Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Georgia National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior IIIM'UfllliM Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on Janand his personal encounter with Prime Min- ing became an issue in the presidential Negro Labor Council, the National Counthat moved King to write in 1964 his secin his book Where Do We Go From Here?, election when Democratic candidate John 1 cil of Churches, the National Catholic Con- ond book, Why We Can't Wait. Even as he published in 1967. uary 15,1929, at 501 Auburn Avenue in ister Jawaharlal Nehru and with Indian Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a Baptist teachings of non-violence strengthened his F. Kennedy expressed his concern to Mrs. ference, the American Jewish Council, explained why blacks could not wait, roadKing while Republican candidate Richard SNCC, SCLC, and other groups. On August blocks were clearly visible. The march from Even as he sought a resolution of his dilemminister, and his mother was a musician. resolve to use them in his quest for racial M. Nixon did not. His childhood was not especially eventful. justice. This resolve is set forth in his first 28, more than 250,000 people of every Selma to Montgomery in March 1965 to mas, King continued the task of supportHe grew up as the second of three children book, Stride Toward Freedom, an account race and creed marched on Washington. press for a voting rights bill was almost ing those who attempted to better their in a black neighborhood, attending all-black of the successful Montgomery bus boycott. In the next few years King intensified his The leaders met with President Kennedy stalled as the opposition gained strength. condition. In early spring of 1968 he went schools. At 19 he graduated in 1948 from By this time, moreover, some segments of to Memphis to assist the sanitation workdrive for equal rights, staging boycotts in \ and then several spoke to the assembled Morehouse College in Atlanta. Before he It was evident by 1958 that King's activiAlbany, Georgia, in 1961-62 and in Birming- crowds. King electrified the audience with the civil rights movement began to lose ers who were on strike. It was there that turned 27 he had earned two other degrees, ties in the movement to secure equal rights ham, Alabama, in the spring of 1963. There his now-famous "I Have a Dream" speech. confidence in non-violence as a means of he was fatally shot on a motel balcony on a BD from Crozer Theological Seminary achieving equality. Although the Voting interfered with his pastoral duties. He was were violent responses from parts of the April 4,1968. News of the assassination and a PhD in systematic theology from Bos- traveling constantly and his association with public as well as from the police, as homes "I have a dream that one day on the red Rights Act became law in 1965, King's set off several days of rioting in some ton University. such other leaders as A. Philip Randolph, and churches were bombed and civil rights hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and efforts the following year to fight discrimi- cities as millions in this nation and around Whitney Young, and Roy Wilkins required workers were murdered. Meanwhile, King" the sons of former slave owners will be able nation in Chicago were less than success- the world mourned his death. regular meetings. Consequently, in 1960, urged his followers to practice non-violence to sit down together at the table of brother- ful. The old tactics of boycotting, picketing, From the time that he and his bride, the King resigned his pastorate in Montgomas they committed acts of civil disobedi- hood . . . I have a dream that my four little and demonstrating were unfruitful. White former Coretta Scott, moved to MontKing was not only the most eloquent backlash and more subtle forms of discrim- spokesman for racial justice of this time; ence. King himself was arrested and jailed. children will one day live in a nation gomery, Alabama, to accept the pastorate ery, moved to Atlanta, and became presiof Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1954, dent of the Southern Christian Leadership When eight prominent white Birmingham where they will not be judged by the color ination immeasurably complicated the task. he was also the most successful. He raised of their skin, but by the content of their King was destined to play an important role Conference (SCLC), a new but rapidly grow- clergymen, in a statement called "An the discussion of human rights to a new Appeal for Law and Order and Common character. This is our hope. This is the faith In 1967 King surprised many observers by level, and he developed techniques and in the history of trie United States. The year ing civil rights organization committed to after he arrived in Montgomery, Rosa Parks non-violence. He also served as co-pastor Sense," criticized blacks for disobeying the that I go back to the South with. With this speaking out against the Vietnam War. He approaches that made activism in civil with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church law, King felt obliged to respond. An indi- faith we wilt be able to hew out of the was arrested for refusing to move to the was aware that his position might undercut rights a viable policy by which stated goals and worked with the Student Non-Violent vidual who breaks the law that conscience mountain of despair a stone of hope." back of the bus, and the support group could be achieved. He discovered, howhis role as spokesman for civil rights, but Coordinating Committee (SNCC). tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts that was organized to