martin luther king biography 4th grade

Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Occupation: Civil Rights Leader
• Born: January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA
• Died: April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN
• Best known for: Advancing the Civil Rights Movement and his "I Have a Dream" speech

• King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday.
• At the Atlanta premier of the movie Gone with the Wind , Martin sang with his church choir.
• There are over 730 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King, Jr.
• One of his main influences was Mohandas Gandhi who taught people to protest in a non-violent manner.
• He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• The name on his original birth certificate is Michael King. This was a mistake, however. He was supposed to be named after his father who was named for Martin Luther, the leader of the Christian reformation movement.
• He is often referred to by his initials MLK.
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Martin luther king jr., january 1, 2020, stephanie kraus.

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929—April 4, 1968) is considered one of history’s greatest speakers and social activists. His leadership in peaceful protests helped end segregation during the American civil rights movement.

When Martin Luther King Jr. was born, his parents, Michael and Alberta, gave him a different name from the one we know today. They called him Michael. But Michael Sr. later changed his name and his son’s to Martin Luther, after the famous religious leader. The middle-class family was very religious. Both Martin’s father and grandfather were pastors in Atlanta, Georgia. The King children grew up in a loving home but experienced racism from an early age.

Separate Is Never Equal

King attended segregated public schools in Georgia. He skipped the ninth and eleventh grades and graduated from high school at 15. It was around that time that he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organization. King’s father led the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter.

In 1948, King graduated from Morehouse College, in Atlanta. He went on to study religion at Crozer Theological Seminary, in Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he graduated with honors and was class valedictorian. Soon after, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Boston University (B.U.), in Massachusetts. He met music student Coretta Scott in Boston. The couple married in 1953 and later had two sons and two daughters.

In 1954, while completing his degree, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama. He became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Soon after, on December 1, 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give her seat to white passengers on a Montgomery city bus. In response, the NAACP chose King to lead a citywide bus boycott. For 381 days, members of the black community walked or carpooled to work. Many of them were attacked.

The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the city of Montgomery. They argued that segregation on city buses was unconstitutional. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such segregation was indeed illegal. The court based its decision, in part, on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas . In that case, the court concluded that “separate is never equal.”

One year later, King, along with 60 ministers and activists, founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

King waves to the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial during his “I Have a Dream” speech. King said 1963 was “not an end but a beginning.”

“I Have a Dream”

In the spring of 1963, King organized a protest in Birmingham, Alabama. The event drew nationwide attention. That’s because city police officers blasted participants with fire hoses and let attack dogs loose. King and others were jailed.

After their release, King and other civil rights leaders laid plans for a demonstration in the nation’s capital. The March on Washington attracted more than 200,000 people. On August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. He spoke of a day when all men would be treated equally. King went on to win the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He was 35 years old and the youngest person to have received the honor.

Reaching the Promised Land

The fight for equal rights, however, was far from over. On March 7, 1965, demonstrators set off on a 54-mile march, organized by King, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The event became violent when police met marchers with nightsticks and tear gas on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma. Seventeen people ended up in the hospital. King was not present, but he watched the scene unfold on TV. Soon after, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The law stated that all citizens had a right to vote, no matter the color of their skin.

On April 3, 1968, King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of striking sanitation workers. In a speech there, he said, “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” The next day, he was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where he was staying. The assassination ended King’s life. He was 39 years old. It sparked riots in more than 100 cities. The accused shooter, James Earl Ray, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

“I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the United States, King’s birthday is observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January. On that day, many Americans volunteer at shelters, schools, hospitals, and other community organizations to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy of service and commitment.

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Hero for All: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., never backed down in his stand against racism. Learn more about the life of this courageous hero who inspired millions of people to right a historical wrong.

A hero is born

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia , in 1929. At the time in that part of the country, segregation—or the separation of races in places like schools, buses, and restaurants—was the law. He experienced racial predjudice from the time he was very young, which inspired him to dedicate his life to achieving equality and justice for Americans of all colors. King believed that peaceful refusal to obey unjust law was the best way to bring about social change.

Marching Forward

King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, lead demonstrators on the fourth day of a historic five-day march in 1965. Starting in Selma, Alabama , where local African Americans had been campaigning for the right to vote, King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators 54 miles to the state capitol of Montgomery.

Brave sacrifices

King was arrested several times during his lifetime. In 1960, he joined Black college students in a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter. Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy interceded to have King released from jail, an action that is credited with helping Kennedy win the presidency.

speaking out

King inspires a large crowd with one of his many speeches. Raised in a family of preachers, he's considered one of the greatest speakers in U.S. history.

INSPIRING OTHERS

King waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. during the March on Washington . There, he delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech, which boosted public support for civil rights.

making history

President Lyndon B. Johnson shakes King's hand at the signing of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed racial segregation in publicly owned facilities.

FAMILY LIFE

King his wife, Coretta Scott King, sit with three of their four children in their Atlanta, Georgia, home in 1963. His wife shared the same commitment to ending the racist system they had both grown up under.

A win for peace

King receives the Nobel Prize for Peace from Gunnar Jahn, president of the Nobel Prize Committee, in Oslo, Norway , on December 10, 1964.

Remembering a hero

A crowd of mourners follows the casket of King through the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, after his assassination in April 4, 1968. King was shot by James Earl Ray on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Americans honor the civil rights activist on the third Monday of January each year, Martin Luther King Day.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

Introduction.

King was born in Atlanta , Georgia, on January 15, 1929. At age 15 he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta. He graduated in 1948.

King studied for three years at a seminary (school for ministers) in Pennsylvania. There he learned about nonviolent protest. King received a doctorate from Boston University in 1955. While in Boston he met Coretta Scott. They married in 1953 and had four children.

Civil Rights Movement

In 1959 King visited India . There he met with the followers of Mahatma Gandhi . Gandhi had used peaceful protests to demand Indian independence. The trip strengthened King’s belief in nonviolence.

King had organized a group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. The SCLC led many nonviolent protests against segregation. In 1963 King joined a demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama. Police turned dogs and fire hoses on the protesters. King was put in prison. In the Birmingham jail, King wrote a letter explaining that he would continue to protest.

In August 1963 King and other civil rights leaders brought together about 250,000 people for a huge protest called the March on Washington . There King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Final Years

In 1966 King turned to other problems. He fought racism in Northern cities and spoke out against the Vietnam War . He planned a Poor People’s March to Washington, D.C.

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Martin Luther King Jr. for Kids (Google Slides, Videos, and More)

His dream inspired so many.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might be the most recognizable name in American civil rights history. We celebrate this inspirational leader on the third Monday of January each year, but his life and legacy are valuable lessons all year long. Use these resources about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids to share his experiences and significance in your classroom or at home.

Don’t miss our free downloadable. Grab your full set of ready-to-go Martin Luther King Jr. for Kids Google Slides with all of the information below, including kid-friendly explanations, a timeline, and more.

• Field Trips (In Person and Virtual)
• Worksheets, Activities, and Lesson Plans

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Biography for Kids

What is dr. martin luther king jr. known for.

Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist and leader in the 1950s and 1960s in the southern United States. He believed in nonviolent, peaceful protest as a means to fight racial injustice. Dr. King was a powerful speaker, delivering many speeches to inspire others to join the movement. He survived several attacks on his life but was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.

Where was Martin Luther King Jr. from?

Named after his father, Michael King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1934, his father changed his own name to Martin Luther King Sr. and renamed his son Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954 and lived there for the rest of his life.

Was Martin Luther King Jr. married?

Martin Luther King Jr. married Coretta Scott in 1953. They had four children together: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. Coretta Scott King spent her life continuing her husband’s fight for civil rights and preserving his legacy.

How did Martin Luther King Jr. become involved in the Civil Rights Movement?

Martin Luther King’s father was a pastor who regularly stood up to segregation in Atlanta and led a local march for Black voting rights in 1936. King followed in his father’s footsteps and became a pastor. While serving at a church in Alabama, King Jr. became a leader in the Civil Rights Movement through the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and led it through many civil rights protests and other activities in the years that followed.

Why did Martin Luther King Jr. believe in nonviolent protests?

King was well-known for insisting civil rights activists protest peacefully, even when met by violence from those opposed to their movement. During a trip to India in 1959 , Dr. King learned about Mahatma Gandhi’s belief in nonviolent change. Other influences on Dr. King’s beliefs included Henry David Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience .

