Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil Rights Activists

Basic Views of Martin Luther King,

Jr.

•Preached the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi

•Non-violence, least resistance

•Believed in equality of the races; unity of all people

“The time is always right to do what is right.” – MLK, Jr.

Childhood

Martin Luther King, Jr.• Born – Michael Luther King, Jr. on January

15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA• Father was a paster, MLK took over at their

church• Booker T. Washington High School• Early admission to Morehouse College in

1944 at age 15• Received his PhD. In Systematic Theology

from Boston University in 1955, age of 26

Timeline for Martin Luther King, Jr.

1955 – elected president of Montgomery Improvement Association – helped with the bus boycott

In 1956, the US Supreme Court declared segregation on the bus unconstitutional.

Arrested in Alabama• April, 1963 –

arrested for protesting. Wrote about his concerns and criticized the pace of justice of civil rights for Black Americans in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

“I Have a Dream”

• August 28, 1963 – after meeting with President John F. Kennedy, King delivers the “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an estimated 250,000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFcbpGK9_aw

King earns the Nobel Peace Prize

• 1964 – for his efforts; prize money ($54,600) turned over to further the movement

Assassination of King

• April 4, 1968 – on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN

• Killed by James Earl Ray

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98k-pjN6nl0&feature=related