Martin Luther King Jr Research Paper

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Martin and Alberta King on January 15, 1929. They lived in Atlanta Georgia. Originally named Michael, King Jr. adopted the name Martin from a religious leader named Martin Luther. King Sr. had previously done the same. Martin’s parents were a big influence on him. King Sr. served as a pastor, and both he and Alberta were loving and protective of King Jr. and his sister. From a young age, King Jr. was taught that all humans were equal and racism was unacceptable. This was the ground base for his later life. TRANSITION Martin Luther King Jr. was not very religious growing up. He struggled and questioned the ideas of religion, and later refuted pursuing a religious career. Fortunately, a junior bible class and …show more content…

His parents were Earl and Louise little, and was a brother to seven other siblings. Growing up, the Little family struggled with poverty, threats, and racial discrimination. The Klu Klux Klan forced the Little family move to Michigan. They could not escape the harassment, however. Malcolm’s father was beaten and killed by the Black Legion. Afterwards, Malcom’s mother was admitted into a mental institution and Malcolm, along with his siblings, were split up. Growing up, he faced racial discrimination from his teachers and peers. Malcolm eventually moved to Boston where his sister, Ella, resided. He became involved with drugs, prostitution, white women, and gambling. Little and his comrade, “Shorty”, were imprisoned in 1946 for ten years. During the dark, lonely years, Malcom studied and read non-stop, and was also introduced to the Nation of Islam by his brothers and prison inmates. The leader, Elijah Muhammad, taught that whites and blacks did not belong together, and blacks had been stolen from their original home in Africa to work for the “devil” white man. Until blacks returned to Africa, they would face racial prejudice and inequality. Malcom completely devoted himself to the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad. He also abandoned (SYNONYM) his “white” last name and replaced it with X, to represent his unknown origin. Once released from prison, he became a disciple of Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X assisted in establishing multiple temples in major cities, and created a newspaper named Muhammad