Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King, Jr. (born Michael King, Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was best known for improving civil rights by using nonviolent civil disobedience, based on his Christian beliefs. Because he was both a Ph.D. and a pastor, King is sometimes called the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. (abbreviation: the Rev. Dr. King), or just Dr King. He is also known by his initials MLK.

King worked hard to help people understand that people of all races should be treated equally. He gave speeches to encourage African Americans to protest without using violence.

Led by Dr. King and others, many African Americans used nonviolent, peaceful ways to fight for their civil rights. These strategies included sit-ins, boycotts, and protest marches. Often, they were attacked by police officers or citizens of other races who did not want African Americans to have more rights. However, no matter how badly they were attacked, Dr. King and his followers never fought back.

King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. The next year, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

King fought for equal rights from the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 until he was murdered by James Earl Ray in April 1968.

During King's lifetime, public places in Georgia were segregated. This meant that black and white people were not allowed to go to the same schools, use the same public bathrooms, eat at the same restaurants, drink at the same water fountains, or even go to the same hospitals. The places that served white people were usually better than the places where black people were allowed to go.

King first experienced discrimination when he was six years old. He was sent to an all-black school, and a white friend was sent to an all-white school. Later, when he was fourteen, King won a contest with a speech about civil rights. When he was riding the bus home, he was told to give up his seat and stand for the remainder of his bus ride so that a white person could sit down. Even the buses at the time were segregated. If a white person wanted a seat in the black section of the bus, they could take the seat from any African American. King later said having to give up his seat made him "the angriest I've ever been in my life."

King began his civil rights activism in 1955. At that time, he led a protest against the way black people were segregated on buses. Dr. King told everyone that people should only use peaceful ways to solve the problem.

Martin Luther King - March on Washington

King speaking at the March on Washington, speaking his famous speech, "I Have a Dream."

A group of activists began a group called Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), and they chose King as the president. Rosa Parks later said: "Dr. King was chosen in part because he was relatively new to the community and so [he] did not have any enemies." King ended up becoming an important leader of the boycott, becoming famous around the country, and making many enemies. By December 1956, segregation had been ended on Montgomery's buses. People could sit anywhere they wanted on the buses.

After the bus boycott, King and Ralph Abernathy started the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The group decided that they would only use non-violence. Its motto was "Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed." The SCLC chose King as its president.

In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. When presenting him with the award, the Chairman of the Nobel Committee said:

[King] is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races.

King had made enemies by working for civil rights and becoming such a powerful leader. The Ku Klux Klan did what they could to hurt King's reputation, especially in the South. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) watched King closely. They wiretapped his phones, his home, and the phones and homes of his friends.

On April 4, 1968, King was in Memphis, Tennessee. He planned to lead a protest march to support garbage workers who were on strike. At 6:01 pm, King was shot while he was standing on the balcony of his motel room.

King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital. His heart had stopped. Doctors there tried to make his heart start pumping again. However, they were unable to save King's life. He died at 7:05 p.m.

King's death led to riots in many cities.

In March 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of killing King. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray died in 1998.

Quotes

"Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

"[After I die,] I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

"I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”