Martin Luther King Jr.
1929 – 1968 · United States
Known for: Civil Rights Movement, I Have a Dream speech, Nonviolent activism, Nobel Peace Prize
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed”
Biography
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, King was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance. He rose to prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955-56, sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger. As president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King led the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech before 250,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial. His eloquent advocacy for racial equality, economic justice, and an end to segregation made him a global symbol of peaceful protest. King's campaigns led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at age 35, making him the youngest male recipient at that time. In his later years, King expanded his focus to include opposition to poverty and the Vietnam War. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to support striking sanitation workers. His legacy endures through the federal holiday in his honor and his enduring influence on human rights movements worldwide.