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He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His Birthday is now observed as a National Holiday
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Dr. King Jr. Graduated at age 15 and was admitted to Morehouse College
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The couple had four children. Yolanda (born 1955), Martin Luther III (born 1957), Dexter (born 1961), and Bernice (born 1963).
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Received Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology.
His Dissertation Title: A Comparison of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Wiseman. -
Dr. King joined the bus boycott when Rosa Parks was arrested. He was made the official spokesperson for the boycott.
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Supreme Court rules that bus segregation is illegal.
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Dr. King formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. Dr. King spoke to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington D.C.
He writes his first book titled: Stride Towards Freedom -
Dr. King taught and practiced nonviolence during the civil rights movement. Gandhi was an inspiration to Dr. King
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Dr. King and his non-violent coordinating committee began a lunch counter sit-in for blacks to have the rights to be served at restaurants. He was arrested and sentenced to four months in jail, but John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy intervened, so Dr. King was released.
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Congress On Racial Equality (CORE) began the Freedom Ride through the south on a Greyhound bus. The goal was to allow blacks to use interstate transportation for travel. Buses were burned, people were arrested and abused. The U.S. Supreme Court had outlawed segregation for interstate transportation. Segregation was then banned due to the Freedom Riders and Dr. King
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The March on Washington is the largest civil rights demonstration in history with nearly 250,000 people in attendance Dr. King presents his "I Have a Dream" speech. Stores, restaurants, and schools will be desegregated, hiring of blacks will be implemented, and charges from arrests were dropped.
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Dr. King appears on the cover of Time Magazine as Man of the Year. King attends the signing ceremony of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at the White House on July 2, 1964. Later that year on December 10, 1964, he is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35
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Dr. King announces that the Poor Peoples Campaign will have a March on Washington to demand an Economic Bill of Rights guaranteeing employment to the able-bodied, incomes to those who are unable to work, and an end to housing discrimination. The goal to have jobs and income for people of all races and to change living conditions of the poor.
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At sunset on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Kings funeral on April 9 is an international event. Witin a week of his assassination, Congress passed the Open Housing Act to end housing discrimination.
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On November 2, 1986, due to the United States Code Title 36 (Patriotic Societies and Observances), Chapter 9 (National Observances). The birthday of Dr. King is observed as a national holiday every year on the third Monday of January.
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A 30 foot granite monument was built to represent equality, justice, and peace. This memorial was built to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contributions to world peace through non-violent social change. October 16, 2011 was the MLK Memorial Dedication. President Barack Obama delivered the Dedication address.