defend her and to ever, that it was far easier to secure basic he was convinced that his position in the the penalty of imprisonment in order to boycott the bus company, the Montgomery movement would be compromised if he did civil and voting rights—as difficult as that It was a momentous year for King. In Improvement Association, chose King as not oppose the war. Thus the Vietnam War was—than to remove from a society the Increasingly, King advocated and practiced arouse the conscience of the community December Time magazine chose him as over its injustice," said King in his "Letter its man of the year. The following year, at its leader. Soon his eloquent voice on was more than a distraction; it became an racial prejudices and discriminatory praccivil disobedience to what he termed ' "TifelnsistenceoTrung and his^follOwenTahcr "c^asioTfToflCin^ToTook at himself, HTs™~ tices by which it had lived for centuries. behalf of the disadvantaged was heard not Tmmdfafrawsrin T960TieT«as sentenced "TfonTBifirirng^ only in Montgomery but in many parts of to four months in Reidsville State Prison pressing the highest respect for the law." with the prodding of President Lyndon B. own people, his government, and the way But by his teachings and example, he the United States and, ultimately, around in which economic privation, political dis- infused his own and succeeding generaJohnson, Congress passed the first civil in Georgia for allegedly trespassing at a the world. tions with a commitment to racial equality advantage, and the relations of nations department store in Atlanta and for violat- The early summer of 1963 was filled with rights bill since 1875. In autumn 1964 he and a zeal to work diligently for it. That legwere interconnected. It was a time of reing probation for a traffic violation several planning for the March on Washington for was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. acy was second in importance only to the It was, perhaps, the events of the preced- evaluation and earnest searching for permonths earlier. Because of widespread Jobs and Freedom, sponsored by the Perhaps King was always committed to goals that he achieved in his own time. manent solutions. His quest was expressed ing year as well as his hopes for the future fears for his safety in Reidsville, his jailUrban League, the NAACP, the American non-violence. But his visit to India in 1957 —John Hope Franklin Dr. King receives the Nobel Peace Prize, 1964 UPl/Bettmann Archive March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 1965 James Karaies Sweet Auburn oscsa The Black Atlanta of King's Early Years Early 20th century Atlanta was a patchwork of communities, each shaped by the people within its bounds. Auburn Avenue was the main artery through one prosperous neighborhood which over the years had come to symbolize achievement for Atlanta's black people. After the Civil War, former slaves bought property east of the city's central business district on what was then Wheat Street, a busy east-west thoroughfare. Many black entrepreneurs accumulated profits enough to build homes a little farther east, away from the marketplace. Wheat Street grew to be a mixture of old and young, prominent and obscure, and—until the onset of racial trouble in the early 1900s—black and white. Business executives and factory workers alike took pride in their surroundings, putting up residences, office buildings, and places of worship whose facades displayed the varied components of late-Victorian architecture. In 1893, citizens petitioned the city council to change the name of Wheat Street to Auburn Avenue, which they thought more stylish. In 1909 the Reverend A.D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, purchased a large home on Auburn Avenue. Williams played an important role in the community because the lives of many persons in black Atlanta centered around the church. An eloquent speaker and noted local political activist, he contributed his efforts—and meeting space in his church building—to a number of organizations dedicated to the education and social advancement of black citizens. But it was the minister's grandson whose name would become synonymous with the nation's civil rights movement. On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., was born at his grandfather's home. founded at another location in 1886, eight years before the Rev. A.D. Williams was named pastor. The present Gothic Revival structure was completed in 1922. Like churches everywhere Ebenezer was a place for worship and fellowship. But Ebenezer's role in the community was not limited to religious matters. An article in the Atlanta Daily World reported that when the Reverend Williams proudly announced on 1929 that Ebenezer was nearly out of debt, "the church dedicated itself to the advancement of black people and support of every righteous and social movement." same family. In 1931, upon Williams' death, his son-in-law, Martin Luther King, Sr., took over as pastor and served until he retired in 1975. King family life revolved around the church. Five-year-old Martin Jr. and his sister Christine formally joined the church in 1934 at a revival led by a visiting evangelist. The young King preached his first sermon here at age 17 and joined his father as co-pastor from 1960 to 1968. In 1957, an organizational meeting for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was held at Ebenezer. Martin Luther King, Jr., became the SCLC's first president. For more than 80 years, the ministers of Ebenezer were members of the Ebenezer was also the scene of tragic episodes. Crowds gathered here in Young M.L., as he was called, grew up in a closeknit