Did Rosa Parks know Martin Luther King Jr.?

Rosa Parks met Dr. King after her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. They worked together during the Montgomery Bus Boycott , which was ultimately successful in desegregating the city’s transportation system.

When did Martin Luther King Jr. give his “I Have a Dream” speech?

King gave his most famous speech during the 1963 March on Washington. More than 250,000 civil rights supporters were in the audience as he spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28.

How many times was Martin Luther King Jr. arrested?

Dr. King was arrested at least 29 times , often on trumped-up charges. In 1960, a court in Atlanta sentenced him to four months of hard labor. Then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy intervened on his behalf and he was released.

Did Martin Luther King Jr. win the Nobel Peace Prize?

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” He accepted the award in the name of the thousands of people in the Civil Rights Movement, whom he called a “mighty army of love.”

When did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. die?

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was staying at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. As he stood on the balcony outside his room to speak to those gathered below, he was shot and killed . Police arrested James Earl Ray, who was sentenced to a 99-year term in prison for the crime.

When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day held?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, sometimes called MLK Day, is held on the third Monday in January each year in the United States. This falls on or close to his birthday, January 15. The federal holiday was approved by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and first observed in 1986.

Is there a monument to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States?

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., at 1964 Independence Avenue S.W. (“1964” refers to the year the Civil Rights Act became law.) It officially opened in 2011 and includes a 30-foot statue and 450-foot-long Inscription Wall.

Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline

Here are some of the most important dates and events in Dr. King’s life. Find a more detailed MLK timeline here.

• January 15, 1929: Michael King, later known as Martin Luther King Jr., is born in Atlanta, Georgia.
• August 6, 1946: The Atlanta Constitution publishes King’s letter stating that black people “are entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens.”
• February 25, 1948: King is appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
• June 18, 1953: Martin Luther King Jr. marries Coretta Scott in Alabama.
• September 1, 1954: King begins his pastorship at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
• December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott led in part by Dr. King.
• January 30, 1956: King’s home is bombed while he speaks at a meeting.
• May 17, 1957: At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King delivers his first national address, “Give Us the Ballot.”
• September 20, 1958: During a book signing in Harlem, Izola Ware Curry stabs King with a letter opener. He survives the attack.
• April 16, 1963: King releases his famous “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”
• August 28, 1963: King gives his “I Have a Dream Speech” as part of the March on Washington.
• December 10, 1964: Dr. King receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
• March 21-25, 1965: King and other civil rights activists lead a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
• April 4, 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 39.

Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

Martin wasn’t martin luther king jr.’s real name..

Martin Luther King Jr. first experienced segregation at just six years old.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

MLK was the youngest recipient at the time he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Activist Malala Yousafzai holds that honor today.

Get More Facts: 17 Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Facts To Share in the Classroom

Dr. martin luther king jr. quotes.

His ability to inspire others with powerful words was one of Dr. King’s greatest attributes. Here are a few of our favorite quotes.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”

Get More Quotes: 105 Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for the Classroom

Dr. martin luther king jr. videos for the classroom.

Learn about his life and hear him speak in these videos about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids and teens. (Please preview videos to ensure they’re appropriate for your intended audience.)

Sesame Street: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Introduce the very youngest learners to Dr. King with this tribute from Sesame Street.

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.

Give K-5 students more information with this overview of King’s life.

Martin Luther King Jr. | Biography

This general overview is good for most audiences, giving the basics of Dr. King’s life and influence.

Martin Luther King Jr.: The Fight for Civil Rights Documentary

High school students can get an in-depth look at Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggles for equal rights in this detailed doc.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

There’s no substitute for hearing the great man himself give his most famous speech.

Martin Luther King Jr. Field Trips (In Person and Virtual)

A variety of sites across the country offer educational experiences related to Dr. King. If you can’t visit in person, you’ll also find video tours and virtual field trips to explore.

• Smithsonian Collection: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Virtual)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (Georgia)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (Washington D.C.)
• The King Center (Atlanta, Georgia)
• National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel (Memphis, Tennessee)
• Civil Rights Memorial Center (Montgomery, Alabama)

Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets, Activities, and Lesson Plans

Find engaging and purposeful ways to teach Martin Luther King Jr. for kids, from pre-K through high school, with these top resources.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Each year, people across the country use the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to give back to their communities. Organize a day of service with your students to join the movement.

Learn more: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at U.S. Department of the Interior

Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Classroom Activities

Our roundup of Martin Luther King Jr. activities includes coloring pages, classroom lessons, school and community activities, and much more.

Try it: Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for All Ages

Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets

These free Martin Luther King Jr. worksheets include four printable pages, including a student handout, reading comprehension questions, a writing activity, and a graphic organizer.

Try it: Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets at We Are Teachers

Martin Luther King Jr. Lesson Plans

For full lesson plans, check out:

• Learning and Living the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. at NEA
• The March on Washington and Its Impact at PBS
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech as a Work of Literature at PBS
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech as Visual Text at PBS
• Music and Speeches at the March on Washington at PBS
• MLK Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and the Capitol Hill Attack at PBS
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Racial and Social Justice: A Curriculum for Empowerment at National Park Service
• Dr. King’s Dream at EDSITEment!
• Teaching About Martin Luther King Jr. at Civil Rights Teaching
• Teaching and Learning About Martin Luther King Jr. at The New York Times

Books About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Kids and Teens

One of the best ways to teach Martin Luther King Jr. for kids is through the many amazing books about him. Take a look at these book lists we compiled:

Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Books for Kids of All Ages

Classroom Books for Teaching About Martin Luther King Jr.

Get Your Free Martin Luther King Jr. for Kids Google Slides

Just click the button below to fill out the form and get instant access to free downloadable Martin Luther King Jr. Google Slides with all the information included above, including kid-friendly explanations, a timeline, and more.

You Might Also Like

30 Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for All Ages

Encourage reflection on Dr. King's life and legacy. Continue Reading

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10 facts about Martin Luther King

Learn about the world-famous civil rights campaigner….

Meet the civil rights leader in our Martin Luther King facts and discover how he changed history for millions of African-American people during the Civil Rights Movement…

Martin Luther King facts

Full name: Dr Martin Luther King Jr Born:  15 January 1929. Hometown:  Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Occupation:  Minister and activist. Died:  4 April 1968. Best known for:  Campaigning for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

1) Martin Luther King Jr was born in the United States of America to African American parents. At birth he was named Michael King, but his father later changed his name to Martin Luther King Jr.

2) When Martin Luther King was growing up, life was hard for African Americans. The Southern United States operated under the ‘Jim Crow laws’ that kept black and white people separated in what was called ‘segregation’. Black people had different schools, toilets and even sections of the bus to white people. They were also denied the right to vote in elections.

3)  Martin Luther King had his first experience of segregation at just six years old, when he was told he wasn’t allowed to play with his white friend anymore – his friend’s father wouldn’t allow it!

4) His first major role in the Civil Rights Movement came in 1955, after an African American lady – Rosa Parks – was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. This sparked outrage in the African American community and Martin helped to organise a boycott of the city’s buses. After 381 days of protest, a court finally ruled that such segregation laws should no longer be recognised.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable  Martin Luther King primary resource ? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

5) Martin was a great believer in peaceful protest, inspired by the Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi. His protests used no-violent tactics, even when the protesters themselves were met with violence from the police.

6) In 1963, Martin gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, at a famous rally named ‘March on Washington.’ Over 250,000 people gathered in the country’s capital to hear Martin and other activists speak about the importance of civil rights. It has become one of the most famous speeches in history and focuses on Martin’s dream of a society where black people and white people live together in harmony.

7) In 1964 – 99 years after the abolition of slavery – the Civil Rights Act was passed, outlawing racial segregation and discrimination in the USA.

8) In October 1964, Martin won the Nobel Peace Prize! He was told over the phone whilst he was in bed suffering from exhaustion – it had been a long, hard fight for civil rights!

9) Tragically, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968 in Tennessee, where he had given a speech the day before. He was standing on the balcony his hotel when he was shot. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and spent the rest of his life in prison, despite claiming to be innocent. James died in 1998.

10) Martin Luther King Jr is remembered for his tireless work during the Civil Rights Movement and his dream that one day everyone would be treated as equals. A statue built in his memory now stands in Washington D.C. and each year, the third Monday in January is celebrated as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American federal holiday.

