I visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park while I was in Atlanta. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park preserves the places where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, lived, worked, worshipped, and is buried. The historic park is open to the public and free of charge.
King Birth Home
When I first got to the visitor center they recommended that I start at the King birth home. I took a guided tour of the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born. Inside there were tour guides in the hallways that gave a brief history of each room as you looked inside. I was not able to take any photos or video while in the birth home.
Fire Station No. 6
There was a fire station down the street from the king birth home. It was the first racially integrated firehouse back in the 1960s. Inside were exhibits on firefighting history as well as a 1927 LaFrane fire engine on display.
The King Center
The King Center had a section called the “Freedom Hall” where you could see exhibits on Dr. King, his wife Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, and Mahatma Gandhi. Outside of the Freedom Hall was a beautiful reflecting pool with fountains. The reflecting pool surrounded the tombs of both Dr. King and Coretta Scott King.
Eternal Flame
Next to the reflecting pool was the eternal flame which serves as a symbol of Dr. Kings ideals.
Principles of Nonviolence
Along side the reflecting pool was a wall that had the six principles of nonviolence written across it. The six principles of nonviolence represent Martin Luther King Jr. philosophy on nonviolence.
1: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
2: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
3: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
4: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform people and societies.
5: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
6: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
After I toured the King Center, I went inside the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. worshipped. Inside of the Ebenezer Baptist Church a volunteer gave a brief history of the church and then recited the, I have a dream speech. Martin Luther King Jr. grandfather and father both served as reverends at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King served as co-pastor before he was assassinated.
Visitor Center
After I had toured the Historic Park, I made my way back to the visitor center. Inside of the visitor center there were exhibits all over depicting the civil rights movement. I enjoyed visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. I highly recommend you see it for yourself if you are ever in the area. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. If you have any questions feel free to comment down below.
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