People & Characters
Martin Luther King Jr.
American Baptist minister and leader of the U.S. civil‑rights movement who championed nonviolent protest and civil equality.
Photo by Unseen Histories on UnsplashMartin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and the most visible leader of the mid‑20th‑century U.S. civil‑rights movement.
He led nonviolent campaigns for desegregation, voting rights and economic justice, delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, helped found the SCLC, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Quick facts
- Born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia; raised in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. ([home.nps.gov](https://home.nps.gov/people/martinlutherkingjr.htm?utm_source=openai))
- Became a prominent Baptist minister and national civil‑rights leader who helped found and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. ([kinginstitute.stanford.edu](https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc?utm_source=openai))
- Delivered the landmark “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. ([loc.gov](https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94505348/?utm_source=openai))
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent struggle for civil rights. ([nobelprize.org](https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/?utm_source=openai))
- Assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; his death accelerated passage of civil‑rights legislation and shaped the movement’s direction. ([home.nps.gov](https://home.nps.gov/places/tennessee-the-lorraine-hotel-memphis.htm?utm_source=openai))
A surprising fact
He was born Michael King Jr.; his and his father’s names were later changed to Martin Luther King (the son’s birth certificate was amended in 1957). ([home.nps.gov](https://home.nps.gov/malu/faq_birth_home.htm?utm_source=openai))
