Contextualizing King's Transformation
To understand the significance of King's story it is imperative to understand the context of the time he lived in, both at Dickinson College and during the Civil War. These two periods in King’s life were arguably his most important; the first aided in the creation of his persona, while the latter set in motion the transformation of the man he would inevitably become. King’s time at Dickinson College was marked by the prevailing attitudes of his peers toward race and slavery. As a student in the years before the Civil War, he was exposed to the pro-slavery beliefs of many of his classmates and faculty. The Civil War, however, was the catalyst that pushed King towards a more radical stance on abolitionism and racial equality. As a officer in the Union Army, King witnessed the horrors of slavery and the brutality of war firsthand, which solidified his self-commitment to forge his own opinions and identity. Through contextualizing King’s life within these two pivotal periods in American history, we gain a deeper understanding of his personal evolution.
A Tale of Two Timelines
The following timeline is a combination of both events that preceded, and were during the Civil War, as well as how they might have played a role in King's transformation.