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A Civil Rights Leader

KRISTI REYES

MIRACOSTA COLLEGE

Conversation Class

Fall 2022

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Original name: Michael King, renamed “Martin Luther” by his father in honor of German Christian reformer Martin Luther

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Birth and Death

  • Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on Jan. 15, 1929.
  • Died by gunshot wound in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, killed by an assassin, thought to be James Earl Ray, but there are many conspiracy theories.

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Occupations

  • Baptist minister
  • Humanitarian, civil rights leader, activist for the rights of African-Americans

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Main Accomplishments

  • Began bus boycott of 1955
  • Washington, D.C., 1963 – “I have a dream” speech
  • …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 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…
  • 1964 - Won the Nobel Peace Prize
  • Won the Presidential Medal of Freedom (after his death)
  • MLK Day – national holiday in 1986
  • Changed history in the USA

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Before… “separate but equal”

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Later

  • Non-violent protests for equal rights
  • Non-segregation

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His Most Famous Speech:

“I Have a Dream”

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Other information

  • Had one brother and one sister
  • Very intelligent – skipped two grades, started college at age 15
  • Studied sociology first – was #1 in his class
  • Later studies theology
  • Met Coretta Scott at Boston University
  • Married her in 1953
  • Had four children
  • Completed his Ph.D. in 1955 when he was only 25 years old

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Conclusion

  • Committed to social justice through nonviolence
  • Still work to be done…