Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline and Facts 

Birth

January 15, 1929. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Death

April 4, 1968. Memphis, Tennessee, USA (assassination by gunshot)

Known for

Leading the civil rights movement in the United States

Advocating nonviolent protest against segregation and racial discrimination

Timeline

1929 Born in Atlanta on January 15

1954 Selected as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama

1955 Received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University

1955-1956 Led a successful effort to desegregate Montgomery, Alabama, buses

1957 Helped found and served as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

1958 Published Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story

1963 Wrote 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,' arguing that it was his moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws

1963 Delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech to civil rights marchers at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

1964 Won the Nobel Peace Prize

1965 Organized a mass march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that created national support for federal voting-rights legislation

1968 Was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee

Most Famous Quote

'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.' August, 1963, in the I Have a Dream speech given to civil rights supporters at the March on Washington.

Did You Know?

King's nonviolent doctrine was strongly influenced by the teachings of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi.

In 1964, King became the first black American to be honored as Time magazine's Man of the Year.

King's efforts were not limited to securing civil rights; he also spoke out against poverty and the Vietnam War.

"Martin Luther King, Jr.," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Martin Luther King, Jr., (1929-1968) was an important civil rights leader in the United States. He fought for the freedoms and rights of African Americans and other people. King won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for leading peaceful protests. Today, the United States celebrates King's birthday with a national holiday on the third Monday in January.

King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a Baptist minister in 1948. In 1955, King received a Ph.D. degree from Boston University in Massachusetts. At that time, African Americans were treated unfairly in many ways. In some parts of the United States, they were not allowed to use the same schools, hotels, and restaurants as whites. Many people also tried to keep blacks from voting. King worked in peaceful ways to fight against this unfair treatment.

In 1955, King led a protest against the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama. That year, a black passenger named Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying a state law that said blacks had to give up their seats to white passengers. In 1957, King received the Spingarn Medal, a medal given each year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to an outstanding African American.

King was a great speaker. He opposed the use of violence as a way to get fair treatment for African Americans. Through the work of King and others, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other laws were passed to protect people's rights.

Though King encouraged peaceful action, many people used violence against him. Some people threw rocks at him and bombed his home. On April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. His widow, Coretta Scott King, continued King's civil rights work after he died. She died in 2006.

"King, Martin Luther, Jr.." World Book Kids, World Book, 2021,

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar830951. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

Spanish Language Version - Versión en español

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) fue un importante líder de los derechos civiles en Estados Unidos. Luchó por la libertad y los derechos de los afroamericanos y otras personas. En 1964, King ganó el Premio Nobel de la Paz por dirigir protestas pacíficas. Hoy en día, en Estados Unidos se celebra el cumpleaños de King con una fiesta nacional, el tercer lunes del mes de enero.

King nació el 15 de enero de 1929 en Atlanta, Georgia. Se convirtió en ministro bautista en 1948, y en 1955, recibió un doctorado de la universidad de Boston, Massachusetts.

En esa época, los afroamericanos eran tratados injustamente de muchas maneras. En algunas partes de Estados Unidos, no se les permitía asistir a las mismas escuelas, hoteles y restaurantes que a los blancos. Mucha gente también trataba de evitar que los negros votaran. King trabajó en forma pacífica en la lucha contra ese tratamiento injusto.

En 1955, King dirigió una protesta contra el sistema de autobuses de Montgomery, Alabama. Ese año, una pasajera afroamericana se llama Rosa Parks fue detenida después de quebrantar una ley del estado que mandó que los afroamericanos les dieran sus asientos a los pasajeros blancos. En 1957, King recibió la Medalla Spingarn, una medalla que la Asociación Nacional para el Progreso de la Gente de Color (NAACP) le dio cada año a un afroamericano destacado.

King era un gran orador, y siempre estuvo en contra del uso de la violencia como medio para lograr un tratamiento justo para los afroamericanos. Como consecuencia del trabajo de King y de otros, la Ley de Derechos Civiles de Estados Unidos de 1964 y otras leyes fueron aprobadas para proteger los derechos de la población.

A pesar de que King fomentó el uso de la acción pacífica, mucha gente empleó la violencia contra él. Algunas personas le tiraron piedras y colocaron bombas en su casa. El 4 de abril de 1968, King recibió un disparo y murió en Memphis, Tennessee. Su viuda, Coretta Scott King, continuó su trabajo en defensa de los derechos civiles.

"King, Martin Luther, Jr." Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos, World Book, 2021,

www.worldbookonline.com/eeh/article?id=ar830951. Accessed 18 enero. 2021.