This paper examines the
life and influences of Martin Luther King, Jr. It looks at how as one of the world's most famous
supporters of social change through non-violent means, Martin Luther King, Jr. pulled many of his ideas from numerous cultural traditions. Born in Atlanta during a time of extreme racial unrest, he grew up in a religious family who considered the
church an instrument for improving the lives of African Americans. It outlines the main events of his
life from his ordination as a minister to his work to being symbol of the African-American civil rights struggle.