MARTIN LUTHER KING,Jr. appears(front row, right) in an early photo with his family. From L to R: Alberta Williams King (mother), Martin Luther King, Sr. (father), Jennie Williams (grandmother), brother Alfred Daniel, and sister Christine.

Year unknown

Martin Luther King, Sr., devoted his life to making things equal. He urged his members of his church to stand up to laws that were not fair. These laws, called Jim Crow laws, denied equal treatment to African Americans. These laws forced African Americans to wait at the back of the store, sit at the back of the bus, go to separate schools, and live in separate neighborhoods. Jim Crow laws even forced African Americans to use separate elevators. Jim Crow laws violated civil rights, which are guaranteed to all Americans under the United States Constitution.

Martin, Jr., admired his father and all the Atlanta ministers who spoke so eloquently for civil rights. They demonstrated the power of words, which fascinated the young King. This fascination with language helped him score high on the college entrance exam in his junior year of high school. On the strength of his scores, Martin skipped senior year and entered Morehouse College at the age of 15.

Martin Luther King Jr., like his father wanted the laws in the United States to treat everyone fairly. He spent his life working on Civil Rights.

What are Civil Rights? The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places.

Before the Civil Rights Movement segregation existed. Segregation: the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other discriminatory means

This meant that black and white people could not use the same bathroom, eat at the same restaurants, attend the same schools, drink from the same water fountain, and sit in the same part of the bus.

Dr. King took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He led marches and boycotts of the bus company for over a year.

Dr. King was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi, who lead India to independence from British rule. Using non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

“It is rather a courageous

confrontation of evil by the power of love, in the faith that it is better to be the recipient

of violence than the inflictor of it, since the latter only multiplies the existence

of violence and bitterness in the universe, while the former may develop

a sense of shame in the opponent, and thereby bring about a transformation and

change of heart.”- Dr. King

He moved back to Atlanta in 1960 and was co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Dr. King was arrested nearly twenty times for protests and sit-ins. In this photo King was arrested in 1960 at a lunch counter sit-in in Atlanta while waiting to be served at a restaurant. He is sentenced to four months in jail, but after intervention by John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, he is released.

AERIAL VIEW OF THE MARCH

DR. KING DELIVERS HIS SPEECH

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

The King family (left to right), Dexter, Yolanda, Martin Jr., Bernice, Coretta Scott, and Martin III

President Lyndon Johnson is seen with civil rights leaders including Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in this undated photo.

Not everyone had the same ideas as Dr. King. Unfortunately, Dr. King was killed by a man, James Earl Ray in 1968. This photo shows the funeral procession.

If there is one thing to remember about Dr. King, remember the power of his words. Dr. King was just one person. The power of his words inspired and changed the course of history. “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”- Martin Luther King, Jr. Choose your words wisely and stand up for what is just.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57lotnKGF8&feature=player_detailpage

This slide show would be used in 4th grade as an introduction to Civil Rights. It is used to expose students to terminology they may not be familiar with. All of the students are familiar with Dr. King but much new information is included. From this students will research other Civil Rights’ leaders. In doing so they will become aware of how this struggle has changed and how it continues.