The Unknown Martin Luther King

Forty years after his death, the popularity of Martin Luther King remains extraordinary. He is perhaps the single most praised person in American history, and millions adore him as a hero and almost a saint. The federal government has made space available on the Mall in Washington for a national monument for King, not far from Lincoln’s. Only four men in American history have national monuments: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt; and now King will make five.

King is the only American who enjoys the nation’s highest honor of having a national holiday on his birthday. There are other days of remembrance such as Presidents’ Day, but no one else but Jesus Christ is recognized with a similar holiday. Does King deserve such honors? Much that has been known to scholars for years—but largely unknown to most Americans—suggests otherwise.

The Unknown Martin Luther King

I've always felt there has been an extraordinary praise felt for this man. He is one of the few people in History that is hard to find faults with; he seems to encompass the very qualities we all admire and strive to uphold as human beings. But something that has struck me as strange is when I heard from a friend that apparently multiple documents relating to his life and activities compiled by the FBI have been sealed. I asked why but was told to do the research myself. Here is the part of this article that mentions it briefly:

The FBI surveillance files could throw considerable light on his true character, but they will not be made public until 2027. On January 31, 1977, as a result of lawsuits by King’s allies against the FBI, a US district judge ordered the files sealed for 50 years.

It is my understanding that records are usually sealed because there is information within in them that could cause social unrest if revealed to the general public. Of course, this could be for privacy reasons but why would they need to be sealed for 50 years?

I do not desire to harm Dr. King's reputation as I have a large amount of respect for him; even citing material from his "I have a dream speech" in one of my term papers back when I was a University student. This revelation that his records are sealed does not sit well with me and I hope there is a plausible explanation out there as to why they are being kept from the public until the year 2027.

What is the truth about the man born Michael Luther King?

You forgot your link!
Fix the link please!

Well what do you think of the man being a freemason ( hall of princes ) ?, look it up they even display his apron .
Not as much of a stretch as this second line .

reply to post by 13th Zodiac


He was a Christian and you have to believe in a supreme deity. But to me that is far stretched. It's like calling him a Communist which he was not.

Hey reb , being a christian doesn't stop him from joining a lodge.Masonry is full of christians , catholics , judeans and islamist so I don't get your point ?

Well known fact that there was infidelity going on. Anyone who reads knows that. Well known fact that he was kind of communist, but one only cares about that if they were brainwashed in the public education system.

What else could there be? Probably nothing to affect the delivery of the message the man sought to spread across America.

reply to post by 13th Zodiac


I just doubt him being one. It would seem to be already public knowledge if he was ever a Freemason.

Interesting. I did a search "Was MLK a Freemason." Here is an interesting answer from Yahoo! Answers:

Was MLK a Freemason?

(It is possible the link to Freemason was done as an attempt to discredit him. Hopefully somebody can provide evidence to substantiate whether or not he was in fact a Mason.)

Reb , we have been through this kinda thing before have we not . It's simple just look it up it's right there at your finger tips . It is a fact . Anyway this baby is going to bed now nighty night reb . Always good .

I did find this pro Mason site which say's Martin Luther King Jr. was not a Mason.
www.masonicinfo.com...
Sorry for the large quote.

Special Note: In May, 2000 - over 32 years AFTER his death and in an act which seems totally unprecedented in Masonic history - a Past Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia made King a "Mason at Sight". Such action runs counter to all of the 'landmarks' and accepted usages of Freemasonry since making a member of the fraternity posthumously violates the premise of the first question normally proposed to a candidate, to wit: "Do you make this request of your own free will and accord?". The practice of making a Mason 'at sight' stems from the beginnings of Freemasonry when a Grand Master could waive all normal requirements to pass through the degrees and declare, summarily, a man to be a Mason. (It should be noted as well, however, that the practice is so controversial in Freemasonry some Grand Lodges have specifically forbidden their Grand Masters to do it while in others it has not been done for a century or longer.) Other men who have been made Masons in this manner (and we'd estimate the number at less than a hundred or so despite the tens of millions of good men who have joined over the past three centuries) were so declared only AFTER discussion with and agreement by them. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia has not, as of May, 2010, been accepted as 'regular' by any 'mainstream' Masonic Grand Lodge and this bizarre act may well cause problems for such acceptance in the future. While we do not wish to editorialize, the actions by MW Bro. Benjamin Barksdale (whom we have had the pleasure of meeting personally and know to be a good man with a sincere and very deep love for Freemasons and Freemasonry) are abnormal in the extreme. His actions could not and cannot make a dead man a Mason.... A New York Prince Hall Mason wrote in early 2009 on a private Masonic discussion group that the MWPHGL of Georgia has repudiated this action. We requested a citation to support this but have failed to her anything further.

