Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, best known for the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968.
Through his activism, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South and other areas of the nation. He also played a major role in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Because of his hard work and dedication, King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, in addition to several other honors.
As Dr. King worked towards his doctorate, he met Coretta Scott at the New England Conservatory School in Boston. They were married in June 1953 and had four beautiful children. They remained married over a decade until his death.
One note-worthy incident in the 1950’s is the brave stand on December 1, 1955. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat after a long day at work. This resulted in the planning of a city wide bus boycott which took place between the head of the local NAACP chapter and Dr. King. The bus boycott lasted 382 days while members of walked to work, endured harassment, violence and intimidation for the Montgomery’s African-American community.
There were many, many unjust incidents taking place at this time in the lives of African Americans, both young and old. For instance, in the Greensboro City of North Carolina, the “sit-in movement” was formed because of segregated seating at stores and restaurants. With the encouragement of Dr. King to practice non-violence through protests, the students calmly and respectfully sat at racially segregated lunch counters in the city’s stores.
Although Dr. King was gaining national notoriety, not all African-Americans were pleased with the uproar it was causing. Many were being killed, spit on and targeted via house burning and brutal attacks. Nonetheless, the struggle continued for basic rights and equal justice.
On Aug. 28, 1963, the historic march went down in history as one of the largest gathering in Washington D.C. At least 200,000 people were in the well planned and organized protest. This is where King made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, emphasizing his belief that someday all men could be brothers.
In the spring of 1968, a labor strike by Memphis sanitation workers drew Dr. King to one last protest On April 3, in what proved to be a self- full filling prophecy speech. The audience looked on as he made the infamous speech, “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.” Dr. King was assassinated the following day on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s life had a great and historical impact on race relations in the United States that changed the world forever. To this day, he is the most widely known African-American leader of his time. His life and work have been honored with a national holiday. There are schools, streets and public buildings named after him and a memorial stands at the Independence Mall in Washington, D.C.