Description:

King Martin


Martin Luther King, Jr. Signed George Washington Carver 4-Stamp Block

 

Handsome framed display of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) memorabilia, featuring a block of George Washington Carver stamps inscribed and signed by the Baptist minister and Civil Rights leader as "Best Wishes, Martin Luther King Jr." Mounted at a diagonal bias at center, in between a black and white portrait of King at top, and a gold-finished plaque engraved "Martin Luther King, Jr." at bottom. In near fine condition. Matted and framed behind glass. Not examined out of frame. The signed stamp block measures approximately 2.25" square while the overall frame size is 12.375" x 19.5" x .875".

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. signed this set of stamps at a dramatic angle. The 3 cent bright red violet stamp featuring a bust portrait of Carver, the pioneering black botanist, was first issued on January 5, 1948. The autographed stamp block thus represents a link between two of the most influential black figures of early-to-mid-twentieth-century America.

 

George Washington Carver (1860s-1843) first promoted crop rotation and diversification practices in the American South. Carver advocated planting alternative crops like peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans to allow cotton-depleted lands to rest. Carver's interest in sustainable agriculture overlapped with other causes he championed, like environmentalism, social justice, and racial equality. 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his life to the study of Christianity and its application to social justice. He emerged as one of the most charismatic leaders of the Civil Rights Movement after organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Between then and his assassination in 1968, King led numerous non-violent demonstrations in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago to shine a light on racial discrimination and economic disparity in the United States. His visibility as a spokesperson was due in part to his personal magnetism and stirring public speaking style.

 

King's sponsorship of civil disobedience to galvanize social change earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His involvement in one of the capstone moments of the Civil Rights Movement--the 1963 March on Washington--led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was posthumously bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal. A federal holiday and a monument on Washington's National Mall commemorate King's contributions to American race relations.

 

Provenance: Acquired by the original owner from Dr. King during the spring of 1965. Then a 5th Grader, the previous owner had a school assignment requiring writing a letter to an "American public figure." While most of his classmates approached local congressmen, the original owner contacted Dr. King shortly after the Civil Rights activist had participated in the Selma to Montgomery march. The owner received a secretarial reply on Southern Christian League Council letterhead, along with the stamp block that he had forwarded for return postage signed by Dr. King.



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