This is the best I could find online. Tell me what you think of this site!

P.S. sorry for the large quote I had to use it all. :/

There is no one without indiscretions, T.Jefferson, FDR, JFK, Lincoln has been "tarred and feathered" by many writers after the fact. If you look hard enough, we are all blemished.

As such, what makes someone like Mr.King stand out? Look at his overall accomplishments,...look at what he did and the times in which he did it. Look at the pivotal changes he helped bring about, and he did so preaching a message of peace.

There are many here that don't remember segregation, integrated busing, seeing signs that said "whites only"... but at 47, I remember. Those that do remember know how much life has improved for all as a result of MLK's leadership and drive and passion.

Many here whine and moan about how the government is taking away "our rights" and how we are all "slaves".... yet we do nothing...not enough time, not enough courage? Martin Luther King gave all he had to maken changes that we are benefiting from today.

So, yes, there are imperfections....but cut him some slack. The man did things we only dream of...

Surely that kind of "content of character" is worthy of a monument.

Im sure there is alot "unknown" about him, and that he has skeletons in his closet.......just like every man. Things like this are kinda funny, if, and I say if, he has something big in his past, it doesn't change what he did in his bid for equality. I'm sure the FBI has something on him, just like they do everyone they investigate, no biggie. He still sttod for something and brought about a kind of change that was needed. I do think he'd be shocked at how things turned out, and how his legacy is used to push some agendas though. All in all, nothing to see here folks, if nothing else, this just proves he was human, like the rest of us.

reply to post by adifferentbreed


I agree. Every person has done something they regret or that they know others will regret them for at one time or another in their lifetime. To be honest I don't really care about the "Adulterer", "against Christianity" or "Secret Communist" tags. They are exaggerated and emphasised to play into the Left vs. Right paradigm.

What I do care about is that this man has possibly plagiarised the work of others; stated racist and defamatory comments about White people; and that information about him and his activities have been sealed for 50 years. If these allegations can be confirmed then one has to wonder why people worldwide have been conditioned to view this man as a Messianic figure. Is there something about the man we do not know? For example, that he may have been a Freemason. (No disrespect meant to Masons on here, but this revelation would be considered a negative attribute by many if proven to be correct).

reply to post by Dark Ghost


If he did those things, it still makes him different from the rest He accomplished something other than getting rich off of race baiting ala the Al and Jessie show. If he did make racist remarks, eh, still happens today, even with our president, it's just the norm. I used to think that was odd, funny, now to me it's just normal, the race card has and always will be played by the blacks, once you realize it for what it is, it means nothing. Again, everyone has skeletons, in this case, it doesn't lessen what the man accomplished.

This thread seems to be dead but I though I might drop this new news to me here . " Martin Luther King denied 1960 vacation to New Brunswick
Fundy National Park innkeeper thought civil rights leader's presence could disturb U.S. tourists www.cbc.ca...

"Many people around the world will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King today, the anniversary of this birth in 1929.

But it's a little-known fact the civil rights leader almost came to New Brunswick until an innkeeper blocked the vacation for fear it could upset some U.S. tourists.

In 1959, King appeared on a CBC panel show in Toronto and was set to return to Canada the following year.

Harold DeWolf, a Boston University professor and a friend of King’s, planned a vacation for him and his wife to Fundy National Park.

DeWolf wanted to bring King and his wife, Coretta, to join him with his wife on their trip to New Brunswick." NB in this case is in Canada