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In 1619, a beginning to the development of America was the arrival of Africans to Jamestown. A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food, Africans became indentured servants, similar to many poor Englishmen who traded several years labor in exchange for passage to America, but up until 1680 the concept of racial-based slave system did not yet develop. Although the number of African American slaves grew slowly at first, by the 1680s African slave numbers grew to between 600,000 and 650,000 which had been forcibly transported to North America. By 1810, the number reached 6,000,000!! Slaves were forbidden from carrying guns, taking food, striking their masters, and running away. All slaves could be flogged or killed for resisting or breaking the slave codes (Sylvester). Although conditions became much better by January 15, 1929, when Martin Luther King Jr. was born into his Atlanta, Georgia home, weak traces of slavery and strong cases of prejudice and racism still existed. From birth, Martin Luther King Jr. helped change the American society’s cruel ways and reform into a united nation, to live in peace with our brothers and sisters of the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a family of ministers. His mother was a school teacher, who taught him to read before even going to school. A very good student, he was able to skip grades in elementary and high school. At 15 he enrolled at Morehouse College. He received a bachelor's degree in Sociology in 1948, also a B.D. in 1951 from Crozer Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1955 from Boston University. It was at Boston University that he met and married Coretta Scott. They moved to Montgomery, Alabama. By 1954 Martin Luther King Jr. became a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery. As a Reverend, he made many touching and impacting sermons, preaching his words and knowledge in hope for a better world. “Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience.
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