Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a huge impact on civil rights in America. He was the force behind many of the important civil rights protests in the 20th century, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and the March on Washington in 1963.
Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. From an early age he was aware of how unfairly black people were treated. He did not understand why he was not allowed to play with white children, go to the same schools, eat in the same restaurants, or even sit at the front of a public bus.
Just as his father did, Martin Luther Jr. studied to become a minister. He moved to Alabama and spent the rest of his life trying to make the world a better and fairer place.
Dr. King led many marches in cities throughout the United States. Thousands joined him to protest unfair laws. Even though he believed in peaceful, nonviolent protest, he was arrested 29 times.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful speaker.
During the March on Washington in 1963 he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the Lincoln Memorial. Here is a quote from it:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
In 1964, a year after that speech, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. This law made it illegal for people to treat others unfairly because of their skin color. In that same year, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize, one of the highest honors in the world.
Martin Luther King had many enemies. His life ended in 1968, when at the age of 39, he was killed by a gunman.
Dr. King’s impact on civil rights is so important that his birthday is now a national holiday. Americans honor him on Martin Luther King Day, the third Monday in January.
Source: worksheetsplus.com/BlackHistory/WhoIsMLK.html Who Is Martin Luther King Jr.?
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