1. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American

pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights
Movement. He fought for civil rights.
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of Martin Luther King, Sr. and
Alberta Williams King. His father was also a civil rights leader. He was married
to Coretta Scott King.
He became a Baptist minister. He worked hard to make people understand that
black people should always be treated equally to white people. He gave
speeches and led rallies to encourage African Americans to protest without the
need for violence. One peaceful strategy was for African Americans to have sit-
ins.
This is where they would sit in a restaurant seat that was supposed to be only
for white people. They would politely ask for some food and refuse to leave until
someone gave them food. Another strategy that King used was leading
boycotts. This is where people would refuse to buy goods or services from
people who did not treat white people and black people the same. King also
helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I
Have a Dream" speech.
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2. King was active from the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to
1956 until his murder by James Earl Ray in April 1968. King was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal
posthumously. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal
holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets and a county in the U.S. have been
renamed in his honor. A memorial statue on the National Mall was opened to
the public in 2011.
Early life
King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15,, 1929. Although the name
"Michael" appeared on his birth certificate, his name was later changed to
Martin Luther in honor of German reformer Martin Luther.
He first began to be well known in 1955 when he led a protest against the way
black people were segregated on buses. At that time they had to sit at the back
of the bus, separate from white people. He soon became world famous when he
told his supporters, and the people who were against equal rights and that only
peaceful ways should be used to solve the problem.
After graduating from college in 1948, he decided he was not exactly the type of
person to join the Baptist Church.
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3. So, he was not sure what kind of career he wanted. He considered a career
in medicine and law. He rejected both and joined the Baptist Church. He studied
at a theological seminary in Pennsylvania. While studying there, King learned
about the non-violent methods used by Mahatma Gandhi against the British in
India. King was convinced that such methods would help the civil rights
movement.
He was made the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. This
association was created during the boycott. He became an important leader of
the boycott. King was arrested for starting a boycott. He was fined $500 with
$500 more in court costs. His house was fire-bombed. Others involved with MIA
were also intimidated. However, by the end of 1956, segregation had been
removed in Montgomery and bus integration had been introduced. Another
result of the boycott was the starting of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC). This organization was committed to the use of non-
violence. Its motto was "Not one hair of one head of one person should be
harmed." Martin Luther King was elected its president.
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4. In 1963, a civil right march in Washington, DC happened that made King
even more famous. The march was a major success. It was officially called the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was held on August 28, 1963.
The final speaker was Martin Luther King, Jr. He made his legendary 'I have a
Dream' speech which was heard throughout the world. It told people about the
civil rights movement in America. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize. The year 1964 was also when the Civil Rights Act was passed. This act
banned many kinds of discrimination against black people. King then moved on
to a bill that would make sure that black Americans would be allowed to vote.
This led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It made it against the law to stop
somebody from voting because of their race.After this, he continued to work
with many others to fight against poverty and the Vietnam War.King had clearly
made enemies in his rise to fame. The Ku Klux Klan did what they could to hurt
his reputation, this was especially in the South.
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5. Even the FBI kept a close eye on him. On the evening of April 4, 1968, at
6:01 pm, while King was standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis,
Tennessee, where he was preparing to lead a protest march in sympathy with
striking garbage workers of that city, the lone, muffled sounds of a loud noise,
like a violent clap of hands, or the crack of wood, or perhaps a firecracker was
heard. A bullet entered through his right cheek, and travelled down his neck,
severing the jugular vein and major arteries in the process before lodging in his
shoulder. King fell onto the floor unconscious. The unconscious King was
rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where doctors opened his chest and performed
manual heart massage. He never regained consciousness and died at 7:05
p.m. According to Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though he was
only 39 years old, he had the heart of a 60 year old man. His death led to riots
in many cities. In March 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of killing King.
He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. James Earl Ray died in 1998, his
brother having disconnected life support he was attached to since February 11.
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6. I have a dream
This is speech had the power to move millions of people and to get them to fight
for their freedom. Martin Luther King Jr achieved this with this one speech. This
speech demonstrates the diction, symbolism, and metaphorical language
needed to create an emotional, logical, and credible appeal that helped the
nation jump on its feet and make the better of it. During a time where
segregation was everywhere and the racial minorities felt like they had no
freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. steeped in and helped save their freedom and
individualism through this speech.
Legacy
In 1986, America created a national holiday. It is commonly known as Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day, in his honor. It is celebrated on the third Monday of the
month of January. This is around the time of his birthday. The holiday was
created because people had campaigned for this to happen, including singer
Stevie Wonder. He wrote a text for the campaign.
Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize and his speech goes on to other people
who faced racism. He also gained all rights for blacks. He made African
American lives much easier to live.