Martin Luther King Jr. was a Christian minister and leader of the American Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advocated for civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian faith and Gandhi's teachings. In 1963, King delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington, calling for racial equality. The speech and march helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee while planning a Poor People's Campaign. His death sparked riots in many US cities and he remains one of the most influential figures of the civil rights movement.

1. MARTIN LUTHER KING
Martin LutherKingJr. was an American Christianministerandactivistwhobecame the mostvisible spokespersonandleaderinthe Civil RightsMovementfrom1955
until hisassassination in1968. Kingisbestknownforadvancingcivil rightsthroughnonviolence andcivil disobedience,inspiredbyhis Christianbeliefsandthe nonviolent
activismof Mahatma Gandhi.On October14, 1964, Kingwonthe Nobel Peace Prize forcombatingracial inequality throughnonviolentresistance.In1965, he helped
organize the SelmatoMontgomerymarches.Inhisfinal years,he expandedhisfocustoinclude oppositiontowards poverty,capitalism,andthe VietnamWar.Before his
death,Kingwasplanninganational occupationof Washington, D.C.,tobe calledthe PoorPeople'sCampaign,whenhe was assassinated onApril 4inMemphis,Tennessee.
His deathwasfollowedby riotsinmanyU.S.cities.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON,1963
The march originallywasconceivedasaneventtodramatize the desperate conditionof blacksinthe southernU.S.andanopportunitytoplace organizers'concernsand
grievancessquarelybefore the seatof powerinthe nation'scapital.Organizersintendedtodenounce the federal government foritsfailure tosafeguardthe civilrights
and physical safetyof civil rightsworkersandblacks.The march made specificdemands:anendto racial segregationinpublicschools;meaningful civil rightslegislation,
includingalawprohibitingracial discriminationinemployment;protectionof civil rightsworkersfrompolice brutality;a$2 minimumwage forall workers(equivalentto
$17 in2019); and self-governmentforWashington,D.C.,thengovernedbycongressional committee.Despite tensions,the marchwasa resoundingsuccess. More thana
quarterof a millionpeopleof diverse ethnicitiesattendedthe event,sprawlingfromthe stepsof the LincolnMemorial onto the National Mall andaroundthe reflecting
pool.Atthe time,itwasthe largestgatheringof protestersinWashington, D.C.'shistory.
I HAVE A DREAM
Kingdelivereda17-minute speech,laterknownas"IHave a Dream".In the speech'smostfamouspassage—inwhichhe departedfromhispreparedtext,possiblyatthe
promptingof MahaliaJackson,whoshoutedbehindhim, "Tellthemaboutthe dream!"- Kingsaid:
“Say to you today,my friends,so eventhoughwefacethe difficulties of today andtomorrow,Istill havea dream.Itis adream deeply rootedin the Americandream.
I havea dreamthatone day thisnationwill rise up andlive out the truemeaningof its creed: 'We holdthese truthstobe self-evident:thatall men arecreated equal.'
I havea dreamthatone day onthe red hills of Georgiathe sonsof formerslavesandthe sonsof formerslave ownerswill be ableto sit downtogetheratthetable of
brotherhood.

2. I havea dreamthatone day eventhe stateof Mississippi,a state swelteringwith theheat of injustice,swelteringwith the heat of oppression,willbe transformedintoan
oasisof freedomand justice.
I havea dreamthatmy fourlittle children will oneday live in a nationwherethey will notbe judgedby the colour of their skin butby the contentof their character.
I havea dreamtoday.
I havea dreamthatone day,downinAlabama,withitsvicious racists,with its governorhavinghislips drippingwiththe wordsof interpositionandnullification;oneday
right there in Alabama,little blackboysandblackgirls will beable to joinhandswithlittle white boysandwhitegirls as sisters andbrothers.
I havea dreamtoday.”
"I Have a Dream"came to be regardedas one of the finestspeechesinthe historyof Americanoratory.The March, andespeciallyKing'sspeech,helpedputcivil rightsat
the top of the agendaof reformersinthe UnitedStatesandfacilitatedpassage of the Civil RightsActof 1964.
ASSASINATIONOF MARTIN LUTHER KING
Martin LutherKingwas fatallyshotat the Lorraine Motel inMemphis,Tennessee,onApril 4,1968, at 6:01 p.m.The Kingfamilyandothersbelieve the assassinationwas
the resultof a conspiracy involvingthe U.S.government,MafiaandMemphispolice.TheybelievethatRaywas a scapegoat. King’swidow,Corettahaddifficultysettling
herchildrenwiththe newsthattheirfatherwasdeceased.She receivedalarge numberof telegrams,includingone from Lee HarveyOswald'smother,whichshe regarded
as the one that touchedherthe most,Senator RobertF.Kennedy,runningtogainthe presidentialnominationtorepresentthe DemocraticandPresident LyndonB.
Johnson.