M.L.K. Jr. Background
Born in 1929, King was the son of a
Black preacher known as "Daddy King." He named his son Michael
Luther. In 1935, "Daddy King" had an inspiration to name himself
after the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. He declared to his congregation
that from now on they were to refer to him as "Martin Luther King"
and to his son as "Martin Luther King, Jr."
Martin
Luther King, Jr. grew up when Jim Crow laws reigned supreme, when separate but
equal was the accepted principle, it was separate but it was not equal for
blacks and whites. Blacks were not allowed to use the same stores as whites, they
could not stay in the same hotels, or attend the same schools as whites.
Martin, being one of many Civil
Rights leaders in the U.S., received his social position because of his leadership
and his ability to speak in public. Many people said that the Civil Rights
Movement would have occurred with or without Martin Luther King, Jr., but without
King, the Civil Rights Movement would not have had the same impact on
society. "Martin Luther King, Jr. did not {however} make the
Civil Rights Movement, but the Civil Rights Movement made Martin Luther King,
Jr." (Vanlieu)