Martin Luther King Jr

Baptist minister, civil rights leader, American, 20th century

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About

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader. Born in Atlanta, he studied at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University. He led the Montgomery bus boycott (1955-1956) and became president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. His 'I Have a Dream' speech (1963) marked history. Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1964, he advocated racial equality through nonviolence. He was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis.

Major works

  • Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958)autobiography
  • Why We Can't Wait (1964)essay
  • Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)essay
  • The Trumpet of Conscience (1968)collection of sermons

Key milestones

  • 1955Leads the Montgomery bus boycott, lasting 382 days and ending bus segregation.
  • 1963Delivers the 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
  • 1964Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest recipient at the time.

Themes

nonviolenceracial equalitysocial justicecivil rightshope

Sources: nobelprize.org · nps.gov · id.loc.gov