Martin Luther King Jr. waves to participants in the Civil Rights Movement's March on Wahsington from Lincoln Memorial. It was from this spot that he delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on August 28, 1963.Mini Bio:
With an oratorical style that drew directly on the force of the Bible and a serene confidence derived from his nonviolent philosophy, Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated a program of moderation and inclusion. The grandson and son of Baptist ministers, he helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize black churches in conducting nonviolent protests in the service of civil rights reform. From the boycott of Montgomery’s segregated buses to his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington, King was a guiding light during the most crucial years in the civil rights struggle.
Today, through the efforts of his late wife Corettta Scott King and the legions of others who were inspired by his celebration of human dignity, King’s legacy lives on. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action sparked the conscience of a generation and led to significant social change that is now woven into the fabric of American life.
MILESTONES:
1955
Organizes the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which led to a Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation on all public transport.
1957
Founds the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize black churches in conducting nonviolent protests in the service of civil rights reform.
1963
Writes Letter from Birmingham Jail arguing that individuals have the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
1963
Delivers “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to over 200,000 civil rights supporters.
1964
Becomes the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1964
Organizes marches that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing segregation in public accommodations and discrimination in education and employment.
1965
Rallies outrage following Bloody Sunday, a march from Selma to Montgomery that turned violent after police used force against demonstrators. Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
1966
Takes the movement North and moves his family into the Chicago slums to demonstrate support and empathy for the poor.
1968
Speaks out against the Vietnam War calling the US government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.”
1968
Mr. King is assassinated in Memphis during a visit to support striking black garbage collectors.
1986
Martin Luther King Day established as a United States holiday..
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