MARTIN

LUTH

ER KIN

G JR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Martin Luther King Senior and Alberta Williams King.

MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) father was a Reverend (Priest)

MLK was such a good student, that he skipped grades 9th and 12th and entered Morehouse College at the age of 15.

MLK

After four years of school he graduated college at the age of 20 with a degree of Sociology. (Study of the families and society)

Right when he graduated Morehouse College, he enrolled in another college to pursue his Masters degree in Divinity (Studies about churches and religions)

AMERICA DURING THE 1950’S

Even though slavery has been abolished for a little under 100 years, there was still massive segregation throughout America.

People, especially in the south were still extremely racist. There were “Jim Crow” laws that were in effect on the state and local bases.

JIM CROW LAWS

Jim Crow laws segregated all public places, such as school, buses, restaurants, bathrooms, water fountains and even the Military was segregated!

MLK INSPIRATION

During the 1950’s-1960’s there were violent protest and peaceful protest.

MLK studied and visited the ever so peaceful Mohandas Gandhi who was a peaceful Indian protest. His people of India, were suffering the same way the African American’s were under British control.

Gandhi went on a hunger strike in order to rally his nation to separate from the British.

GHANDI

MLK’S RISE

Through his peaceful protest and powerful speeches, MLK began to gain notoriety. (became famous)

MLK was interviewed with many famous Magazines and kept preaching to the people that this racism must come to a peaceful end!

He was the forefront and considered the poster boy for the, Civil Rights Movement

MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT

On December 1rst, 1955, Rosa Parks, and elderly African American woman was riding the bus and was sitting in a “whites only section.”

In a peaceful refusal, she did not move to the back of the bus.

She was arrested for breaking the “Jim Crow” laws.

ROSA PARKS AND MLK

MLK RISE

This was MLK’s defining moment of what he preached, peaceful protest.

With the backing of President Nixon, there was an African American Montgomery Bus Boycott (refusal to partake) for 385 days.

MLK house was bombed due to his peaceful protest and was arrested unlawfully.

MLK

MLK created the “Southern Christian Leadership Conference.” (SCLC)

This groups main purpose was to peacefully support civil rights, with rallies and protests. The group primarily contained African American churches from the south.

AUGUST 28TH, 1963

MLK and the SCLC marched down to Washington D.C.

There goal was to tell the world what it was like being an African American in the south, during that time period.

Also, there goal was the following….

THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

End to racial segregation in public schools

Meaningful civil rights legislation, including a law prohibiting racial discrimination in employment (jobs)

Protection of civil rights workers from police brutality

“I HAVE A DREAM” This is the very day, that MLK stated his very famous, “I Have a Dream Speech.”

“Say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

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.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little 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.

I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.”

MLK DURING HIS “I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH”

“BLOODY SUNDAY” MARCH 7TH, 1965

MLK and his group the SCLC wanted to protest about the civil rights by a march from Selma, Alabama to the Montgomery (The Capitol)

This was a peaceful protest to gain Civil Rights.

Police Officers had to control violent protest against the SCLC

MLK ASSASSINATION

On March 29th, 1968 MLK went to Memphis, Tennessee to gain support for the African American sanitary public workers.

These employees have been on strike because they wanted better wages.

On April 3rd, 1968 he addressed this crowd of workers with another one of his speeches.

MLK ASSASSINATION

MLK was staying at the Lorraine Motel, room 306.

On April 4th, 1968 at 6:01 pm, MLK was outside on the balcony of his hotel.

He was shot and pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:05 pm.

HOTEL LORRAINE

AFTERMATH

Just three days after, the government passed a national law called the : Civil Rights Act of 1968.

This law states that discrimination against race, religion or national origin is illegal and can result in jail time.