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"physical"AprilAtlanta, GeorgiaJanuaryMarch on WashingtonMemphis, TennesseeMohandas GandhiMontgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery, AlabamaNobel Peace PrizeSelma to Montgomery MarchSouthern Christian Leadership Conference“I Have a Dream Speech”“non-violent”
Martin Luther King, Jr., born in , in 1929. After attending college he became a minister at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in . While there he became involved in the civil rights movement.
In 1955, King and secretary Rosa Parks organized the . At the end of the protest, the city desegregated the transportation system. In 1957, King and other civil rights activists founded the to help organize events that would bring about the end to segregation in the United States. They used resistance in their protests, basing their strategies on the work of Indian leader .
In 1963, King helped organize the . Over 250,000, people attended this peaceful protest at the Lincoln Memorial that called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. This is also where Dr. King gave his famous , which is generally regarded as one of the finest and most important speeches in American history. In 1964, King received a major international honor. He won the .
In March of 1965, King helped lead the . This peaceful protest covered the 54 miles to help bring attention to voting discrimination in the American south.
King continued his efforts to change society by ending discrimination. However, on April 4, 1968, while attempting to end a strike in , Dr. King was assassinated. In 1986, Dr. King became the first African American to have a Federal holiday in his honor. It is observed on the third Monday of each year.