The civil rights movement

• The Montgomery bus boycott was the first major campaign against segregation.
• King's "I have a dream" speech is considered one of the greatest speeches ever given by an American.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it easier for African Americans to register to vote.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
• In 1963, King led a march on Washington D.C., where he gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia
• He was the second of three children, born to a Baptist preacher
• Less than 70 years after slavery was made illegal in the United States, things were still hard for black Americans
• Lawmakers in some places, especially southern states, made special rules to keep white people and black people apart
• The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal as long as things were 'separate but equal'
• Martin Luther King attended a segregated school and graduated at the age of 15
• In 1951, Martin Luther King, Jr. graduated from the seminary, the top in his class
• On June 18, 1953, King married Coretta Scott, with whom he would have four children
• In December of 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott
• The Montgomery bus boycott lasted over a year and led to the Supreme Court ruling that segregated busses were unconstitutional
• Between 1957 and 1968, King worked tirelessly to promote civil rights, giving thousands of speeches and writing five books
• In 1963, Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
• In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize
• Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39
• In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, celebrated on the third Monday every January
• The speech was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of the United States
• The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by a great American five score years ago, bringing hope to millions of Negro slaves
• Despite the Emancipation Proclamation, 100 years later, the Negro still faced segregation, discrimination, and poverty
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. expressed his dream of a nation where all individuals are judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin
• He envisioned a future where black and white children could sit together at the table of brotherhood, free from racial injustice and oppression
• Dr. King believed in the transformation of the nation's discord into a symphony of brotherhood through unity and faith
• He called for freedom to ring from various locations across the United States, symbolizing the spread of equality and justice throughout the country
• The ultimate goal was for all individuals, regardless of race or background, to come together and sing in unity, celebrating true freedom for all