Martin Luther King Jr.: A Civil Rights Activist
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Civil Rights Activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very influential person to the civil rights movement who made some of the greatest contributions to end legal segregation, thus changing society for the better. He was one of the most respected African Americans during the civil rights movement. He did not want anyone to be discriminated against because of their race or their skin color. He set his ground when it came to fulfilling his dream. Although he faced many challenges he never gave up. Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929. His name was originally Michael Luther King, but was later changed to Martin after the sixteenth
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King gave his famous “I Have a Dream “speech (“Martin Luther King”). ABC and NBC had cut away soap operas in the afternoon so that the people of the United States could watch King give his speech (Branch 64). On October 14, 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against racial inequalities with no violence (Branch 109). At age thirty-five he was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. On November 27, 1967 he announced the poor people campaign to create jobs and freedom for all races. (Branch …show more content…
At age thirty-nine, his autopsy revealed that he had the heart of a sixty-year-old due to heavy stress (Cadet). There are over 900 streets in America named after Martin Luther King. There are also a few schools named after him (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). From 1957-1968 he gave 2,500 speeches, he wrote five books, and published many articles in newspapers and magazines. (“Martin Luther King”). From 1957 until 1968 he traveled more than six million miles. He was voted the second most admired person after Mother Theresa. He was also voted the third greatest American of all time. He is one of the ten martyrs who have a statue at Westminster Abbey, London (“10 Little Known Facts”). On November 2, 1983 President Ronald Regan signed a bill to declare Martin Luther King Jr., day to remember all that he did for the civil rights movement. He was the first African American to be given a holiday (“Martin Luther King
King gave his famous “I Have a Dream “speech (“Martin Luther King”). ABC and NBC had cut away soap operas in the afternoon so that the people of the United States could watch King give his speech (Branch 64). On October 14, 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against racial inequalities with no violence (Branch 109). At age thirty-five he was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. On November 27, 1967 he announced the poor people campaign to create jobs and freedom for all races. (Branch …show more content…
At age thirty-nine, his autopsy revealed that he had the heart of a sixty-year-old due to heavy stress (Cadet). There are over 900 streets in America named after Martin Luther King. There are also a few schools named after him (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). From 1957-1968 he gave 2,500 speeches, he wrote five books, and published many articles in newspapers and magazines. (“Martin Luther King”). From 1957 until 1968 he traveled more than six million miles. He was voted the second most admired person after Mother Theresa. He was also voted the third greatest American of all time. He is one of the ten martyrs who have a statue at Westminster Abbey, London (“10 Little Known Facts”). On November 2, 1983 President Ronald Regan signed a bill to declare Martin Luther King Jr., day to remember all that he did for the civil rights movement. He was the first African American to be given a holiday (“Martin Luther King