Martin Luther King, Jr: Crash Course Black American History #36

Today we're going to learn about perhaps the best-known leader in the Civil Rights Era, Martin Luther King, Jr. From his rise to notoriety during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, his leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the March on Washington in 1963, his work toward the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-1960s, and his assassination in 1968, Dr. King is very broadly known. But maybe he isn't that well understood. Like many extremely famous people, Martin Luther King can sometimes be drawn as a bit of a flat character, and his ideas can be reduced to platitudes. Today we'll try to give you a fuller picture of the man and leader he was.

SOURCES:
Rustin, “Montgomery Diary,” Liberation (April 1956): 7–10.
D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 2003.
King to Edward P. Gotlieb, 18 March 1960, in Papers 5:390–391.

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[KristofDE]

Great to see a more nuanced dive into MLK's history and views. Thanks as always!

[Rashaadthegr]

Let's not forget the teenage mom before Rosa who didn't give up her seat.

[greenredblue]

It's so easy to ignore that MLK, now a secular saint, wasn't popular in his day. I wish we meditated more on what this means. It's easy to throw prior generations under the bus and pretend there's a comforting distance between them and us, but there are people _today_ who are dismissed or hated for nothing worse than trying to build a more just world for everyone.

[sophiaflagg]

I love these Crash Course History lessons.

[LikelyToBeEatenByAGrue]

I turn 39 this year, the age King was when he was assassinated. He'd been leading a cause he believed in for over a decade. I need to get to work.

[VictoriaLavarello]

Amazing! Thanks for broadcasting knowledge to everyone in this platform. Greetings from Peru! 🇵🇪

[antonioconeglian]

Here in Brazil, WE needed someone with that courage

[DanielFernandez-sdbp]

While Dr. King’s full history, writings, and teachings have been recorded and stored for the history books; he has only been celebrated and remembered for his view points before 1965. The public and the history books have attempted to focus only on Dr. King’s idealistic phase. Back when he still believed that while America did discriminate against their African American population, the country’s written philosophy of freedom and individual’s rights were something that can still be fully realized. This simplistic view of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a great disservice to him and ultimately robs the world of knowing all of his concepts and philosophies.

[CataleyaRamsey]

I can't thank you enough for this series. Thank you so great work as always .

[timsmith]

King's statement about the White Moderate is definitely a convicting statement to me. I have often said I agree with your goal but disagree with your method or approach when talking to someone more progressive then I am. I will will need to rethink that statement.

[SalesforceUSA]

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the 🍃 leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

~ Billie Hoilday, (1915-1959) "Strange Fruit." American jazz singer and songwriter

[barrabas]

Excellent video. I'm on an American roadtrip. Civil Rights is an important political journey for me. Now in Atlanta, having visited Topeka, New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville, this gives me a quick but detailed introduction to the part MLK Jr played and his more political direction before his brutal assassination by the assassin nation!

[AudreySmith-]

I always say For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone

[aliviablount]

I didn’t realize that the letter from a Birmingham jail was a response to white moderates

[jimmythompson]

So well done! Thank you for this series!

[terryts]

Thanks for doing this video. We need more on not just him but the very many other activists and freedom fighters that came before us.

[KY_CPA]

I don't understand how there are so few views and contents on one of the best educational YouTube videos about MLK.
Even if there's not much interaction on this video yet, this is a great video, great series, and I hope you all continue the amazing work!

[teeskyers]

Dr. King's final speech was prophetic and proof that we will get to the promised land and have equality among black indigenous and people of color. I look forward to that day and look forward to playing a part in that journey.

[newzealand]

I can't thank you enough for this series. Thankyou so

[LegoLordPro]

Now we have a concrete version of MLK thanks to this video (and the sources used for the research). Thank your Mr. Smith for improving my knowledge about Dr. King.