Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister.
He believed the words in the Declaration of Independence that said, “all men are created equal.”
But in 1950 all men were not equal. People of color were discriminated against.
People began to fight for their rights under the law of the United States of America.
Dr. King wanted to protest unfair treatment of people of color, but without violence.
He led many protest marches to try and change America.
He led a bus boycott in Alabama. He was put in jail.
He organized a huge march on Washington, D.C.
People marched to get better jobs and more freedoms under the law.
Thousands of people marched on Washington to support Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that he gave his, “I Have a Dream” speech.
...“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
Dr. King’s efforts led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 1965 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis, Tennessee while supporting a strike by black garbage workers.
His courage and leadership have made America a better place for all people to live, no matter their color.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968