Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 –
April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman,
activist and prominent leader in the
African-American civil rights movement. His main
legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in
the United States and he is frequently
referenced as a human rights icon today.
King's efforts led to the 1963 March on
Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a
Dream” speech. There, he raised public
consciousness of the civil rights movement and
established himself as one of the greatest
orators in U.S. history.
In 1964, King became the youngest person to
receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to
end racial segregation and racial discrimination
through civil disobedience and other non-violent
means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had
refocused his efforts on ending poverty and
opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious
perspective.
King
was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis,
Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and
Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national
holiday in 1986.