neighborhood where a wide range of talents and interests made for an independent city within a city. M.L. lived with his parents, grandparents, brother, and sister in a fashionable, though by no means exclusive, black residential area. Their neighbors were businessmen, educators, and clergymen, as well as servants, laborers, and porters. A few blocks away in the commercial district, the businesses and public services—more than 100 on Auburn Avenue alone — included banks, insurance companies, builders, jewelers, tailors, doctors, lawyers, funeral parlors, a newspaper, a library, and a business college. All were black-owned or black-operated. The district thrived. The opportunities available here to blacks, even in the face of Atlanta's segregation laws, inspired political leader John Wesley Dobbs to nickname the area "Sweet Auburn." Years later Dobbs' grandson. Mayor Maynard H. Jackson, added that Sweet Auburn had offered blacks "the three B's—bucks, ballots, and books!" Dr. King never forgot the community spirit he had known as a child. Nor did he forget racial prejudice, the seemingly insurPhotographs by Michael W. Thomas mountable barrier that kept black Atlantans from accomplishing all they might have. It was to Sweet Auburn that he returned in 1960 to serve with his father as copastor of Ebenezer Baptist and to head the SCLC. And, as the world mourned on an early spring day in 1968, it was to Sweet Auburn that the body of Martin Luther King, Jr., was brought one last time. - 2n/ValKTfiro "Auburn Avenue was like a grand lady," recalled a journalist. "In her prime she was the talk of the town—young, vivacious, and beautiful. Everyone loved her, respected her, and wooed her." This prosperous era is represented by many buildings that date from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since Sweet Auburn is still an active community, with its original structures privately owned and occupied, most buildings in the national historic site and preservation district are not open for tours. There are two important buildings, however, that you are encouraged to visit: the Martin Luther King, Jr., Birth Home, restored to recreate the childhood years of Sweet Auburn's most famous resident, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, important to the King family for four generations. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birth Home Located at 501 Auburn Avenue, the nine-room, two-story Queen Anne style residence was built in 1895. Fourteen years later, King's grandfather, A.D. Williams, bought the house. For the next 32 years it was occupied by the Williams-King family. On Thanksgiving Day 1926, Williams' daughter Alberta married Martin Luther King, Sr., a young minister. The couple moved into an upstairs room. King worked weekdays, preached Sundays, and spent evenings at the city's Morehouse College studying toward his divini- ty degree. Their three children—Christine, Martin Jr., and A.D. King—were born here. The Kings always stressed to their children the importance of education. Daddy King claimed that even before Martin Jr. could read, "he kept books around him, he just Nked the idea of having them." The Kings and Alberta's mother remained here after Williams died in 1931. Ten years later, after the death of his grandmother, 12year-old Martin and his family moved a few blocks away to a home on Boulevard. Ebenezer Baptist Church Martin Luther King, Sr., known as Daddy King, once proclaimed Ebenezer Baptist Church a home for everyone "from PhD's to no D's." Ebenezer was April 1968 to view Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, body as it lay in state. In 1974 Dr. King's mother was fatally shot by an assassin as she was playing the church organ. Ebenezer Baptist Church WERD are preserved, along with small and large businesses, social service agencies, and many residences that belonged to prominent Atlantans. Church Sanctuary Getting to the park From I-75/I-85, exit at Freedom Parkway/Carter Center; turn right at the first stoplight onto Boulevard. Follow signs to the park. From I-20, take I-75/I-85 north and proceed as above. The Preservation District The national historic site is adjacent to the preservation district, which helps to maintain the historic atmosphere of the Sweet Auburn community. Buildings within the district include Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wheat Street Baptist Church, the Odd Fellows Building, the Prince Hall Masonic Building, the Royal Peacock Club, and the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Institutions such as the Butler Street YMCA, the SCLC, the Atlanta Daily World, and radio station Hours and facilities Stop first at the visitor center, located at 450 Auburn Avenue, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Here you will find information, exhibits, a video presentation, and schedules of activities. You may tour the historic areas; guide booklets are available. Photographs by Michael W. Thomas Administration. Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site, which includes the Birth Home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the grave site, and numerous historic buildings, was established in 1980 to preserve the birthplace and boyhood surroundings of the nation's foremost civil rights leader. The site is adminstered by the National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. More information Contact: Superintendent, Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site, 450 Auburn Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30312-1525; 404-331-5190; www.nps. gov/malu on the Web. vGPO:1997-417-648/60102 Reprint 1997 Printed on recycled paper.