Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Dr Martin Luther King, Junior (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a famous American who fought for human rights. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He was the son of Martin Luther King Sr. who was also a civil rights leader. When he was born, the physician in charge accidentally wrote his name down as 'Michael' on his birth certificate.
He became a Baptist minister. He worked hard to make people understand that black people should always be treated equal to white people. He gave speeches and led rallies to encourage African Americans to protest without the need of violence. One peaceful strategy was for blacks to have sit-ins, where African Americans sat in a restaurant seat that was supposed to be only for white people and politely ask for some food and then they would not leave until someone gave them food.
He first began to be well-known in 1955 when he led a protest against the way black people were segregated on buses. That is when they had to sit at the back of the bus separate from white people. He soon became world famous when he told his supporters, and the people who were against equal rights, that only peaceful ways should be used to solve the problem. In 1964 black people finally were allowed to vote in elections. In this year he was given the Nobel Peace Prize.
After this he continued to work with many others to fight against poverty and the Vietnam War. In 1986, the United States created a national holiday, commonly known as Martin Luther King Day, in his honor. It is celebrated on the third Monday of the month of January; around the time of his birthday. This was because people had campaigned (called for) this to happen. One of these people was the singer Stevie Wonder who wrote a song as part of the campaign. Luther King said to his mother he would turn this world upside down and he followed through with that promise. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
Simple Facts: He was born in Atlanta on January 15th 1929. King was active from the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to 1956 until his murder in April 1968. After graduating from college in 1948 he was not sure about which profession to join. He considered a career in medicine and law but rejected both and joined the Baptist Church. He studied at a Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. It was while studying here, that King learned about the non-violent methods used by Mahatma Gandhi against the British in India. King became convinced that such methods would be of great value to the civil rights movement. He was appointed the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which was created during the boycott and he became a prominent leader of the boycott. King was arrested for starting a boycott and fined $500 with $500 costs. His house was fire-bombed and others involved with MIA were also intimidated - but by the end of 1956, segregation had been lifted in Montgomery and bus integration had been introduced. Another result of the boycott was the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This organisation was committed to the use of non-violence and its motto was "Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed." Martin Luther King was elected its president. The march - officially the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - was a major success. Held on August 28th, 1963. The final speaker was Martin Luther King and it was here that he made his legendary 'I have a Dream' speech which was heard throughout the world and did a huge amount to publicise the civil rights movement in America across the world. In 1964,he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. King then moved on to a bill that would guarantee the voting rights of the black community in America. This led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. King had clearly made enemies in his rise to fame. At the most basic level, the Klu Klux Klan did what they could to tarnish his name in the South. However, it was the work done by the FBI under the leadership of J Edgar Hoover that did most damage. On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead by an assassin. His death sparked off riots in many cities and 46 people were killed during these. In March 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of King's murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
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