What Did Martin Luther King Do?

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an activist and pastor who promoted and organized non-violent protests. He played a pivotal role in advancing civil rights in America and has won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to fight racial inequality in a non-violent matter.

Martin Luther King’s Activities

• Brought publicity to major civil rights efforts
• Promoted non-violence during protests
• Contributed in founding the African-American Civil Rights Movement
• Leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955
• Was one of the founders of the South Christian Leadership Conference and its first president
• Fought against segregation in Albany, Georgia
• Helped organize non-violent protest actions in Birmingham Alabama
• Was one of the organizers of the March of Washington in 1963 where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech
• Helped organize the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965
• Worked on segregated housing in Chicago
• Fought against poverty in America
• Fought against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War
• Planned the “Poor People’s Campaign,” a national occupation of Washington D.C., but was assassinated before this could happen.

Short Biography of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth date is January 15, 1929. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia and was known for being a very passionate civil-rights activist, who had a great impact on the relations between races in the U.S. in the 1950s. He played a great role in creating the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts In 1964, at age 35, King was the youngest man ever to have received the Nobel Peace Prize and he is often quoted for the “I Have a Dream” speech he delivered in 1963. His assassination on April 4, 1968 was an event that shocked the world.

Birth and Name Change

Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually born Michael King and was the middle child of Alberta Williams King and Michael King Sr. Both the King and Williams families had their roots in rural Georgia, where Martin Jr’s grandfather served as a minister before he took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist church and made a great success of it. His son in law, Michael King Sr, later took over as pastor after his death in 1931. In 1934, after attending the Fifth Baptist World Alliance in Berlin, Germany, Michael was so inspired, he decided to change both his and his son’s names to Martin Luther King in honor of Martin Luther, the German reformer.

This article is part of our extensive collection of articles on Civil Rights in the United States. Click here to see our comprehensive article on Civil Rights in the United States.

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