Martin Luther King Jr.

By: Caden Smith

Martin's Birth

• Born Jan. 15, 1929

• Born in Atlanta, GA

• Born to Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams

• He had an older sister and a younger brother

Martin's Childhood

• Martin was a paper boy and wanted to be a fireman. He took piano lessons from his mother.

• At the age of five he attended school and went all the way to college

Events

• Martin helped fuel a major part of the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama

• He also helped recruit for and was a leader of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

• He was a leader for the Freedom Riders, but refused to go with them on the protests

Timeline• 1929

• Born on January 15 to the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King

• 1944

• Began his studies at Morehouse College at the age of 15

• 1951

• Began his graduate studies at Boston University

• 1953

• Martin Luther King marries Coretta Scott at her parent's home in Alabama

• 1955

• Received his PhD in Systematic Theology from Boston College

• 1955

• Led the Montgomery bus boycott based on the experience of Rosa Parks

• 1956

• Bus segregation has been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court

• 1959

• Went to India and met with the family of Mahatma Gandhi to learn the ways of peaceful protest

• 1960

• Became co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta

• 1960

• Was arrested for a sit-in at a restaurant in Greensboro, NC

• 1961

• Based on MLK's work, the Interstate Commerce Commission banned segregation in interstate travel

• 1963

• King writes his famous Letter from Birmingham jail after being arrested

• 1963

• On June 23, he led a group of 125,000 people in a Freedom Walk in Detroit

• 1963

• On August 28 he joins more than 250,000 people in the March on Washington and delivers the famous "I Have a Dream" speech

• 1964

• MLK Jr. is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peach Prize

• 1964

• Jan. 23, The 24th Amendment eliminates the poll tax in Federal elections

• 1964

• July 2, The Civil Rights Act is signed prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and in employment

• 1965

• August 6, The Voting Rights Act becomes law

• 1966

• King begins to focus on other social issues starting with the March Against Fear

• 1968

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee

• 1986

• President Reagan signs a law declaring the third Monday in January Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday

Martin's Influence

• He influenced hundreds of thousands of African- Americans to follow him on his protests

• He influenced the government to change the laws

• His influences changed America for the better

What can I do?

• I can treat people fairly no matter the color of their skin

• I can remind others that all people are created equal

• I can help fight against racism

Impact on society

• Many African-Americans got better lives

• African-Americans got many rights they did not have before

• They were truly free because of Martin Luther King Jr.

• Helped everybody know that all people are created equal

Conclusion

• Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and all the good he has done for us. If he had not led the marches, today would be a very different world. Most likely we would still have segregation and the government would have very different laws.

Bibliography

• Martin Luther King Jr. 10 days, by: David Colbert

• Martin's Big Words, by: Doreen Rappaport

Thanks for watching!!!