King first met racism at the age of six, when a white friend's father said that they could no longer play together because King was 'coloured'. His own parents explained about slavery and also made an important point: 'Don't let it make you feel you are not as good as white people.

King's progress through school was fast. At 15' he went to Morehouse College, a theological college in Connecticut. Here, he expressed doubt about the value of religion, but was eventually convinced of its relevance to the civil-rights struggle. At 19 he was ordained. With a degree in sociology he went to Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, to study for a degree in divinity He came top of his class and graduated in 1951. He went on to study for a doctorate in systematic theology at Boston University.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act had not enfranchised all Southern blacks and Kingmade this his next aim. He turned his attention to Selma. The local sheriff, Jim Clark, was a typical redneck. On 7 March 1965, 600 demonstrators began a march from Selma to Montgomery. Clark's men and state troopers, mounted and on foot, assaulted them with batons, whips and tear gas. This was seen on television and America was disgusted. President Johnson called in federal troopers to protect the marchers, showing the first Government support for the campaign. He had been considering a voting rights bill and the nation's reaction spurred him on. The bill was presented to Congress on 6 August1965. It seemed as if the struggle was over.

King decided that his real target should be economic injustice and began the Poor People's Campaign. On 18 March 1968 he went to Memphis to support dustmen striking for union recognition and a wage rise. Ten days later, he led a protest to City Hall, which quickly degenerated into violence. King's supporters persuaded him to organize a more successful march.

s, King felt that he should return home. Accompanied by his new wife, Coretta, he began work at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama. The church was attended mainly by the educated black middle class. Once installed, he set about organizing his congregation. His interest in the community and his effective oratory made him a popular and respected figure.

Birmingham, Alabama, a town renowned for its racism and a fertile recruiting ground for the Ku-Klux-Klan. Eugene 'Bull' Connor, its Public Safety Commissioner, was an unrelenting bigot. The SCLC hoped to provoke him into violence to discredit him. Initially he showed restraint, though King was jailed. While in solitary confinement he read an attack on the aims of the protest by white clergymen. In response he wrote the 'Letter from Birmingham City jail'. This did much to persuade the Northern churches - over a million copies were printed - to follow their consciences and to urge demonstrations against racism.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1896
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)