9 Chapter 5 A Peaceful Fight

Chapter 5 A Peaceful Fight Integrating the buses in Montgomery had worked. But Martin Luther King, Jr., knew that this was just the beginning. Martin and other black leaders met in Atlanta, Georgia. They formed a civil rights group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference—the SCLC. On February 14, 1957, Martin became the head of the group. In the South, civil rights leaders faced growing violence. One man's home was bombed. So were several churches. Then a service station and a cab stand were bombed. Martin urged everyone to remain calm. "We must not return violence under any condition," he said. He knew that his advice was hard to follow.

Martin's speeches made him famous in Montgomery. Wherever he went, thousands of people showed up to hear him. People even ran up to him on the street to ask for his autograph. On May 17, 1957, Martin spoke at a gathering called the Prayer Pilgrimage in Washington, D.C. The march took place on the third anniversary of the passage of Brown v. The Board of Education. On the day of the march, thousands of black and white people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The speakers asked the government to pass a Civil Rights Bill. This bill would guarantee all people in the United States equal rights under the law.

An important part of the Civil Rights Bill would be to make sure every adult citizen was allowed to vote. At the Prayer Pilgrimage, Martin said that was the most urgent request to President Dwight Eisenhower. While Martin was marching and speaking, Coretta was busy running the King household. On October 23, their second child, Martin Luther King III, was born. Martin said of Coretta, "I am

indebted to my wife, Coretta, without whose love, sacrifices, and loyalty neither life nor work would bring fulfillment." By this time, Coretta wanted to become much more involved in the movement. Martin, however, preferred that she stay at home raising their children. THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT

In 1870, THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION GAVE MALE U.S. CITIZENS WHO WERE TWENTY-ONE OR OLDER THE RIGHT TO VOTE. (WOMEN—BOTH WHITE AND BLACK--DID NOT GET THE RIGHT TO VOTE UNTIL 1920.) BUT ALL OVER THE SOUTH, BLACK PEOPLE WERE STILL KEPT FROM VOTING. THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY HAD TO PAY A "POLL TAX" BEFORE THEY COULD VOTE. MANY WERE TOO POOR TO PAY. SOME BLACKS HAD TO TAKE TESTS TO PROVE THAT THEY COULD READ AND WRITE. IF THEY COULDN'T, THEY WERE TURNED AWAY. THEY COULD NOT VOTE FOR PRESIDENT. THEY COULD NOT VOTE FOR CONGRESS. THEY COULD NOT VOTE FOR LOCAL LEADERS. NOT ONLY WAS THIS UNFAIR, IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW.

In 1959, Martin did agree to take Coretta along on a trip to India. Martin wanted to see the land where his hero Gandhi had lived. As he traveled through the country he saw that India was divided between the very poor and the very rich. Many people did not have jobs. Many slept out on the streets. Rich people, on the other hand, had beautiful homes and fancy clothes. Yet