Want to know more? Check out Nat Geo Kids’ Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela   articles to learn about the vital work of these incredible activists.

 What do you think of our Martin Luther King facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

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I love this story because it gives so much information about Martin Luther King, Jr.

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He was a great man

Martin Luther King Jr is a courageous man and a good outstanding person

This was interesting. Let’s stop racism ✊.

[…] 10 facts about Martin Luther King […]

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I liked the fact that he stood up the people

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this a great person who changed the world

WOW! Such a cool guy

Thanks for teaching me all this stuff.

my teacher was very touched by this story. i'm very glad we had someone helping to work out the world :)

Cant wait to do my biography at school about Martain Luther King Jr. my teacher is going to be so proud of me!

I'm happy that there was a man who had a strong dream and made a difference in the world.

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Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and major leader of the Civil Rights Movement. After his assassination, he was memorialized by Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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In Focus: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Days after his 1968 assassination , a campaign for a holiday in King’s honor began. U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan first proposed a bill on April 8, 1968, but the first vote on the legislation didn’t happen until 1979. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King , led the lobbying effort to drum up public support. Fifteen years after its introduction, the bill finally became law.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan ’s signature created Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service as a federal holiday. It’s celebrated annually on the third Monday in January. The only national day of service, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated in 1986. The first time all 50 states recognized the holiday was in 2000.

See Martin Luther King Jr.’s life depicted onscreen in the 2018 documentary I Am MLK Jr. or the Oscar-winning movie Selma .

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Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s. Among his many efforts, King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Through his nonviolent activism and inspirational speeches , he played a pivotal role in ending legal segregation of Black Americans, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray and died on April 4, 1968, at age 39. King continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational Black leaders in history.

FULL NAME: Martin Luther King Jr. BIRTHDAY: January 15, 1929 DIED: April 4, 1968 BIRTHPLACE: Atlanta, Georgia SPOUSE: Coretta Scott King (1953-1968) CHILDREN: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice King ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

Martin Luther King Jr. was born as Michael Luther King Jr. in Atlanta. His birthday was January 15, 1929.

His parents were Michael Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. The Williams and King families had roots in rural Georgia. Martin’s maternal grandfather, A.D. Williams, was a rural minister for years and then moved to Atlanta in 1893. He took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist Church with around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation. He married Jennie Celeste Parks, and they had one child who survived, Alberta.

Michael Sr. came from a family of sharecroppers in a poor farming community. He married Alberta in 1926 after an eight-year courtship. The newlyweds moved to A.D.’s home in Atlanta. Michael stepped in as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law in 1931. He, too, became a successful minister and adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. in honor of the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther . In due time, Michael Jr. followed his father’s lead and adopt the name himself to become Martin Luther King Jr.

A middle child, Martin Jr. had an older sister, Willie, and a younger brother, Alfred. The King children grew up in a secure and loving environment. Martin Sr. was more the disciplinarian, while Alberta’s gentleness easily balanced out their father’s strict hand.

Although they undoubtedly tried, Martin Jr.’s parents couldn’t shield him completely from racism. His father fought against racial prejudice, not just because his race suffered, but also because he considered racism and segregation to be an affront to God’s will. He strongly discouraged any sense of class superiority in his children, which left a lasting impression on Martin Jr.

Growing up in Atlanta, King entered public school at age 5. In May 1936, he was baptized, but the event made little impression on him.

In May 1941, King was 12 years old when his grandmother Jennie died of a heart attack. The event was traumatic for the boy, more so because he was out watching a parade against his parents’ wishes when she died. Distraught at the news, young King jumped from a second-story window at the family home, allegedly attempting suicide.

King attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he was said to be a precocious student. He skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades and, at age 15, entered Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1944. He was a popular student, especially with his female classmates, but largely unmotivated, floating through his first two years.

Influenced by his experiences with racism, King began planting the seeds for a future as a social activist early in his time at Morehouse. “I was at the point where I was deeply interested in political matters and social ills,” he recalled in The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr . “I could envision myself playing a part in breaking down the legal barriers to Negro rights.”

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the time, King felt that the best way to serve that purpose was as a lawyer or a doctor. Although his family was deeply involved in the church and worship, King questioned religion in general and felt uncomfortable with overly emotional displays of religious worship. This discomfort had continued through much of his adolescence, initially leading him to decide against entering the ministry, much to his father’s dismay.

But in his junior year, King took a Bible class, renewed his faith, and began to envision a career in the ministry. In the fall of his senior year, he told his father of his decision, and he was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in February 1948.

Later that year, King earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and began attended the liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. He thrived in all his studies, was elected student body president, and was valedictorian of his class in 1951. He also earned a fellowship for graduate study.

Even though King was following his father’s footsteps, he rebelled against Martin Sr.’s more conservative influence by drinking beer and playing pool while at college. He became romantically involved with a white woman and went through a difficult time before he could break off the relationship.

During his last year in seminary, King came under the guidance of Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays, who influenced King’s spiritual development. Mays was an outspoken advocate for racial equality and encouraged King to view Christianity as a potential force for social change.

After being accepted at several colleges for his doctoral study, King enrolled at Boston University. In 1954, while still working on his dissertation, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. He completed his doctorate and earned his degree in 1955 at age 25.

Decades after King’s death, in the late 1980s, researchers at Stanford University’s King Papers Project began to note similarities between passages of King’s doctoral dissertation and those of another student’s work. A committee of scholars appointed by Boston University determined that King was guilty of plagiarism in 1991, though it also recommended against the revocation of his degree.

First exposed to the concept of nonviolent resistance while reading Henry David Thoreau ’s On Civil Disobedience at Morehouse, King later discovered a powerful exemplar of the method’s possibilities through his research into the life of Mahatma Gandhi . Fellow civil rights activist Bayard Rustin , who had also studied Gandhi’s teachings, became one of King’s associates in the 1950s and counseled him to dedicate himself to the principles of nonviolence.

As explained in his autobiography , King previously felt that the peaceful teachings of Jesus applied mainly to individual relationships, not large-scale confrontations. But he came to realize: “Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking.”

It led to the formation of King’s six principles of nonviolence :

• Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
• Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
• Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.
• Nonviolence holds that suffering for a just cause can educate and transform.
• Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
• Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.

In the years to come, King also frequently cited the “ Beloved Community ”—a world in which a shared spirit of compassion brings an end to the evils of racism, poverty, inequality, and violence—as the end goal of his activist efforts.

Led by his religious convictions and philosophy of nonviolence, King became one of the most prominent figures of the Civil Rights Movement . He was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and played key roles in several major demonstrations that transformed society. This included the Montgomery Bus Boycott that integrated Alabama’s public transit, the Greensboro Sit-In movement that desegregated lunch counters across the South, the March on Washington that led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in Alabama that culminated in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

King’s efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 when he was 35.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

King’s first leadership role within the Civil Rights Movement was during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956. The 381-day protest integrated the Alabama city’s public transit in one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in history.

The effort began on December 1, 1955, when 42-year-old Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus to go home after an exhausting day at work. She sat in the first row of the “colored” section in the middle of the bus. As the bus traveled its route, all the seats in the white section filled up, then several more white passengers boarded the bus.

The bus driver noted that there were several white men standing and demanded that Parks and several other African Americans give up their seats. Three other Black passengers reluctantly gave up their places, but Parks remained seated.

The driver asked her again to give up her seat, and again she refused. Parks was arrested and booked for violating the Montgomery City Code. At her trial a week later, in a 30-minute hearing, Parks was found guilty and fined $10 and assessed $4 court fee.

The local NAACP chapter had been looking to challenge Montgomery’s segregated bus policy and had almost made 15-year-old Claudette Colvin the face of the campaign months earlier. She similarly refused to give up her bus seat to a white man on March 2, 1955, but after organizers learned Colvin was pregnant, they feared it would scandalize the deeply religious Black community and make Colvin, along with the group’s efforts, less credible in the eyes of sympathetic white people. Parks’ experience of discrimination provided another opportunity.

On the night Parks was arrested, E.D. Nixon , head of the local NAACP chapter, met with King and other local civil rights leaders to plan a Montgomery Bus Boycott. King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, well-trained, and had solid family connections and professional standing. He was also new to the community and had few enemies, so organizers felt he would have strong credibility with the Black community.

