Who Was Martin Luther King Jr 马丁·路德·金 Chapter 3 Martin Gets a Job

Two churches, one in Massachusetts and one in New York, wanted Martin to become their minister. While Martin was deciding which job to take, another letter came—from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. The church, which had no minister, invited Martin to come down and preach¹.
On a clear winter day in January 1954, Martin set out to visit the church in Alabama. On the drive he listened to one of his favorite operas on the radio. The music and the beautiful countryside made the four-hour drive pass quickly.
During the drive, Martin practiced the sermon² he was going to deliver the next day in Montgomery. By the time he got there, he was nervous. He was not afraid to speak in front of people. At his father’s church, Martin stood up before crowds and preached³. But Martin knew that if his sermon tomorrow was good, the job as minister would be his.
Martin wasn’t sure he wanted to live in the South. He knew that life in the North was easier for blacks. And fairer. Still, the church in Montgomery sounded like a wonderful place, and he wanted to make a good impression. Should he show the people that he was smart? Should he tell them all about his education? No. Martin knew that all he had to do was the same thing he had done before in churches: speak from his heart and help people pray.
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: THE CRADLE⁴ OF THE CONFEDERACY
On JANUARY 11, 1861, ALABAMA VOTED TO “SECEDE⁵ FROM THE UNION.” THAT MEANT SEPARATING FROM THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES. In A SHORT TIME, TEN OTHER SOUTHERN STATES VOTED TO SECEDE AS WELL. ONE REASON THE STATES DIDN’T WANT TO REMAIN A PART OF THE UNITED STATES WAS THAT MANY PEOPLE In NORTHERN STATES WANTED TO END SLAVERY.
On FEBRUARY 18, 1861, In MONTGOMERY, JEFFERSON DAVIS WAS SWORN In AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA. THE FIRST CONFEDERATE FLAG WAS FLOWN FROM A BUILDING THAT IS NOW THE STATE CAPITOL. THIS IS WHY MONTGOMERY BECAME KNOWN AS THE CRADLE OF THE CONFEDERACY.
In APRIL 1865, THE NORTH WON THE CIVIL WAR, WHICH PUT An END TO SLAVERY AND THE CONFEDERACY.
Sure enough, Martin’s sermon was so good that the people at the Dexter Avenue Church asked him to become their pastor⁶.
Martin talked with Coretta. She, too, shared Martin’s fears. Could she find a good job in the South? In the North there were more opportunities for black women. Martin and Coretta also talked about what it would be like raising children in the South.
In the end, Martin and Coretta decided⁷ to live in Alabama. After all, the South was their home. And, more importantly, at the Dexter Avenue Church Martin could help fix some of the problems of local black people.
BROWN V. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT THE KINGS DECIDED TO MOVE TO ALABAMA, A VERY IMPORTANT CASE CAME BEFORE THE SUPREME⁸ COURT. In TOPEKA, KANSAS, A BLACK THIRD-GRADER NAMED LINDA BROWN HAD TO WALK A MILE EVERY DAY TO GET TO SCHOOL. LINDA’S FATHER TRIED TO ENROLL⁹ HER In A SCHOOL THAT WAS CLOSER TO HOME. BUT THE PRINCIPAL REFUSED. THE SCHOOL WAS FOR WHITE CHILDREN ONLY.
THIS CASE, AND OTHER CASES LIKE IT, CAME BEFORE THE NINE JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT. On MAY 17, 1954, ALL NINE JUDGES OF THE COURT AGREED THAT “SEPARATE” THAT “SEPARATE” SCHOOLS BY DEFINITION COULD NOT BE “EQUAL.” WITH THAT REASONING, THE IDEA OF “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” WAS STRUCK DOWN. ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAD TO ACCEPT BLACK AND WHITE CHILDREN.

1 preach   

vi.传道，宣扬；vt. 讲道，说教

参考例句：

• Don't preach me a sermon,please.请不要对我讲大道理。
• They continue to preach their gospel of self-reliance.他们继续倡导自立的信条。

2 sermon   

n.布道，讲道，说教，冗长的讲话

参考例句：

• The minister preaches a sermon now and then.牧师不时地讲道。
• Don't preach me a sermon,please.请不要对我讲大道理。

3 preached   

v.布道( preach的过去式和过去分词 )；劝诫；说教；宣传

参考例句：

• She preached to the congregation about forgiveness. 她向会众宣讲宽恕的道理。
• The friar preached against stealing and had a goose in his sleeve. 口是心非。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cradle   

n.摇篮，策源地，支船架；vt.把...放在摇篮里

参考例句：

• The baby was rocked to sleep in a cradle.婴儿在摇篮里被摇得睡着了。
• Tokyo was the cradle of Japanese culture.东京是日本文化的发源地。

5 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

6 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。