Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American pastor, activist and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

He
was best known for improving civil rights by using nonviolent civil disobedience, based on his Christian beliefs.

King worked hard to make people understand that not only blacks, but that all races should always be treated equally to
white people. He gave speeches to encourage African Americans to protest without using violence.

Biography

Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. Notwithstanding the name "Michael" appeared on
his birth certificate, his name was later changed by his father to Martin Luther in honor of German reformer Martin
Luther.

At age 6, King first went through discrimination (being treated worse than a white person because he was black). He was
sent to an all-black school, and a white friend was sent to an all-white school.

Once, when he was 14, King won a contest with a speech about civil rights. When he was going back home on a bus, he
was forced to give up his seat and stand for the bus ride so a white person could sit down. King later said having to give
up his seat made him "the angriest I've ever been in my life."

King went to segregated schools in Georgia and finished high school at age 15. He went to a seminary in Pennsylvania to
become a pastor. While studying there, King learned about the non-violent methods used by Mahatma Gandhi against
the British Empire in India. Finally, in 1955, King earned a Ph.D. from Boston University's School of Theology.

On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people marched from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Then
they listened to civil rights leaders speak. King was the last speaker. His speech, called "I Have a Dream," became one of
history's most famous civil rights speeches. King talked about his dream that one day, white and black people would be
equal.

The next year King received the Peace Nobel Prize.

On April 4, 1968, King was killed by James Earl Ray.