Prepared by English Language Fellow Ryan Brux

1. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Timeline of his Life

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. is born in
Atlanta, Georgia on January
15, 1929 to the Reverend and
Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr.

3. After graduating
from high school
at the age of 15,
Martin Luther
King, Jr. attends
Morehouse
College. He
graduates with a
sociology degree
in 1948. He
goes on to attend
Crozer Theological
Seminary. He
graduates in
1951.

4. In 1953 King marries Coretta
Scott. Together, they have 4 children.

5. 1954 King becomes minister of Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

6. In 1955, Rosa Parks is arrested for
refusing to give up her seat to a
white man. Martin Luther King Jr.
leads a boycott against the
Montgomery bus company. As a
result of this action, the Supreme
Court rules that buses must be
desegregated.

7. 1959
Inspired by the work of Gandhi, King goes
to India to study non-violence.

8. August 28, 1963: King gives “I Have a Dream”
Speech to 200,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington DC.

9. October, 1964
King wins the Nobel Peace Prize

10. In early March, 1965, King and
others try to organize a march
from Selma to Montgomery,
Alabama. The marchers are
met by with Alabama police
and beat.
Another march is held on
March 25th. This time,
marchers are protected. MLK
gives a speech on the capital
steps in Montgomery.

11. March 29, 1968:
While at a hotel, King is
assassinated (killed).
James Earl Ray is
convicted of killing King
and is sentenced to 99
years in jail.

12. King’s I Have A Dream Speech
August 28, 1963
Washington, DC