| Revision as of 00:57, 14 November 2001 view sourceDCM~enwiki (talk | contribs)0 edits +Bloody Sunday, nonviolent disobedience as taught by Gandhi | Revision as of 14:23, 27 November 2001 view source The Anome (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Administrators253,495 edits added date of MLK day, added days of birth and death, /TalkNext edit → | ||
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| The Rev. Dr. '''Martin Luther King Jr.''' (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and ] ] activist. He organized and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, fair hiring, and other basic civil rights. He is perhaps most famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech, given in front of the ] during the 1963 March on Washington. | The Rev. Dr. '''Martin Luther King Jr.''' (]]-]]) was a Baptist minister and ] ] activist. He organized and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, fair hiring, and other basic civil rights. He is perhaps most famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech, given in front of the ] during the 1963 March on Washington. | ||
| Dr. King was an adherent to the philosophies of nonviolent civil disobedience used successfully in ] by ]. | Dr. King was an adherent to the philosophies of nonviolent civil disobedience used successfully in ] by ]. | ||
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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 ]. | ||
| It is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of Dr. King's birthday. | |||
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Revision as of 14:23, 27 November 2001
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 151929-April 41968) 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. 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.
Dr. King was an adherent to the philosophies of nonviolent civil disobedience used successfully in India by Mohandas Gandhi.
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.
The Irish rock band U2 wrote a song called Sunday, Bloody Sunday about the event.
In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee; his widow, Coretta Scott King, is also a civil rights leader.
In 1986, a U.S. national holiday was established in honor of Martin Luther King, which is called Martin Luther King Day. It is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of Dr. King's birthday.
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