Fred Shuttlesworth was a man of action, leading a new light over a dark city and across the country. Surviving bombings, police arrests, and clashes with Ku Klux Khan, he became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of his time, paving the way for civil rights in his hometown, Birmingham, in Alabama. Working closely with Martin Luther King Jr., he said, "As Birmingham goes, so goes the nation" to Martin Luther King Jr. (Fred Shuttlesworth Biography) Fred Shuttlesworth is one of America's most courageous and dynamic leaders. civil rights movement, but every great story; every great individual had to start from the bottom to achieve success. Freddie Lee Robinson was born in Meigs, Alabama on March 18, 1922. Freddie and his family moved to Birmingham when he was a child. After her mother, Alberta Robinson, divorced Robinson and later remarried William N. Shuttlesworth. Freddie decided to change his last name to his stepfather's, from Robinson to Shuttlesworth. Freddie was not alone in the family; he shared a house with eight siblings while his father worked as a farmer and coal miner, bringing little income to the family. Young Fred began working as a truck driver, then as a cement worker. To earn more money and meat, his family began making moonshine and selling it to the public. During a sale, young Fred was arrested in 1940 for operating an illegal still; he was sentenced to two years of probation. After his fiasco with the law, young Fred worked harder at school and achieved his first success by graduating as valedictorian of his high school. (Nordheimer, Jon) He continued his education, earning a bachelor's degree from Selma University in 1951. Selma University...... middle of article...... review, nd Web. March 3, 2014. “Fred Shuttlesworth.” PBS.org. WGBH, and Web.The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, nd Web. March 03, 2014.Nordheimer, Jon. "The Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, 89, Dies; He Fought on the Front Lines for Civil Rights." The New York Times. The New York Times, October 5, 2011. Web. March 3, 2014.Schudel, Matt. “Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Courageous Civil Rights Fighter, Dies at 89.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, August 24, 2012. Web. March 03, 2014.United States. National Park Service. “Fred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011).” National Park Service. US Department of the Interior, February 14, 2014. Web. March 03, 2014.United States. National Park Service. “International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame.” National Park Service. US Department of the Interior, nd Web. March 2. 2014.