Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not only spoke with a purpose but also in a style unlike everyone else. He was an inspirational speaker and motivational leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., due to his prominence in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, motivated the masses with his extraordinary speeches and actions. Dr. King used his charisma and inspirational tactics to change the opinions and beliefs of a nation and to lead its people throughout the civil rights movement. His personality consisted of all the good characteristics necessary for a leader. He was always sensible and his ability to clearly state his ideas and thoughts on peace and equality in the United States. There were other rights movements going on around the same time that Dr. King was leading his peaceful rights movements. The Black Panthers and other militant groups, some under the philosophy of Malcolm King spoke eloquently, and his ability to persuade and inspire was unrivaled. Martin Luther King Jr. lived an exemplary life, and although it culminated in his assassination, the strides Dr. King made for the civil rights movement and his many speeches that inspired a nation, such as his “I have a dream…”, should never be forgotten or ignored. The "I have a dream..." speech is one of the most powerful speeches ever and is at the center of the life of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin was the second child of the family whose parents were the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He was the first child in the family and his older sister was named Christine King. His real name was Michael Luther King, but “he was renamed “Martin” when he was about 6 years old” (Seattle). King's education is normal for a child growing up in the mid-1900s. He followed the regular education system. Until his senior year, Martin Luther King was always an above average student, but once he reached his senior year he received excellent grades on the college entrance exams which granted him admission to Morehouse College a full year ahead of schedule . Also, Martin Luther King was so above average in his early years that he even skipped sixth grade entirely… halfway through the test… sucks as always when he declares, “Somehow this madness must stop. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and a brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak on behalf of the poor in America who are paying the double price of dashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world that is horrified by the path we have taken as an American to the leaders of my nation it is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours” (King 1967). in the world. He was monumental in changing the views of a nation and helping to end segregation, inequality, and discrimination in the United States. A man who caused as great a change as King, should be respected, admired and thanked by all for his relentless efforts to end the oppression that African Americans have had to deal with for hundreds of years..