Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 to a schoolteacher and a Baptist minister He grew up in the church and decided to follow the family tradition and became a minister King entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and graduated in 1948 with a degree in Sociology He later attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and graduated with a Divinity Degree in 1951

King began his ministry in 1954 as the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He received a Doctorate degree in Systemic Theology from Boston University in 1955

Pictured here with wife, Coretta, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Pictured here with wife, Coretta, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began to establish himself as the national leader of the civil rights movement, leading boycotts and staging protests against segregation in the South.

King, inspired by Gandhi's non-militant stance, began to advocate nonviolent protest. He began to travel and speak, making an average of 208 speeches per year.

King’s mission was to empower his people. His platform was: We can stick together. Our leaders do not have to sell out. Threats and violence do not intimidate us. We believe in ourselves. Economics is part of our struggle. We have a powerful weapon: non-violent resistance.

On December 10, 1965, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Fundamental Christianity Church Religious ideas drawn from tradition Dr. King’s success was attributed to his consistently shared principles: Fundamental Christianity Church Religious ideas drawn from tradition America’s founding ideas

During the Vietnam War, King began to rethink his mission and turned his focus from racial discrimination to problems of poverty and economic injustice. King expressed his disenchantment with President Johnson’s Vietnam policies.

MLK’s Speech on the Vietnam War Today you will examine MLK’s speech regarding the Vietnam War. Each group will have an assigned section, but feel free to look around in the text to help support your understanding and analysis. You will be responsible for presenting: The analysis prompt/focus for your section Rhetorical devices/strategies/appeals within your section Any unfamiliar terms (with the definition) The answers to the questions provided for your group

MLK’s Speech on the Vietnam War Group 1- Lines 1-60: Identify King’s reasons and the line numbers where they appear Group 2- Lines 61-113: Identify additional reasons and the line numbers where they appear Group 3- Lines 114-170: Discuss King’s commentary on Western Arrogance Group 4- Lines 171-218: Discuss King’s commentary on the U.S. Group 5- Lines 219-285: Define the power of opposition and the enemy Group 6- Lines 286-334: Discuss King’s plan and the type(s) of appeal(s) Group 7- Lines 335-398: Discuss strategy, sociology, and the future Group 8- Lines 399-444: Define and discuss the revolution of values Group 9- Lines 445-493: Discuss the motif of love Group 10- Lines 494-end: Discuss King’s call to action