In his first speech as the group’s president, King declared:

“We have no alternative but to protest. For many years, we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.”

King’s skillful rhetoric put new energy into the civil rights struggle in Alabama. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began December 5, 1955, and for more than a year, the local Black community walked to work, coordinated ride sharing, and faced harassment, violence, and intimidation. Both King’s and Nixon’s homes were attacked.

In addition to the boycott, members of the Black community took legal action against the city ordinance that outlined the segregated transit system. They argued it was unconstitutional based on the U.S. Supreme Court ’s “separate is never equal” decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Several lower courts agreed, and the nation’s Supreme Court upheld the ruling in a November 13, 1956, decision that also ruled the state of Alabama’s bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

After the legal defeats and large financial losses, the city of Montgomery lifted the law that mandated segregated public transportation. The boycott ended on December 20, 1956.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Flush with victory, African American civil rights leaders recognized the need for a national organization to help coordinate their efforts. In January 1957, King, Ralph Abernathy , and 60 ministers and civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to harness the moral authority and organizing power of Black churches. The SCLC helped conduct nonviolent protests to promote civil rights reform.

King’s participation in the organization gave him a base of operation throughout the South, as well as a national platform. The SCLC felt the best place to start to give African Americans a voice was to enfranchise them in the voting process. In February 1958, the SCLC sponsored more than 20 mass meetings in key southern cities to register Black voters. King met with religious and civil rights leaders and lectured all over the country on race-related issues.

Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story

That September, King survived an attempt on his life when a woman with mental illness stabbed him in the chest as he signed copies of his book Stride Toward Freedom in a New York City department store. Saved by quick medical attention, King expressed sympathy for his assailant’s condition in the aftermath .

In 1959, with the help of the American Friends Service Committee, King visited Gandhi ’s birthplace in India. The trip affected him in a profound way, increasing his commitment to America’s civil rights struggle.

Greensboro Sit-In

By 1960, King was gaining national exposure. He returned to Atlanta to become co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church but also continued his civil rights efforts. His next activist campaign was the student-led Greensboro Sit-In movement.

In February 1960, a group of Black students in Greensboro, North Carolina , began sitting at racially segregated lunch counters in the city’s stores. When asked to leave or sit in the “colored” section, they just remained seated, subjecting themselves to verbal and sometimes physical abuse.

The movement quickly gained traction in several other cities. That April, the SCLC held a conference at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, with local sit-in leaders. King encouraged students to continue to use nonviolent methods during their protests. Out of this meeting, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) formed and, for a time, worked closely with the SCLC. By August 1960, the sit-ins had successfully ended segregation at lunch counters in 27 southern cities. But the movement wasn’t done yet.

On October 19, 1960, King and 75 students entered a local department store and requested lunch-counter service but were denied. When they refused to leave the counter area, King and 36 others were arrested. Realizing the incident would hurt the city’s reputation, Atlanta’s mayor negotiated a truce, and charges were eventually dropped.

Soon after, King was imprisoned for violating his probation on a traffic conviction. The news of his imprisonment entered the 1960 presidential campaign when candidate John F. Kennedy made a phone call to Martin’s wife, Coretta Scott King . Kennedy expressed his concern over the harsh treatment Martin received for the traffic ticket, and political pressure was quickly set in motion. King was soon released.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In the spring of 1963, King organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. With entire families in attendance, city police turned dogs and fire hoses on demonstrators. King was jailed, along with large numbers of his supporters.

The event drew nationwide attention. However, King was personally criticized by Black and white clergy alike for taking risks and endangering the children who attended the demonstration.

In his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail , King eloquently spelled out his theory of nonviolence: “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community, which has constantly refused to negotiate, is forced to confront the issue.”

1963 March on Washington

By the end of the Birmingham campaign, King and his supporters were making plans for a massive demonstration on the nation’s capital composed of multiple organizations, all asking for peaceful change. The demonstration was the brainchild of labor leader A. Philip Randolph and King’s one-time mentor Bayard Rustin .

On August 28, 1963, the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom drew an estimated 250,000 people in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. It remains one of the largest peaceful demonstrations in American history. During the demonstration, King delivered his famed “I Have a Dream” speech .

The rising tide of civil rights agitation that had culminated in the March on Washington produced a strong effect on public opinion. Many people in cities not experiencing racial tension began to question the nation’s Jim Crow laws and the near-century of second-class treatment of African American citizens since the end of slavery. This resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , authorizing the federal government to enforce desegregation of public accommodations and outlawing discrimination in publicly owned facilities.

Selma March

Continuing to focus on voting rights, King, the SCLC, SNCC, and local organizers planned to march peacefully from Selma, Alabama, to the state’s capital, Montgomery.

Led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams , demonstrators set out on March 7, 1965. But the Selma march quickly turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The attack was televised, broadcasting the horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured to a wide audience. Of the 600 demonstrators, 58 were hospitalized in a day that became known as “ Bloody Sunday .” King, however, was spared because he was in Atlanta.

Not to be deterred, activists attempted the Selma-to-Montgomery march again. This time, King made sure he was part of it. Because a federal judge had issued a temporary restraining order on another march, a different approach was taken.

On March 9, 1965, a procession of 2,500 marchers, both Black and white, set out once again to cross the Pettus Bridge and confronted barricades and state troopers. Instead of forcing a confrontation, King led his followers to kneel in prayer, then they turned back. This became known as “Turnaround Tuesday.”

Alabama Governor George Wallace continued to try to prevent another march until President Lyndon B. Johnson pledged his support and ordered U.S. Army troops and the Alabama National Guard to protect the protestors.

On March 21, 1965, approximately 2,000 people began a march from Selma to Montgomery. On March 25, the number of marchers, which had grown to an estimated 25,000 gathered in front of the state capitol where King delivered a televised speech. Five months after the historic peaceful protest, President Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act .

Along with his “I Have a Dream” and “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speeches, King delivered several acclaimed addresses over the course of his life in the public eye.

“I Have A Dream” Speech

Date: august 28, 1963.

King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. Standing at the Lincoln Memorial, he emphasized his belief that someday all men could be brothers to the 250,000-strong crowd.

Notable Quote: “I have a dream that my four 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.”

“Give Us the Ballot” Speech

Date: may 17, 1957.

Six years before he told the world of his dream, King stood at the same Lincoln Memorial steps as the final speaker of the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. Dismayed by the ongoing obstacles to registering Black voters, King urged leaders from various backgrounds—Republican and Democrat, Black and white—to work together in the name of justice.

Notable Quote: “Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights. Give us the ballot, and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law... Give us the ballot, and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens.”

Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Date: december 10, 1964.

Speaking at the University of Oslo in Norway, King pondered why he was receiving the Nobel Prize when the battle for racial justice was far from over, before acknowledging that it was in recognition of the power of nonviolent resistance. He then compared the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement to the ground crew at an airport who do the unheralded-yet-necessary work to keep planes running on schedule.

Notable Quote: “I think Alfred Nobel would know what I mean when I say that I accept this award in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owners—all those to whom beauty is truth and truth, beauty—and in whose eyes the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.”

“Our God is Marching On (How Long? Not Long)” Speech

Date: march 25, 1965.

At the end of the bitterly fought Selma-to-Montgomery march, King addressed a crowd of 25,000 supporters from the Alabama State Capitol. Offering a brief history lesson on the roots of segregation, King emphasized that there would be no stopping the effort to secure full voting rights, while suggesting a more expansive agenda to come with a call to march on poverty.

Notable Quote: “I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again.’ How long? Not long, because ‘no lie can live forever.’... How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

“Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” Speech

Date: april 4, 1967.

One year before his assassination, King delivered a controversial sermon at New York City’s Riverside Church in which he condemned the Vietnam War. Explaining why his conscience had forced him to speak up, King expressed concern for the poor American soldiers pressed into conflict thousands of miles from home, while pointedly faulting the U.S. government’s role in escalating the war.

Notable Quote: “We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”

“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Speech

Date: april 3, 1968.

The well-known orator delivered his final speech the day before he died at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. King reflected on major moments of progress in history and his own life, in addition to encouraging the city’s striking sanitation workers.

Notable Quote: “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

While working on his doctorate at Boston University, King met Coretta Scott , an aspiring singer and musician at the New England Conservatory school in Boston. They were married on June 18, 1953, and had four children—two daughters and two sons—over the next decade. Their oldest, Yolanda, was born in 1955, followed by sons Martin Luther King III in 1957 and Dexter in 1961. The couple welcomed Bernice King in 1963.

