"Martin Luther King" and "MLK" redirect here.For other uses,see Martin Luther King (disambiguation) and MLK (disambiguation).
Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr.
Bornx09Michael King,Jr.
January 15,1929
Atlanta,Georgia,United States
Diedx09April 4,1968 (aged 39)
Memphis,Tennessee,United States
Monumentsx09Martin Luther King,Jr.Memorial
Alma materx09Morehouse College,Crozer Theological Seminary,Boston University
Organizationx09Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Influenced byx09Jesus,Abraham Lincoln,Mahatma Gandhi,Benjamin Mays,Hosea Williams,Bayard Rustin,Henry David Thoreau,Howard Thurman,Leo Tolstoy
Political movementx09African-American Civil Rights Movement,Peace movement
Religionx09Progressive National Baptist Convention
Spousex09Coretta Scott King (m.1953–68)
Childrenx09Yolanda Denise-King (deceased)
Martin Luther King III
Dexter Scott King
Bernice Albertine King
Parentsx09Martin Luther King,Sr.
Alberta Williams King
Awardsx09Nobel Peace Prize (1964),Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977,posthumous),Congressional Gold Medal (2004,posthumous)
Signaturex09
Martin Luther King,Jr.(January 15,1929 – April 4,1968) was an American clergyman,activist,and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.[1] He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world,using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.[2] King has become a national icon in the history of modern American liberalism.[3]
A Baptist minister,King became a civil rights activist early in his career.[4] 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 expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society,and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.
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 nonviolent means.By the time of his death in 1968,he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.
King was assassinated on April 4,1968,in Memphis,Tennessee.He was posthumously 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.federal holiday in 1986.