these eight clergymen.

• In his letter, he talks about his reasons for being unwilling to wait.

• So it is expository writing because the letter is explaining something.

• The letter is also persuasive because King is encouraging those who read it to become involved in and/or support his struggle to gain civil rights for Black Americans.

Persuasive Techniques

• In his letter, King uses three means of persuasion ~ or three types of appeals.

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, divided the means of persuasion into three categories.

– Ethos (Credibility)

– Pathos (Emotional)

– Logos (Logical)

Ethos Ethos: Greek for “character” •Refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker •It can be conveyed through the tone and style of the message •It can be conveyed by the writer’s reputation •It can be conveyed by the experts or authority figures that the writer references

Pathos Pathos: Greek for “suffering” or “experience” •Is often associated with emotional appeal •It is an appeal to the audience’s sympathies and imagination •An appeal to pathos causes an audience not to just respond emotionally, but to identify with the writer’s point of view – to feel what the writer feels •Most commonly conveyed through a narrative or story

Logos Logos: Greek for “word” •Refers to the consistency of the message •Is it logical? •It is clear, and does it have effective supporting evidence? •Are reasons presented to persuade the reader to act or believe a certain way?