Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 25th 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America. He was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. King led many non-violent protests, to make his point; such as sit-ins, strikes, marches, speeches and boycotts. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. During this speech King used many memorable lines such as “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will join hands with little white boys and girls as brothers and sisters.
In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Wanted to rid segregation and wanted equal rights for several reasons. One of which was because of personal experience. He didn’t want his children to live a life of racism that he has had to deal with. In one of his speeches he used this quote to agree with this point. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Another reason for Martin Luther King, Jr. wanting a peaceful change was because of his Christian faith. He believed that all men were created equal and should have equal rights in all means. His faith also meant he had to love his neighbour, but he said, “Love the person, hate the evil that person does.”
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