Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader

Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century

by Troy Jackson

"The history books may write it Reverend King was born in Atlanta, and then came to Montgomery, but we feel that he was born in Montgomery in the struggle here, and now he is moving to Atlanta for bigger responsibilities."―Member of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, November 1959 Preacher―this simple term describes the twenty-five-year-old Ph.D. in theology who arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, to become the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1954. His name was Martin Luther King Jr., but where did this young minister come from? What did he believe, and what role would he play in the growing activism of the civil rights movement of the 1950s? In Becoming Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader, author Troy Jackson chronicles King's emergence and effectiveness as a civil rights leader by examining his relationship with the people of Montgomery, Alabama. Using the sharp lens of Montgomery's struggle for racial equality to investigate King's burgeoning leadership, Jackson explores King's ability to connect with the educated and the unlettered, professionals and the working class. In particular, Jackson highlights King's alliances with Jo Ann Robinson, a young English professor at Alabama State University; E. D. Nixon, a middle-aged Pullman porter and head of the local NAACP chapter; and Virginia Durr, a courageous white woman who bailed Rosa Parks out of jail after Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. Jackson offers nuanced portrayals of King's relationships with these and other civil rights leaders in the community to illustrate King's development within the community. Drawing on countless interviews and archival sources, Jackson compares King's sermons and religious writings before, during, and after the Montgomery bus boycott. Jackson demonstrates how King's voice and message evolved during his time in Montgomery, reflecting the shared struggles, challenges, experiences, and hopes of the people with whom he worked. Many studies of the civil rights movement end analyses of Montgomery's struggle with the conclusion of the bus boycott and the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson surveys King's uneasy post-boycott relations with E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks, shedding new light on Parks's plight in Montgomery after the boycott and revealing the internal discord that threatened the movement's hard-won momentum. The controversies within the Montgomery Improvement Association compelled King to position himself as a national figure who could rise above the quarrels within the movement and focus on attaining its greater goals. Though the Montgomery struggle thrust King into the national spotlight, the local impact on the lives of blacks from all socioeconomic classes was minimal at the time. As the citizens of Montgomery awaited permanent change, King left the city, taking the lessons he learned there onto the national stage. In the crucible of Montgomery, Martin Luther King Jr. was transformed from an inexperienced Baptist preacher into a civil rights leader of profound national importance.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, American History, History

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Larisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book for any student of history or leadership.


Before Martin Luther King made it to the mountaintop, he spent a great deal of time building a base, Montgomery, Alabama, where he learned to walk, find his voice, and his incredible sense of timing.

The author’s research gives this book insight into the making of not just a leader but of a movement of which he became King.

We so often forget, but Troy reminds us of...the people, decisions and timing that all came together to give Dr. King and the rest of the world a view from the mountaintop.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author’s approach makes this book a readable piece of legitimate scholarship.
The thesis of the book: King became the leader of civil rights movement due to the people of Montgomery, Alabama was proven in an honest way. In other words, the author’s commitment to the historiographic method provides glimpses into how people who were rooted in the local community led King to feel a connection to the African Americans who were the greatest victims of racism: the poor. The author is to be commended for providing honest assessments of all of his subjects, who like all of us, are flawed.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blown away by the history behind Montgomery’s bus boycott. Loved the emphasis on how the people shaped MLK, rather than the other way around. Strong scholarship, and accessible! I can’t stop sharing things I learned from this book!

[Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the greatest opportunity to learn more about the Alabama Montgomery Bus Boycott and how Martin Luther King Jr. rose to power.

[Kathleen Hagen]

Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader, by Troy Jackson, Narrated by Andrew L. Barnes, Produced by Produced by University Audio Press, Downloaded from audible.com.

"The history books may write it Reverend King was born in Atlanta, and then came to Montgomery, but we feel that he was born in Montgomery in the struggle
here, and now he is moving to Atlanta for bigger responsibilities." Member of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, November 1959 Preacher - this simple term describes
the 25-year-old PhD in theology who arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, to become the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1954. His name was Martin Luther
King, Jr., but where did this young minister come from? What did he believe, and what role would he play in the growing activism of the civil rights movement
of the 1950s? In Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader, author Troy Jackson chronicles King's emergence and effectiveness
as a civil rights leader by examining his relationship with the people of Montgomery, Alabama. Using the sharp lens of Montgomery's struggle for racial
equality to investigate King's burgeoning leadership, Jackson explores King's ability to connect with the educated and the unlettered, professionals and
the working class. In particular, Jackson highlights King's alliances with Jo Ann Robinson, a young English professor at Alabama State University; E. D.
Nixon, a middle-aged Pullman porter and head of the local NAACP chapter; and Virginia Durr, a courageous white woman who bailed Rosa Parks out of jail
after Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. Jackson offers nuanced portrayals of King's relationships with these and other civil rights
leaders in the community to illustrate King's development within the community. Drawing on countless interviews and archival sources, Jackson compares
King's sermons and religious writings before, during, and after the Montgomery bus boycott. Jackson demonstrates how King's voice and message evolved during
his time in Montgomery, reflecting the shared struggles, challenges, experiences, and hopes of the people.

[Tamra · Rating 1 out of 5]

After 50 pages I'm done. This book is poorly written and it drives me crazy! There are unnecessary words all over the place. For instance: "significant difference." Umm, if the difference wasn't significant, then why bring it up? Actually, the author's use of the word "significant" bothered me every time. Significant doesn't need any modifiers. It's like the jokes I tell in my writing sometimes: "kind of life-changing." It's a joke. "very significant." Doesn't significant already imply the very? Gah!

In other poorly written news, after reading paragraphs about a man who influenced King, the first sentence of the next paragraph said, in essence, "This man influenced King." Umm, ...

I need to find a biography of King. This one isn't a biography, and I don't want to read it.

[Bryan Richard]

A very interesting introduction, (for me), into Martin Luther King, Jr. and basically how the civil rights movement got started. It is unbelievable the racism and prejudice which existed in the southern States. Overall I found it a very interesting read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great emphasis on local people and the difference they made in shaping King. Great read for those who want to see King from a different angle.