Martin Luther King Day

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Martin Luther King Day

(Past tenses)

Dr. King was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929. Although the name "Michael" appeared on his birth certificate, his name was later changed to Martin.[1] King was active from the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to 1956 until his murder in April 1968.

He first began to be well-known in 1955 when he led a protest against the way black people were segregated on buses. At that time they had to sit at the back of the bus, separate from white people. He became world famous when he told his supporters, and the people who were against equal rights, that only peaceful ways should be used to solve the problem.

After graduating from college in 1948, he was not sure what kind of career he wanted. He considered a career in medicine and law. He rejected both and joined the Baptist Church. He studied at a theological seminary in Pennsylvania. While studying there, King learned about the non-violent methods used by Mahatma Gandhi against the British in India. King was convinced that such methods would help the civil rights movement. He was made the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. This association was created during the boycott. He became an important leader of the boycott. King was arrested for starting a boycott. He was fined $500 with $500 more in court costs.[2] His house was attacked. Others involved with MIA were also intimidated. However, by the end of 1956, segregation had been removed in Montgomery and bus integration had been introduced. Another result of the boycott was the starting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This organization was committed to the use of non-violence. Its motto was "Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed." Martin Luther King was elected its president.

In 1963, a civil rights march in Washington, DC happened that made King even more famous. The march was a big success. It was officially called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was held on August 28, 1963. The final speaker was Martin Luther King, Jr. He made his legendary 'I have a Dream' speech which was heard throughout the world. It told people about the civil rights movement in America. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The year 1964 was also when the Civil Rights Act was passed. This act banned many kinds of discrimination against black people.[3] King then moved on to a bill that would make sure that black Americans would be allowed to vote. This led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It made it against the law to stop somebody from voting because of their race.

After this, he continued to work with many others to fight against poverty and the Vietnam War.

King had clearly made enemies in his rise to fame. The Ku Klux Klan did what they could to hurt his reputation, This was especially in the South. Even the FBI kept a close eye on him.[4] On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was preparing to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. His death led to riots in many cities. In March 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of killing King. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray died in 1998.

In 1986, America created a national holiday. It is commonly known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in his honor. It is celebrated on the third Monday of the month of January. This is around the time of his birthday. The holiday was created because people had campaigned for this to happen. One of these people was the singer Stevie Wonder. He wrote a song for the campaign.

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