Although she accepted the responsibility to raise the children while King travelled the country, Coretta opened their home to organizational meetings and served as an advisor and sounding board for her husband. “I am convinced that if I had not had a wife with the fortitude, strength, and calmness of Corrie, I could not have withstood the ordeals and tensions surrounding the movement,” King wrote in his autobiography.

His lengthy absences became a way of life for their children, but Martin III remembered his father returning from the road to join the kids playing in the yard or bring them to the local YMCA for swimming. King also fostered discussions at mealtimes to make sure everyone understood the important issues he was seeking to resolve.

Leery of accumulating wealth as a high-profile figure, King insisted his family live off his salary as a pastor. However, he was known to splurge on good suits and fine dining, while contrasting his serious public image with a lively sense of humor among friends and family.

Due to his relationships with alleged Communists, King became a target of FBI surveillance and, from late 1963 until his death, a campaign to discredit the civil rights activist. While FBI wiretaps failed to produce evidence of Communist sympathies, they captured the civil rights leader’s engagement in extramarital dalliances. This led to the infamous “suicide letter” of 1964, later confirmed to be from the FBI and authorized by then-Director J. Edgar Hoover , which urged King to kill himself if he wanted to prevent news of his affairs from going public.

In 2019, historian David Garrow wrote of explosive new allegations against King following his review of recently released FBI documents. Among the discoveries was a memo suggesting that King had encouraged the rape of a parishioner in a hotel room, as well as evidence that he might have fathered a daughter with a mistress. Other historians questioned the veracity of the documentation, especially given the FBI’s known attempts to damage King’s reputation. The original surveillance tapes regarding these allegations are under judicial seal until 2027.

From late 1965 through 1967, King expanded his civil rights efforts into other larger American cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles. But he met with increasing criticism and public challenges from young Black power leaders. King’s patient, non-violent approach and appeal to white middle-class citizens alienated many Black militants who considered his methods too weak, too late, and ineffective.

To address this criticism, King began making a link between discrimination and poverty, and he began to speak out against the Vietnam War . He felt America’s involvement in Vietnam was politically untenable and the government’s conduct in the war was discriminatory to the poor. He sought to broaden his base by forming a multiracial coalition to address the economic and unemployment problems of all disadvantaged people. To that end, plans were in the works for another march on Washington to highlight the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement intended to pressure the government into improving living and working conditions for the economically disadvantaged.

By 1968, the years of demonstrations and confrontations were beginning to wear on King. He had grown tired of marches, going to jail, and living under the constant threat of death. He was becoming discouraged at the slow progress of civil rights in America and the increasing criticism from other African American leaders.

In the spring of 1968, a labor strike by Memphis, Tennessee, sanitation workers drew King to one last crusade. On April 3, 1968, he gave his final and what proved to be an eerily prophetic speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” in which he told supporters, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now… I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

While standing on a balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by a sniper’s bullet on April 4, 1968. King died at age 39. The shocking assassination sparked riots and demonstrations in more than 100 cities across the country.

The shooter was James Earl Ray , a malcontent drifter and former convict. He initially escaped authorities but was apprehended after a two-month international manhunt. In 1969, Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

The identity of King’s assassin has been the source of some controversy. Ray recanted his confession shortly after he was sentenced, and King’s son Dexter publicly defended Ray’s innocence after meeting with the convicted gunman in 1997. Another complicating factor is the 1993 confession of tavern owner Loyd Jowers, who said he contracted a different hit man to kill King. In June 2000, the U.S. Justice Department released a report that dismissed the alternative theories of King’s death. Ray died in prison on April 23, 1998.

King’s life had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States. Years after his death, he is the most widely known Black leader of his era.

His life and work have been honored with a national holiday, schools and public buildings named after him, and a memorial on Independence Mall in Washington, D.C.

Over the years, extensive archival studies have led to a more balanced and comprehensive assessment of his life, portraying him as a complex figure: flawed, fallible, and limited in his control over the mass movements with which he was associated, yet a visionary leader who was deeply committed to achieving social justice through nonviolent means.

• But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.
• There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair.
• Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.
• The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
• Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
• Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.
• We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools.
• Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.
• I have a dream that my four 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.
• The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason but with no morals.
• I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.
• Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.
• A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.
• At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
• Right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
• In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent leader and activist of the civil rights movement whose legacy lives on more than 50 years after his death. He is known for helping organize the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, a year before he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to combat racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.

Teaching students about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy is a great way to show how courage and resilience can change the world. The inspirational message of Dr. King and the stories of his efforts to end segregation and racism in America will have a tremendous impact on students as they recognize how Dr. King’s words still resonate today. 

The following books are excellent resources for students in grades K-8 and can be used to teach about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and the civil rights movement in America and as part of larger Black History Month and social studies curriculums.

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A Sweet Picture Book for Little Readers

Little readers in grades 1-3 will love learning about Dr. King's life and legacy in  I Am Martin Luther King Jr.  Filled with colorful illustrations and easy to understand facts, this title will tell the story of the remarkable work of the famous civil rights leader and how it shaped our nation. 

A First Biography for Young Readers

In Let's Read About... Martin Luther King, Jr. , readers in grades K-1 will learn about how racism shaped Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood as he grew up in the South. This biography is a great introduction to Martin Luther King Jr. and how his courage led him to stand up for what he believed in as he fought for justice and racial equality.

Dr. King’s Sister Shares Memories of a Boy Who Became a Leader

Renowned educator Christine King Farris, older sister of the late Dr. King, wrote about her brother’s life and activism, for readers in grades 1-4.  

In March On!, Farris presents her account of the 1963 March on Washington in the definitive tribute to the man, the march, and the speech that changed a nation. London Ladd's beautiful full-color illustrations bring to life the thousands of people from all over the country who came to the nation's capitol to inspire social change, culminating in Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Celebration of a Peaceful Warrior 

In Martin Luther King: The Peaceful Warrior  (grades 4-7), readers are given a clear-eyed history of the trials, achievements, and murder of the civil rights icon. His life, work, and death are traced in poignant and personalized moments from his childhood through his career as a minister and organizer of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, freedom rides, sit-ins, and protest marches. The biography doesn’t shy away from the hardships and violence activists faced and covers Dr. King’s assassination and the establishment of a national holiday in his memory, ensuring that his legacy lives on.

A Fresh and Emotional Tribute 

In Martin Rising (grades 5-8), Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney present a rich embroidery of visions, musical cadence, and deep emotion to convey the final months of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, and of his assassination, through metaphor, spirituality, and multi-layers of meaning. This fresh perspective of Martin Luther King Jr. reminds students that courage and conviction can make dreams a reality and that even after his death, Dr. King continues to transform and inspire everyone who shares his dream.

Whether students are reading about Dr. King’s early life or the impact his legacy has had on America, they will learn just how important Martin Luther King Jr. was in shaping the world they live in today. And readers of all ages will be inspired to follow his lead and make their own impact on the world through courage and conviction.

Shop more books about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. below! You can find all books and activities at  The Teacher Store .

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All About Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (also known by his initials, MLK) was an inspiring leader of the U.S. civil rights movement.

He led many peaceful protests to bring about change; he wanted people of all races to be treated equally.

Because he was also a Baptist preacher, he was often called the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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MLK’s Childhood

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.  He was originally named Michael, but when he was 5 his parents changed his name to Martin Luther in honor of a famous German man from church history. 

From his youth, Dr. King was a bright student and powerful speaker.

He even skipped two grades in high school!

He competed in speech contests where he spoke about civil rights (Dr. King believed that every person should have the same rights and privileges as everyone else).

In the South, the civil rights of many of the people were being trampled.  

At that time the Southern states were segregated ; they had laws to keep people of color separate from white people. 

There were separate schools, water fountains, bathrooms, and even hospitals!

These laws were unjust and unfair.

MLK’s Contributions

During the 1950s and 60s, Dr. King organized many marches and protests for the American civil rights movement.

He was an inspiring and influential leader, and his speeches stirred the hearts of millions of Americans.

If you want to know all about Martin Luther King Jr, you should know some of his contributions. 

Montogomery Bus Boycott

In Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man.

She was arrested and thrown in jail. 

