Michael Luther King, Jr.

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)