Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a holiday that celebrates what Martin Luther King Jr. did for African Americans and the movement towards equality in America.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister who believed and advocated the ends of racial segregation and violence. King had believed in ending segregation in a nonviolent way with nonviolent and peaceful protests. On April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed by James Earl Ray in Memphis, TN. King was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital and passed away an hour after being shot. Almost immediately after King’s death, there were people calling for a holiday in honor of him. In 1983, it was finalized, making the third Monday in January a federal holiday for King. The first observance nationwide was in 1986.
During Martin Luther King Jr’s. life, he accomplished many things. King started his journey of ending racism with a bus boycott by African Americans in Montgomery, AL, in 1955. Only two years later, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and six years later, led the 1963 March on Washington.
Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most influential and well-known speeches around the world. King delivered his iconic ‘I Have a Dream speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. On the day that he delivered his speech, many people remembered and recited King’s quote to this day.
In his ‘I Have a Dream speech, King delivered a message to America about his dream of what could be. He stood in front of the Lincoln memorial and spoke to 250,000 people that day. King had chosen the memorial because of what Lincoln had done for African Americans. King had influenced thousands of people with his words.
“I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” and “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed — we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal” are two of the most famous quotes from his speech that moved people towards equality and moved people towards the end of racism.
King was very involved in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which had outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, facilities, and employment. Not only was King very influential and involved in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but he was also very involved in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which eliminated the literacy test in American voting. The literacy test was a test mainly about the Constitution. African Americans struggled with passing this test due to the fact that the men who owned slaves didn’t want them to learn and rebel.
Only four years before King was assassinated, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. The Nobel Prize for Peace is awarded to those who have ”done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished a lot in his 39 years of life and even after death, he continues to influence the people of America with his dream. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.”
Sources:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. Britannica. October 25, 2002, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day
“Nobel Peace Prize: Definition & Winners.” Study.com, 16 December 2021, https://study.com/academy/lesson/nobel-peace-prize-definition-winners.html
History.com Editors. Martin Luther King Jr. History. November 9, 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr
Matthew Hartvigsen. The 15 best quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream speech. Desert News. August 28, 2013
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