2. Martin's Birth
• Born Jan. 15, 1929
• Born in Atlanta, GA
• Born to Martin Luther King
Sr. and Alberta Williams
• He had an older sister and a
younger brother
3. Martin's Childhood
• Martin was a paper boy and
wanted to be a fireman. He
took piano lessons from his
mother.
• At the age of five he
attended school and went all
the way to college
4. Events
• Martin helped fuel a major part
of the bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama
• He also helped recruit for and
was a leader of the NAACP
(National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People)
• He was a leader for the
Freedom Riders, but refused to
go with them on the protests
5. Timeline
• 1929
• Born on January 15 to the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King
• 1944
• Began his studies at Morehouse College at the age of 15
• 1951
• Began his graduate studies at Boston University
• 1953
• Martin Luther King marries Coretta Scott at her parent's home in Alabama
• 1955
• Received his PhD in Systematic Theology from Boston College
• 1955
• Led the Montgomery bus boycott based on the experience of Rosa Parks
• 1956
• Bus segregation has been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court
• 1959
• Went to India and met with the family of Mahatma Gandhi to learn the ways of peaceful protest
• 1960
• Became co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta
6. • 1960
• Was arrested for a sit-in at a restaurant in Greensboro, NC
• 1961
• Based on MLK's work, the Interstate Commerce Commission banned segregation in interstate travel
• 1963
• King writes his famous Letter from Birmingham jail after being arrested
• 1963
• On June 23, he led a group of 125,000 people in a Freedom Walk in Detroit
• 1963
• On August 28 he joins more than 250,000 people in the March on Washington and delivers the
famous "I Have a Dream" speech
• 1964
• MLK Jr. is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peach Prize
• 1964
• Jan. 23, The 24th Amendment eliminates the poll tax in Federal elections
• 1964
• July 2, The Civil Rights Act is signed prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and in
employment
7. • 1965
• August 6, The Voting Rights Act becomes law
• 1966
• King begins to focus on other social issues starting with the March
Against Fear
• 1968
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of a
hotel in Memphis, Tennessee
• 1986
• President Reagan signs a law declaring the third Monday in
January Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday
8. Martin's Influence
• He influenced hundreds of thousands of AfricanAmericans to follow him on his protests
• He influenced the government to change the laws
• His influences changed America for the better
9. What can I do?
• I can treat people fairly no matter the color of their
skin
• I can remind others that all people are created
equal
• I can help fight against racism
10. Impact on society
• Many African-Americans got
better lives
• African-Americans got many
rights they did not have
before
• They were truly free because
of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Helped everybody know that
all people are created equal
11. Conclusion
• Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s
birthday and all the good he has done for us. If he
had not led the marches, today would be a very
different world. Most likely we would still have
segregation and the government would have very
different laws.
