Martin

Luther
King Jr.
American activist, a pastor, and the
leader of the civil rights movement
 He was born on January 15th, 1929, in
Atlanta, Georgia. Martin had a brother,
Alfred, and a sister Christine. Both his
father and grandfather were ministers.

Young Martin was an excellent student

in school - he skipped grades in both
elementary school and high school.
martin entered Morehouse College in
Atlanta, Georgia, when he was only 15
years old.

Young Martin
His original name was
"Michael King, Jr." until the
family traveled to Europe in
1934 and visited Germany. His
father soon changed both of
their names in honor of the
German Protestant leader
Martin Luther
FAMILY

King married Coretta Scott

on June 18, 1953.
They had four children -
Yolanda King, Martin Luther
King III, Dexter Scott King,
and Bernice King.
He became pastor of the Dexter
Avenue Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama, when he
was twenty-five years old.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a
white passenger on a bus in Montgomery. As a result, King helped organize The
Montgomery Bus Boycott. For 385 days, African-Americans avoided public
transport, causing a critical decrease in public transport. The situation became so
tense that his house was bombed and he was also arrested at one point. in the
end, he succeeded, and racial segregation was ended on all public buses.
World with
no hate, or
racism
Following this event, King wrote, spoke,
and organized non-violent protests to
draw attention to end racial
discrimination and demand the law to
protect the rights of African -Americans.
In 1957, along with
Ralph Abernathy and
numerous other
activists, Martin
founded SCLC -
Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
Their aim was - to
conduct non-violent
protests in the service
of civil rights reform.
Inspired by Gandhi`s work, King visited India in 1959. This trio
really affected him and helped him understand non/violent
resistance.
That same year, he wrote The Measure of a Man, from which
the peace What is Man? derived, where he tried to sketch the
optimal political, social and economic structure of society.
BELIEFS

He also drew inspiration from his Christian

beliefs. He advocated for freedom using the
power of words. And just as God speaks, he
fought evil with love.
King was raised to always see better in
others, and to always show love, peace,
gratitude, generosity.
 I Have a
Dream

Representing SCLC, King was

among the leaders of the "Big
Six" civil rights organizations
that took part in March on
Washington for Jobs and
Freedom, in August 1963. It was
at this event that King gave his
electrifying "I Have a Dream"
speech.
“Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only
love can do that.”
 In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace
Prize. He was awarded this prize since
he always protested in peaceful ways

Nobel Prize
In the following years, King continued to spread the vision of
desegregation all over the USA with great success.
But they weren`t always welcome. In Chicago, marchers
were met by thrown bottles and near-riot circumstances.
Martin was hit by a brick during one of the marches, but he
continued to lead even when he faced personal danger.
In New York City in April 1967, he delivered a speech titled "Beyond Vietnam".
He spoke strongly against the U.S.s role in the war. insisting that the U.S. was
in Vietnam "to occupy it as an American colony" and calling the U.S.
government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today".
Death

On April 4th, 1968, King was

assassinated by escaped convict James
Earl Ray, who was arrested two months
later and received life imprisonment.
 President Lyndon B. Johnson
declared April 7th a national day of
mourning for the civil rights leader.
At the White House Rose Garden
on November 2nd, 1983, President
Ronald Raegan signed a bill
creating a federal holiday to honor
King. Observed for the first time on
January 20th, 1986, it is called
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

IMPACT
Martin Luther King had a vision of a society in which race
was not an issue, and that people were treated based on
their actions, not their race. He inspired those who felt like
they had no voice to share and lead a movement that was
followed by many. The efforts that he made changed the
U.S and brought awareness throughout the world. His
vision of a world with no discrimination made the world a
more equal place and helped to ensure that minorities
had a voice that was heard.