Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?

Martin Luther King Jr. is American Baptist minister and civil rights leader.

How did Martin Luther King Jr. die?

Martin Luther King Jr. passed away in 1968 (gunshot wound).

Martin Luther King Jr.

Q: What is Martin Luther King Jr. known for?

Martin Luther King Jr. is primarily known as a(n) writer, peace activist, preacher, civil rights advocate, pastor, cleric, religious leader, parson, politician, pacifist, opinion journalist.

American Baptist minister and civil rights leader

Born:January 15, 1929

Died:April 4, 1968

Age at death:39

Manner of death:Homicide

Cause of death:Gunshot Wound

Zodiac Sign:Capricorn

Height:1.77 m (5′10″)

Children:4

Born in:Atlanta, United States

Buried in:United States

Languages:English

Writer Peace Activist Preacher Civil Rights Advocate Pastor Cleric Religious Leader Parson Politician Pacifist Opinion Journalist

Signature

Links

Wikipedia Official Website IMDb

Famous For

Movies & TV

Hidden FiguresJ. EdgarThe ButlerThe Trial of the Chicago 7Capitalism: A Love Story

Books

Letter from Birmingham JailWhy We Can't WaitStrength to LoveWhere Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?But If Not

Songs & Albums

Martin Luther King at Zion Hill

Awards

Congressional Gold Medal (2004)Humanitarian of the Year (1984)United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights (1978)Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977)Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1966)

Martin Luther King Jr.

American Baptist minister and civil rights leader

Biography

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination, which most commonly affected African Americans. A Black church leader, King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights. He oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and was the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), leading the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helping organize nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, and helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches during the 1965 Selma voting rights movement. There were dramatic standoffs with segregationist authorities, who often responded violently. The civil rights movement achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. King was jailed several times. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover considered King a radical and made him an object of COINTELPRO from 1963. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, spied on his personal life, and secretly recorded him. In 1964, the FBI mailed King a threatening anonymous letter, which he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide. King won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In his final years, he expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam War. In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was convicted of the assassination, though it remains the subject of conspiracy theories. King's death led to riots in US cities. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2003. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the federal holiday was first observed in 1986. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Martin Luther King Jr.”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“We, the disinherited of this land, we who have been oppressed so long, are tired of going through the long night of captivity. And now we are reaching out for the daybreak of freedom and justice and equality.”

— Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”

— In a 1955 response to an accusation that he was "disturbing the peace" by his activism during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, as quoted in Let the Trumpet Sound : A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr (1982) by Stephen B. Oates

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

— Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Montgomory, Alabama 6 Nov 1956)

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Martin Luther King Jr.", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Color Portrait of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. published on the cover of Sepia magazine

A plaque on the Lucy mission featuring 20 messages from people on Earth, including John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jr., The Beatles, and more.

012617: Washington, D.C - U.S. Customs and Border Protection hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. program with multiple speakers featuring the theme "Remember, Celebrate, Act!". Seen here speaking about volunteer programs is Craig Kenner, Health and Fitness Specialist Benefits, Medical & Work life Division, Office of Human Resources Management.Photographer: Donna Burton

012617: Washington, D.C - U.S. Customs and Border Protection hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. program with multiple speakers featuring the theme "Remember, Celebrate, Act!". Seen here speaking is Anselm Beach, Diversity Director, Privacy and Diversity Office. Photographer: Donna Burton

U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade celebrate 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Von Steuben Community Center at Bismarck Kaserne, Germany, Jan. 16, 2020. The members of New Hope Christian Center Choir rehearse before performance. (U.S. Army photo by Eugen Warkentin)

U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12 CAB) celebrate 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Von Steuben Community Center at Bismarck Kaserne, Germany, Jan. 16, 2020. Sgt. Kenneth Turner holds the iconic “I have a dream” speech during the event. (U.S. Army photo by Eugen Warkentin)

12 Combat Aviation Brigade and U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday at Von Steuben Community Center, Ansbach, Germany. Jan. 16, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Eugen Warkentin)

170120-N-309-037 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY NAPLES, Italy, (Jan. 20, 2017) U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Fleet Master Chief Raymond D. Kemp Sr. provides remarks during a Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History month celebration at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Jan. 20, 2016. U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, headquartered in Naples, Italy, oversees joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, to enable enduring relationships, and increase vigilance and resilience in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Riley/Released) Unit: Navy Media Content Services DVIDS Tags: NMCS; DVIDS Bulk Import

170120-N-309-028 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY NAPLES, Italy, (Jan. 20, 2017) U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Fleet Master Chief Raymond D. Kemp Sr. provides remarks during a Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History month celebration at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Jan. 20, 2016. U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, headquartered in Naples, Italy, oversees joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, to enable enduring relationships, and increase vigilance and resilience in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Riley/Released) Unit: Navy Media Content Services DVIDS Tags: NMCS; DVIDS Bulk Import

U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12 CAB) celebrate 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Von Steuben Community Center at Bismarck Kaserne, Germany, Jan. 16, 2020. The members of New Hope Christian Center Choir perform during the event. (U.S. Army photo by Eugen Warkentin)