A Brief History
On July 11, 1977, civil rights icon, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor. King’s medal was awarded posthumously as he had been assassinated in 1968.
Digging Deeper
At least 20 of these honors were awarded posthumously, including John F. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, John Wayne, Roberto Clemente, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth. At least 26 recipients were given their Medal of Freedom “With Distinction,” a special version, including then Vice President Joe Biden in 2017.
Many recipients earned their Medal by providing civic contribution to the US or the world, but some of the awards were either politically motivated or in hindsight, not so wise. Examples of such questionable awardees include comedian and sexual predator Bill Cosby, racist senator Strom Thurmond, and purely political awardees Rush Limbaugh, Devin Nunes, and Jim Jordan.
Football coach Bill Belichick refused his award, and singer Dolly Parton turned it down twice!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Should there be strict criteria to award this medal?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Warner Books, 2001.
Wetterau, Bruce. The Presidential Medal of Freedom: Winners and Their Achievements. Cq Pr, 1996.
