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| In 1986, a U.S. national ] was established in honor of Martin Luther King, which is called ]. | In 1986, a U.S. national ] was established in honor of Martin Luther King, which is called ]. | ||
Revision as of 12:54, 19 June 2002
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and African American civil rights activist. He organized and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, fair hiring, and other basic civil rights. Most of these rights were successfully enacted into United States law with the passage of the U.S. Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Voting Rights Act. He is perhaps most famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington DC.
King graduated from Morehouse College with a B. A. degree in 1948 and from Crozer Theological Seminary with a B.D. in 1951. He received his PhD from Boston University in 1955.
In 1954, Martin Luther King became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a leader of the bus boycott which began when Rosa Parks refused to get up from her seat. Dr. King was arrested during this campaign, which ended with a United States Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation on buses.
Dr. King was an adherent of the philosophies of nonviolent civil disobedience used successfully in India by Mohandas Gandhi. Dr King was arrested more than a dozen times. He urged all Americans to act according to their consciences.
Dr. King also led a series of three civil rights marches which were intended to go from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in March of 1965. The first two attempts to march were aborted due to mob and police violence against the demonstrators. The worst violence was on March 7, a day which is known today as Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday was a major turning point in the effort to gain public support. The demonstrators successfully maintained their nonviolence despite the violence that was directed against them. The events were captured on film, and when U.S. citizens saw the footage, their sympathies were aroused.
Dr. King wrote and spoke frequently. His "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", written in 1963, is a passionate statement of his crusade for justice.
In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. James Earl Ray confessed to the shooting and was convicted, though he later recanted his confession. Coretta Scott King, King's widow and also a civil rights leader, along with the rest of King's family won a wrongful death civil trial against Loyd Jowers, who claimed to have received $100,000 to arrange King's assassination.
In 1986, a U.S. national holiday was established in honor of Martin Luther King, which is called Martin Luther King Day. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of Dr. King's birthday.
File:Martin luther king.jpg
Martin Luther King speaking at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.
See also racism, racial segregation, discrimination