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Martin Luther King Jr. Was Born.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born as Michael King Jr. He was the middle child to his parents Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/birth_home_tours.htm -
His Grandmother Died
While King was at a parade, his grandmother passed away. This event was so traumatic, King jumped from a second story window, attempting suicide. -
He Was Admitted to Morehouse College at 15.
At age 15, King was admitted to Morehouse College. He had attended segregated school until that point but skipped over some grades and went to college at a young age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morehouse_College -
King entered Crozer Theological Seminary.
After graudating from Morehouse College in 1948, he went to Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania.
https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/upland-pa/points-of-interest/crozer-seminary -
He Gained a Doctorate in Systematic Theology.
After completing his two years of coursework at BU in 1953, he gained his Doctorate in systematic theology in 1955.
http://www.bu.edu/sth/dr-martin-luther-king-jr/ -
He Lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
After Rosa Park's incident with the public buses, King was elected to to lead the bus boycott by head of NAACP director E.D. Nixon. This boycott involved not taking the buses for 382 days.
https://www.socialistalternative.org/2016/11/16/60th-anniversary-montgomery-bus-boycott-struggle-sparked-civil-rights-movement/ -
He Founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
This group of mostly ministers was committed to achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protests. King was the president of this group and remained president until his death.
https://nationalsclc.org/about/history/ -
He Wrote the Letter From Birmingham Jail.
King organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham. After the demonstration became violent, King wrote a letter from jail that clearly addressed his non violence policy. -
He Organized the March on Washington.
King and other activists organized the March on Washington to bring awareness to the injustices African Americans faced throughout the country. The march had 200,000-300,000 supporters.
https://www.naacp.org/marchonwashington/ -
He Gave the "I Have A Dream" Speech.
During the March on Washington, King gave his memorable speech in front of the Lincoln memorial. This was King's most famous adress.
https://www.keranews.org/post/i-have-dream-speech-its-entirety -
Martin Luther King Jr. Was Killed
King was assassinated on the way to a sanitation worker's strike. James Earl Ray plead guilty to the assassination and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/03/30/who-killed-martin-luther-king-jr-his-family-believes-james-earl-ray-was-framed/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dfc12512f28b -
President Reagan Created Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
After the assassination, President Reagan arranged for MLK Jr. Day to become a federal holiday celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The first holiday was celebrated in 1986. -
Famous Quote #1
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” -
Famous Quote #2
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” -
Famous Quote #3
“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.”
