Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

1929-01-15 – 1968-04-04

Leader of the Civil Rights Movement and champion of nonviolent resistance.

civil rightsnonviolenceorator

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most prominent leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence, he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and campaigns across the South. His "I Have a Dream" speech (1963) is one of the most iconic in American history. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and assassinated in Memphis in 1968.