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Received Doctorate
Received Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. -
President of the Montgomery Improvement Association
Joined the bus boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1st. He was then elected the President of the Montgomery Improvement Association four days later. This made him the official spokesman for the boycott. -
Victory
The Supreme Court rules that bus segragation is illegal, ensuring victory for the boycott. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
King formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. He formed this group when sixty black ministers and civil rights leaders met in Atlanta, Georgia in an effort to replicate the successful strategy and tactics of the recently concluded Montgomery (Alabama) bus boycott -
Stride Toward Freedom
Martin's first book "Stride Toward Freedom" was published. This book was his memoir of the Montgomery bus boycott. It is the chronicle of 50,000 Negroes who took to heart the principles of nonviolence, who learned to fight for their rights with the weapon of love, and who in the proccess, acquired a new estimate of their own human worth. -
Segregation In Interstate Travel Is Banned
The Interstate Commerce Commission bans segregation at interstate travel facilities due to the work done by Martin Luther King Jr. and in response to the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were a group of 13 African American and white civil rights activists.They arranged a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals. They were recruited by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a U.S. civil rights group. -
Birmingham Campaign
The Birmingham Campaign is launched and would prove to be the tunring point in the war to end segregation in the South. This campaign was launched with a series of mass meetings, direct actions, lunch counter sit-ins, marches on CIty hall, and a boycott of downtown merchants. -
Birmingham Agreement
The Birmingham Agreement is announced. The agreement between city officials and the SCLC contains pledges for the desegregation of public acommodations, a committee to ensure nondiscriminatory hiring practices in Birmingham, cooperatioin in releasing jailed protesters, and public sommunications between black adn white leaders to prevent futher demonstrations. -
The March on Washington
The largest civil rights demonstration with nearly 250,000 people gathered for a political rally. This march was organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups, the event was designed to shed light on the political and social challenges African Americans continued to face across the country. This was a march on Washington for jobs and freedom. Martin delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, which was a spirited all for racial justice and equality. -
Man of the Year
Appears on the cover of Time Magazine as its Man of the Year. This made him the first African American recipient of this honor. -
Nobel Peace Prize
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the youngest to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Peace at the age of 35. -
March Against Fear
Joined other African Americans on a march from Memphis Tennessee to Jackson Mississippi. The March Against Fear was to encourage African Americans to register to vote. They continued this march in honor James Meredith, who became the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi, was wounded by a shotgun blast. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
After Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, a national holiday was proclaimed in his honor. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther ing Jr. He is most well known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States.