As a result, Dr. King organized a boycott of the bus system.

In this boycott, the people of Montgomery refused to ride the bus, and the bus company lost money.

381 days later, the city changed its laws so any person could sit anywhere on the bus! 

The boycott was a success!

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Dr. King knew that to change the unfair segregation laws in the South, people would need to be organized and united.

Dr. King and some other civil rights leaders formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.

They organized nonviolent protests and marches to get attention for their cause.

Voting Rights

In the South, it was nearly impossible for a person of color to vote.

Although a white person could walk right into a voting booth, a person of color would have to pass tests on reading and government to vote.

Dr. King fought for equal voting rights for every American.

Lunch Sit-Ins

Restaurants were another place where people were segregated, so Dr. King organized a sit-in of a restaurant inside an Atlanta department store.

He and 33 college students sat in the stools at the lunch counter and refused to move.

Though they were peacefully protesting, Dr. King was arrested and thrown in jail. 

March on Washington

In August 1963, Dr. King was one of the featured speakers at the March on Washington.

Around 250,000 people gathered across the National Mall in DC.

It was a turning point in the civil rights movement, and Dr. King’s speech was unforgettable. 

Inspiring Speeches

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speeches called people to action and stirred the heart of a nation.

In his speech from the March on Washington (now called his “I Have a Dream” speech), he spoke these famous words:

“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…I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed — we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” King, Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr; August 28, 1963.”  The Avalon Project , Yale Law School, 2008, avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/mlk01.asp. Transcript.

Facing Opposition

Being a civil rights leader was dangerous.

Dr. King was personally threatened countless times.

At marches and protests, Dr. King and the other protestors were attacked by police and arrested.

Though he faced daily opposition, Dr. King worked tirelessly for civil rights for all Americans.

Sadly, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, when he was shot and killed on his motel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.

The nation grieved his loss.

Honoring MLK

During his lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received many of the world’s greatest honors.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; at the time he was the youngest person ever to receive the award.

Many civil rights organizations honored him.

He was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the John F. Kennedy Award from the Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago.  

Time magazine named him “Man of the Year” in 1963. He received honorary degrees from colleges such as Boston University, Yale University, and Jewish Theological Seminary. 

Professional organizations such as the Police Department of New York and the National Federation of Teachers honored Dr. King.

Over 1000 roads are named after him. 

Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday around the time of his birthday (the holiday is always the third Monday in January).

On MLK Day we remember him by helping others.

All About MLK

Now that you know all about Martin Luther King Jr., what are you going to do?

Are you inspired to lend a helping hand? 

Dr. King dedicated his life to serving others and championing civil rights for all people.

There is no better way to remember him than by helping others.

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Works Cited

Eiu. Martin Luther King Jr. Contributions , https://castle.eiu.edu/~wow/classes/fa03/mlkcontributions.html#:~:text=1%20Martin%20Luther%20King%20Jr.%20…%202%20He,Martin%20Luther%20King%20Jr.%20…%20More%20items…%20 .

Lewis, David L. and Carson, Clayborne. “Martin Luther King, Jr.”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr. Accessed 2 November 2021.

“Martin Luther King, Jr..” Ducksters , https://www.ducksters.com/biography/martin_luther_king_jr.php.

“Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).” National Parks Service , U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilrights/sclc.htm. 

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Lesson Plans and Activities

The Martin Luther King, Jr. seasonal pages will provide you with great lessons and resources to commemorate this important man. Ideas within the MLK, Jr. pages include a complete thematic unit with a collection of lesson, activities and online resources.

Your creativity can help other teachers. Submit your Martin Luther King, Jr. activity today. Don't forget to include additional resources-documents, web sites, or a photo.

You will also find cross-over resources on our Black History Month page.

Visit our January Monthly Unit, Lesson Plans & Activities page for more resources.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday in January, around the time of King's birthday, January 15.

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Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister who became a civil rights activist. He led the 'March on Washington' in 1963 where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. In 1964 he was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial discrimination and segregation. Prior to his death in 1968, King refocused his attention to opposing the Vietnam War and ending poverty. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Visit our January Bulletin Board page to find displays that will make great lessons.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword Puzzle Create your own Crossword or use our premade word/clue list.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Journal & Coloring Pages Printable Martin Luther King, Jr. Day journal and coloring pages that you can print (PDF Format)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Word Search Create your own or use our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day word list.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Word Scramble Create your own or use our MLK, Jr. word list.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Literature (Amazon.com) A collection of books about this great man.

About Martin Luther King, Jr. The Seattle Times has put together a great collection of information.

Happy Birthday MLK! Grades Various Education World has activities across the grades for learning about the life of the famous civil rights leader.

The King Center Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America's greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and African American History Scholastic Research Tools.

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Lesson Plans & Activities

MLK: What They Won't Teach In School Grades Intermediate, Secondary A well put together interesting and entertaining podcast that goes beyond the 'I Have a Dream' speech, diving more into his 'Poor People's Campaign' of MLK and how this is likely what got him killed.

Coloring Pages and Lined Journal Pages Let your students use their imaginations to customize this coloring page of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King's Dream Grades K-2 In this lesson, students will learn about the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will listen to a brief biography, view photographs of the March on Washington, hear a portion of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and discuss what King's words mean to them. Finally, they will create picture books about their own dreams of freedom for Americans today.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. WebQuest Grades Elementary Learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. answering a variety of questions.

Evaluating Web Sites for Bias Grades 6-12 Students use a checklist to evaluate Web content about Martin Luther King Jr. for bias.

Mapping Martin Luther King Jr. Grades 3-8 Students explore places that were important in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Clothesline Timeline Grades K-12 Students create a clothesline timeline depicting events in the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Fact or Opinion Activity Grades 3-8 A brief biography of Martin Luther King Jr. reinforces students' understanding of the difference between fact and opinion.

Martin Luther King, Jr. And the Power of Nonviolence Grades 6-8 This lesson introduces students to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced King's views. After considering the political impact of this philosophy, students explore its relevance to personal life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Me: Identifying with a Hero Grades K-2 Martin Luther King, Jr. is an American hero, a man who dared to dream. How do we help young children connect their own life experiences to those of Dr. King? This lesson explores ways to help students make connections to Dr. King through reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities that not only provide a glimpse into Dr. King's life, but empower students to help bring Dr. King's dream into reality. Most important, it encourages them to dream their own dreams.

Thematic Unit Grades Various Here you will find ideas, links to activities, worksheets and lots more.

Unity Handprint Wreath Grades Various This wreath symbolizes cultural unity.  You can adjust the handprint colors for different occasions (for example, you may wish to use handprints in different shades of brown for Black History Month)

Write Your Own "I Have a Dream Speech" Grades K-12 Students use a fill-in-the-blanks work sheet to write speeches that imitate the form and content of Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

EMAIL us your favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activity!

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets

Print these civil rights and Martin Luther King Jr. worksheets to study and celebrate Martin Luther King Day, which is always observed on the third Monday of January. The worksheets below include a Martin Luther King Jr. biography questions, Rosa Parks biography questions, word searches, a personal narrative worksheet based on the famous “I have a Dream” speech, a glossary of non-violence, and more. All worksheets are free to print for classroom or home use.

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Make a martin luther king, jr. timeline.

Kids may cringe when you ask them to write a book report, but when you show them how to do one in a non-traditional way, like in an accordion-style timeline, they'll have much more fun expressing their creativity. During Black History Month, have your child read a biography about Martin Luther King, Jr. and then ask them to create a pictorial timeline depicting some of the major events in Dr. King's life. Your child will not only get great reading comprehension practice, but they'll also practice their writing strategies as they learns about the inspiring life of Dr. King.

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What You Need:

• Three pieces of colored construction paper or card stock
• White paper
• Age-appropriate reference material on Martin Luther King, Jr. (Suggested reading: MLK: Journey of a King by Tonya Bolden, ages 9-12)

What You Do:

• Overlap the sheets of paper to create an accordion. To connect the pages, have your child fold a ½” flap along the edge of the shorter side of one piece of paper and glue it onto the shorter side of the second piece of paper.
• Repeat this so that the second and third pieces of paper have a ½” overlap, too. Fold each sheet of paper in half so that each piece of paper has two halves that are each roughly 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".
• Have your child trim the white paper so that it is a little bit smaller than the faces of the construction paper accordion. They should have a sheet of paper for each section of their accordion.
• Have your child read a biography about Martin Luther King and then ask them to select six major milestones during Dr. King’s life.
• Ask your child to draw pictures for each milestone and write a caption underneath each picture that explains the event.
• Glue the pictures onto the construction paper in the order that the events occurred and stand the accordion up for everyone to admire.

