Dr. Martin Luther King,

Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist

minister.

He believed the words in the

Declaration of Independence

that said, “all men are

created equal.”

But in 1950 all men were not equal. People of color

were discriminated against.

People began to fight for their rights under the law of the United States of America.

Dr. King wanted to protest unfair

treatment of people of color, but without

violence.

He led many protest marches to try and change America.

He led a bus boycott in Alabama.

He was put in jail.

He organized a huge march on Washington, D.C.

People marched to get better jobs and

more freedoms under the

law.

Thousands of people

marched on Washington to support Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr.

It was on the steps of the

Lincoln Memorial

that he gave his, “I Have a Dream” speech.

...“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.”

Dr. King’s efforts led to the Civil Rights Act of

1964.

In 1965 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

for his work.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis,

Tennessee while supporting a strike by

black garbage workers.

His courage and leadership have made America a better place for all people to live,

no matter their color.

Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr.January 15, 1929

–

April 4, 1968