Dan Mueller

Mr. Scuito

A Person of Faith

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. showed tremendous amounts of faith during his lifetime, especially during his fight to gain more right for African-Americans. Here is a timeline to help demonstrate when and how his faith was used:

1947 - Dr. King gains a license to begin preaching. This is the first step that allows him to make speeches and help him voice his opinion.

October 31, 1954 - Martin Luther King Sr. appoints his son, Martin Luther King Jr., the twentieth pastor of The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. accepts this position, as he has great faith in himself that he can teach the people and do the job well.

December 5, 1955 - Dr. King is unanimously elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, taking on a responsibility that leads his life to threats and attacks from those who discriminate against African-Americans.

January 26, 1956 - Dr. King is arrested for disobeying the speed limit. While released on his own reconnaissance, a normal ticket for anyone else turned into the arrest of the African-American leader. This begins the life, one of being arrested and threatened at any time, that King will continue to live until his death. He had to have extraordinary faith that his duty was to lead him African-Americans to better lives.

January 30, 1956 - A bomb is thrown onto the porch of King’s home, the most serious attack anyone can make on a person, the threat of death.

February, 21, 1956 - King is indicted with five others on the charge of hindering business without just or legal cause. Again, King had to have faith that he would be able to survive this. Otherwise, he would have plead guilty to the charges and ended his strive towards more rights.

January 27, 1957 - Another bomb is found on King’s front porch, but this one had yet to detonate.

September 9, 1957 - The first Civil Rights Act is passed, making King’s leadership to help make African-American rights invaluable.

September 4, 1958 - King is arrested on loitering, but the charge was later changed to disobeying an officer. King plead not guilty but was found guilty and ordered to pay a $100.00 fine that was paid by Montgomery Police Commissioner Cylde Sellers.

September 20, 1958 - King is stabbed in the chest by Mrs. Izola Curry. King survived the attack by the woman who was alleged to be mentally deranged.

February 17, 1960 - King is charged with falsifying his 1956 and 1958 Alabama state income tax returns. This is yet another charge to try and derail King off his path to gain more and more rights for African-Americans.

May 28, 1960 - King is acquitted by an all white jury on tax evasion charges. King had to have faith that honest people such as the people in the jury would find him not guilty of the crimes he did not commit.

August 28, 1963 - King leads a march on Washington D.C., where he delivers his "I have a dream" speech.

July 2, 1964 - The signing of the Public Accommodations Bill occurs. This is another victory for King’s march to gain more rights.

December 10, 1964 - King receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

August 6, 1965 - The Voting Rights Act is signed.

April 4, 1968 - King is assassinated. One of the greatest men in America is lost. His faith that he held in African- Americans rights was so high that he unfortunately ended giving his life for it.

These events show why Martin Luther King Jr. was absolutely a man of faith.