As an extension, your child can even make the timeline two-sided so that they have 12 sections total, each with their own white sheet of paper to depict an event in Dr. King's life.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 to Michael King Sr. his father, and Alberta Williams King, his mother. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, with the legal name of Michael King. In 1934 his father changed both of their names to Martin and added ‘Luther' in honor of a German reformer named Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. had an older sister Willie Christine King and a younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams King. After he earned both a B.A. and B.Div. Degree he married Coretta Scott and had four children. King devoted his life to the civil rights movement and was a clergyman until his assassination in 1968 at the age of 39. Martin Luther King Jr.'s father was a Baptist minister. Martin left high school when he was 15 and enrolled at Morehouse College. At the age of 19 Martin earned a B.A. in sociology from Morehouse College. In 1951 Martin earned a degree from Crozer Theological Seminary. Martin married Coretta Scott in 1953. In 1954 Martin became a minister of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. Martin's house was bombed in 1956, the result of him leading a boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1957 Martin helped to form the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). In 1958 Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed in the chest with a letter opener while he was signing books on his book tour for Stride Toward Freedom. The woman who had tried to kill him that day was Izola Ware Curry. In 1963 Martin was arrested and sent to jail over anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama. This was the same year he gave his famous speech ‘I Have a Dream' to 200,000 protesters during the March on Washington. In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to combat racial inequality without using violence. He was the youngest male to win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of only 35. Martin Luther King Jr. won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 1971. His album was called Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam. In 1974 Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother was murdered while attending church and playing the organ. There are more than 700 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr. There are also many schools and other buildings named after him. On April 4th, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. In 1969, James Earl Ray received a 99-year sentence after pleading guilty to Martin Luther King Jr.'s murder. After his death Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal. Martin Luther King Jr. Day began to be celebrated in 1971 in many cities and states. In 1986 it became a federal holiday. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is located in Washington, D.C. in West Potomac Park. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (also known as the King Center) is located in Atlanta, Georgia. More Topics Handwriting Difference Between 2020 Calendar Online Calculators Multiplication Educational Videos Coloring Pages Privacy policy Terms of Use © 2005-2020 Softschools.com Free Trials Include: 55 Videos (bi-monthly updates) 55 Double-sided Worksheets 55 Lyric Sheets Fill-in-blanks Word Problems for Every Video Over 50 Printable Anchor Charts 50 Printable Games Quizzes, Drills & HWs Detailed Answer Keys: Triple Checked for Accuracy Martin Luther King Jr. Rap Song For Kids Learn all about the Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr and how he rose to become one of the greatest leaders in History by his message of nonviolent resistance. This video reviews facts from his boyhood, education, marriage, and finally discusses his many battles and victories won as leader of the Civil Rights Movement until his tragic death. His words live on as we contemplate his many important messages of equality, peace and love this Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Topbar Social Icons My Favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources 1. favorite books, 2. favorite video. 3. Favorite Units Use the cards for a Writing Station idea basket Use the cut-out prompts to glue to the top of a page in a Writer's Notebook Use the lined pages for formative assessment, early finishers, writing homework, and more! Stephanie! Thanks so much for sharing that video! I remember seeing that forever ago, but completely forgot about it! I am definitely bookmarking it! And I love both those books! Hope you are enjoying the 3-day weekend! We used to watch Our Friend, Martin every year on the old school VHS. We haven't watched it in a couple of years because we no longer have a VCR at school. (my how times of changed!) Thank you so much for finding it! A Tall Drink of Water Love those books...and your blog! I am your newest follower... and a fellow student at TBTS! ;) Can't wait to see more from you!! Stephanie, thanks so much for these resources. My class LOVED the movie and it spurred great questions and conversation. I just adore your blog and all your great ideas. Thank you!!! Oh my! We had a crisis of ultimate magnitude this week, we had the case but no video! I thought I'd just purchase on amazon to replace...until I saw the price anywhere from $65-$150. Luckily we found the video and also found that it was on YouTube. So crisis averted and now we will take much better care of our copy. Join the mailing list Martin Luther King Essay for Students and Children 500+ words essay on martin luter king. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American leader in the U.S. He lost his life while performing a peaceful protest for the betterment of blacks in America. His real name was Michael King Jr. He completed his studies and attained a Ph.D. After that, he joined the American Civil Right Movement. He was among one of the great men who dedicated their life for the community. Reason for Martin Luther King to be famous There are two reasons for someone to be famous either he is a good man or a very bad person. Martin Luther King was among the good one who dedicated his life to the community. Martin Luther King was also known as MLK Jr. He gained popularity after he became the leader and spokesperson of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Luther King was an American activist, minister, and humanitarian. Also, he had worked for several other causes and actively participated in many protests and boycotts. He was a peaceful man that has faith in Christian beliefs and non-violence. Also, his inspiration for them was the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. For his work in the field of civil rights, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize. He was a great speaker that motivated the blacks to protest using non-violence. Also, he uses peaceful strategies like a boycott, protest march , and sit-ins, etc. for protests against the government. Impact of King King is one of the renowned leaders of the African-American who worked for the welfare of his community throughout his life. He was very famous among the community and is the strongest voice of the community. King and his fellow companies and peaceful protesters forced the government several times to bend their laws. Also, kings’ life made a seismic impact on life and thinking of the blacks. He was among one of the great leaders of the era. Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas Humanitarian and civil rights work As we know that King was a civic leader . Also, he has taken part in many civil right campaigns and boycotts like the Bus Boycott, Voting Rights and the most famous March on Washington. In this march along with more than 200,000 people, he marched towards Washington for human right. Also, it’s the largest human right campaign in U.S.A. history. During the protest, he gave a speech named “I Have a Dream” which is history’s one of the renowned speeches. Death and memorial During his life working as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement he makes many enemies. Also, the government and plans do everything to hurt his reputation. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Every year the US celebrates his anniversary as Martin Luther King Jr. day in the US. Also, they honored kings’ memory by naming school and building after him and a Memorial at Independence Mall. Martin Luther King was a great man who dedicated his whole life for his community. Also, he was an active leader and a great spokesperson that not only served his people but also humanity. It was due to his contribution that the African-American got their civil rights. Essay Topics on Famous Leaders Mahatma Gandhi APJ Abdul Kalam Jawaharlal Nehru Swami Vivekananda Mother Teresa Rabindranath Tagore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Subhash Chandra Bose Abraham Lincoln Martin Luther King Customize your course in 30 seconds Which class are you in. Travelling Essay Picnic Essay Our Country Essay My Parents Essay Essay on Favourite Personality Essay on Memorable Day of My Life Essay on Knowledge is Power Essay on Gurpurab Essay on My Favourite Season Essay on Types of Sports Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Download the App Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Martin Luther King — Martin Luther King Jr’s Biography Martin Luther King Jr: Biography and Impact Categories: Martin Luther King About this sample Words: 496 | Published: Jan 4, 2019 Words: 496 | Page: 1 | 3 min read Hook Examples for Essay about Martin Luther King Jr. A Beacon of Hope: In a turbulent era marked by racial strife and inequality, one man’s voice resonated above the clamor, offering hope, inspiration, and the promise of a brighter future. Martin Luther King Jr., a name etched into the annals of history, stood as a symbol of unwavering dedication to civil rights and justice. The Dreamer Who Changed a Nation: “I have a dream…” These iconic words, spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington, echoed across the nation and transformed the course of history. Let’s delve into the life and legacy of the man behind the dream. A Man of Faith and Conviction: Beyond the civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister whose Christian beliefs profoundly influenced his commitment to nonviolence and equality. Explore the intersection of faith and activism in his remarkable journey. Montgomery to Memphis: From the Montgomery bus boycott to the iconic March on Washington and the tragic events in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr.’s life was a tumultuous odyssey. Join us as we trace his steps and examine the milestones that defined his mission. A Legacy of Progress: Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact endures not only in the annals of history but in the principles and values that continue to shape our society today. Explore how his vision for a just and equal America still resonates in the ongoing fight for civil rights. Works Cited Carson, Clayborne. (2001). Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography. 1st ed., Greenwood Press. Fairclough, Adam. (1995). Martin Luther King Jr. and the Quest for Nonviolent Social Change. New York University Press. Garrow, David J. (1986). Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 1st ed., William Morrow. King Jr., Martin Luther. (2013). Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Atlantic. Retrieved from www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/08/letter-from-birmingham-jail/309062/. King Jr., Martin Luther. (2021). I Have a Dream. National Archives. Retrieved from www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf. Kotz, Nick. (2005). Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws That Changed America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Loevy, Robert D. (1990). To End All Segregation: The Politics of the Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. University of North Carolina Press. Sitkoff, Harvard. (2008). The Struggle for Black Equality: 1954-1980. Hill and Wang. Theoharis, Jeanne. (2018). A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History. Beacon Press. Woloch, Nancy. (1985). Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. American Historical Review, 90(5), 1239-1240. Cite this Essay Let us write you an essay from scratch 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours Get high-quality help Prof. Kifaru Verified writer Expert in: Social Issues + 120 experts online By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email No need to pay just yet! Related Essays 6 pages / 2628 words 3 pages / 1769 words 2 pages / 1130 words 1 pages / 597 words Remember! This is just a sample. You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers. 121 writers online Still can’t find what you need? Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled Related Essays on Martin Luther King Public speaking is a skill that many people find daunting. The mere thought of standing in front of a crowd and delivering a speech can send shivers down the spine of even the most confident individuals. However, with practice [...] Civil disobedience has long been a powerful tool for individuals to challenge unjust laws and social norms. As a form of protest rooted in moral principles, civil disobedience can spark meaningful change and provoke important [...] Have you ever wondered what drives ordinary individuals to perform extraordinary acts of heroism in the face of danger and adversity? The mystery of heroism has long captivated scholars and psychologists alike, as they seek to [...] On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech to a massive audience at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The speech was instrumental in the civil rights movement, and it remains an [...] The figurative language and diction choices made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech strengthens the connection of his claim to his intended audience by providing concrete and tangible examples to help [...] Martin Luther King Jr was a revolution that brought the Civil Rights Movement to national attention. Christened Michael Luther King Jr on January 15, 1929, King adopted the name Martin in homage to both his late father and the [...] Related Topics By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails. Where do you want us to send this sample? By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. Be careful. This essay is not unique This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before Download this Sample Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper. Please check your inbox. We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together! Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less! We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy . Instructions Followed To The Letter Deadlines Met At Every Stage Unique And Plagiarism Free 294 IMAGES Martin Luther King JR Biography & Timeline Posters A two page biographical reading on Martin Luther King Jr. This lesson Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline Cut and Paste by Teach Simple I am Martin Luther King, Jr. is a fantastic new biography by Brad Martin Luther King Biography Writing Unit Digital & Print COMMENTS Kid's Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. Occupation: Civil Rights Leader Born: January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA Died: April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN Best known for: Advancing the Civil Rights Movement and his "I Have a Dream" speech Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He led non-violent protests to fight for the rights of all people including African Americans. TIME for Kids Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. AP. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929—April 4, 1968) is considered one of history's greatest speakers and social activists. His leadership in peaceful protests helped end segregation during the American ... Martin Luther King, Jr. A hero is born. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929. At the time in that part of the country, segregation—or the separation of races in places like schools, buses, and restaurants—was the law. He experienced racial predjudice from the time he was very young, which inspired him to dedicate his life to achieving ... The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. Stories about civil rights for kids Who was Martin Luther King and why is there a national holiday marking his birthday?Watch our new video about this great man to find out how Martin Luther Ki... Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led the civil rights movement in the United States. He used nonviolent, or peaceful, protest to try to get equal rights for African Americans . He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. for Kids (Google Slides, Videos, and More) Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist and leader in the 1950s and 1960s in the southern United States. He believed in nonviolent, peaceful protest as a means to fight racial injustice. Dr. King was a powerful speaker, delivering many speeches to inspire others to join the movement. Martin Luther King facts Martin Luther King facts. Full name: Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Born: 15 January 1929. Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Occupation: Minister and activist. Died: 4 April 1968. Best known for: Campaigning for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 1) Martin Luther King Jr was born in the United ... Martin Luther King Jr.: Biography, Civil Rights Activist, MLK Jr This year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on January 15, coincides with the late civil rights leader's birthday. Had he lived, King would be turning 95 years old. Days after his 1968 ... Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? Martin Luther King Jr. is honored as one of the key leaders in the civil rights movement. In this worksheet, students will read his biography and find text evidence to support or refute some statements before completing a short writing activity. In addition to supporting a social studies curriculum for fourth ... 5 Books to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr Celebration of a Peaceful Warrior In Martin Luther King: The Peaceful Warrior (grades 4-7), readers are given a clear-eyed history of the trials, achievements, and murder of the civil rights icon. His life, work, and death are traced in poignant and personalized moments from his childhood through his career as a minister and organizer of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, freedom rides, sit ... Bios for Kids: All About Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. He was originally named Michael, but when he was 5 his parents changed his name to Martin Luther in honor of a famous German man from church history. From his youth, Dr. King was a bright student and powerful speaker. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lesson Plans and Activities Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister who became a civil rights activist. He led the 'March on Washington' in 1963 where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. In 1964 he was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial discrimination and segregation. Printable 4th Grade Martin Luther King Jr. Day Worksheets Worksheet. Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored as one of the most important leaders in the civil rights movement. Give your fourth and fifth graders a chance to deepen their understanding of his life and legacy through this reader's theater activity. "I Have a Dream" Speech and "My Country 'Tis of Thee" Song. Worksheet. Martin Luther King Jr. Classroom Activities Here are some free Martin Luther King Jr. Classroom Activities for your elementary students! Although we do study quite a few nonfiction texts in second grade, our biography unit increases the rigor for students. I always model reading and writing a biography by writing one about Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the perfect introduction to this unit. Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets, Civil Rights Activities Worksheets. Activity 1: Civil Rights Biography - King. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an influential voice in the civil rights movement. Read about his life, and then answer some thought-provoking questions. Activity 2: Civil Rights Biography - Parks. Make a Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline Activity. Make a Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline. Kids may cringe when you ask them to write a book report, but when you show them how to do one in a non-traditional way, like in an accordion-style timeline, they'll have much more fun expressing their creativity. During Black History Month, have your child read a biography about Martin Luther ... 4th Grade This 4th Grade Martin Luther King Jr. Reading Comprehension is part of our extensive collection of MLK Jr. Day resources. Below, we have listed our top three picks! Provide your class with book ideas about MLK Jr. using our Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Book List. Print this list and distribute it to students for a suggested or required ... Martin Luther King Jr. Facts Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 to Michael King Sr. his father, and Alberta Williams King, his mother. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, with the legal name of Michael King. In 1934 his father changed both of their names to Martin and added 'Luther' in honor of a German reformer named Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. had an older sister Willie Christine King and a ... Martin Luther King Jr. Video For Kids Martin Luther King Jr. Rap Song For Kids. Learn all about the Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr and how he rose to become one of the greatest leaders in History by his message of nonviolent resistance. This video reviews facts from his boyhood, education, marriage, and finally discusses his many battles and victories won as leader of the ... My Favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources The vocabulary and content can be reinforced all week using my Word Work Centers for Martin Luther King, Jr. Use these activities in four centers during Word Work time, use the cards around the room to practice Handwriting, use the publishing page to have kids write about MLK, Jr., either in a summary, article, poem, or letter, or even ... Martin Luther King Essay for Students and Children 500+ Words Essay on Martin Luter King. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American leader in the U.S. He lost his life while performing a peaceful protest for the betterment of blacks in America. His real name was Michael King Jr. He completed his studies and attained a Ph.D. Martin Luther King Jr's Biography: [Essay Example], 496 words Martin Luther King Jr was born in January 15 1929 and dead after his assassination the 4th of April 1968. Martin Luther king Jr was an American baptist as well as a minister and activist in America. Also known as a good spokesperson and leader of the civil rights movement in 1954. Martin Luther King Jr is chosen for this biography essay as he ... 55 Things to Know About Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' Pick for VP 1. Walz was born in West Point, a Nebraska town of just 3,500 people. But he was raised in an even smaller town called Butte. 2. Walz graduated from Butte High School in 1982. "I come from a ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis