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MLK sr
That life began in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. The Reverend Michael King and his wife, Alberta, named their first son Michael Luther. Later, Reverend King changed his and his son's name to Martin Luther in honor of the great sixteenth-century reformer -
MLK Jr
Martin, Jr., admired his father and all the Atlanta ministers who spoke so eloquently for civil rights. They demonstrated the power of words, which fascinated the young King. This fascination with language helped him score high on the college entrance exam in his junior year of high school. On the strength of his scores, Martin skipped senior year and entered Morehouse College at the age of 15. Morehouse helped Martin see his future more clearly -
leading the nations civil rights movements
In 1957, Dr. King rose from local to national leadership. On January 11, he became chairman of the Southern Negro Leaders Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration, a group that was later renamed Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). On February 18, his picture appeared on the cover of Time magazine. On May 17, he was honored in Washington, D. C., and delivered "Give Us the Ballot," his first speech to the nation. On August 8, he launched a voter registration drive acros -
Success Amid Struggle
Despite danger and disappointment, Dr. King continued to lead protests during 1964. He also continued to defend the civil rights movement in speeches and his new book Why We Can't Wait. He met with U.S. senators who supported integration and with Black Separatist Malcolm X. He went to jail in Florida for demanding service at a whites-only restaurant and watched as President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He launched a nationwide campaign to encourage citizens to vote and den -
Expanding the Movement
In 1966, Dr. King brought his struggle for equal rights to Chicago. On January 26, he and Coretta moved to an apartment in a rundown neighborhood called North Lawndale. On March 12, Dr. King spoke to an audience of 12,000 at the Chicago Freedom Festival. Then, in June, his attention turned south again when James H. Meredith was shot and wounded near Memphis, Tennessee, while marching for voting rights. On June 7, King and other civil rights leaders took Meredith's place and led the marchers from -
Losing a Leader
On April 4, 1968 Dr. King was shot to death on the balcony of his motel. His murder set off rioting across the United States. Dozens of people were killed, and National Guard and federal troops were needed to restore order. President Johnson declared a national day of mourning on April 9—the day Martin Luther King, Jr., was buried. Many who had heard Dr. King speak on April 3 recalled his eerily prophetic words: I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've -
Losing a leading
On April 11, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It did not create a promised land for African Americans, but it did bring them closer. -
Losing a leader
Dr. King is entombed on Freedom Plaza, which is located in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounded by the Freedom Hall Complex of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Historic Site. The site, recognized as a National Historic Landmark, was declared a National Historic Site on October 10, 1980 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. -
Losing a leader
In 1986—fifteen years after Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered—President Ronald Reagan declared the third Monday in January a federal holiday honoring Dr. King's birthday. The holiday is celebrated in countries around the world. -
Gaining—and Losing—Ground
Despite the passage of the 1960 Civil Rights Act, Dr. King was uncertain that
Eisenhower and the Republican Party would champion desegregation. Dr. King met with John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate for president. It was the first of several meetings between the freedom fighter and the future president. In 1961, King urged President Kennedy to issue an executive order, similar to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, to eliminate segregation. Instead, the government's Interstate Commerce Com