Martin Luther King
                     MARTIN 
LUTHER KING
Introduction
Martin Luther King Jr. was a 
Baptist minister and civil-rights 
activist who had a seismic impact 
on race relations in the United 
States, beginning in the mid-
1950s. 
Source: www.biography.com
Early Life
Born as Michael King Jr. on 
January 15, 1929, Martin Luther 
King Jr. was the middle child of 
Michael King Sr. and Alberta 
Williams King. 
The King and Williams families 
had roots in rural Georgia. Martin 
Jr.'s grandfather, A.D. Williams, 
was a rural minister for years and 
then moved to Atlanta in 1893. 
Source: www.biography.com
Education 
In 1948, King earned a sociology 
degree from Morehouse College 
and attended the liberal Crozer 
Theological Seminary in Chester, 
Pennsylvania. 
He thrived in all his studies, and 
was valedictorian of his class in 
1951, and elected student body 
president. 
Source: www.biography.com
Spiritual Growth
During his last year in seminary, 
King came under the guidance of 
Morehouse College President 
Benjamin E. Mays who influenced 
King’s spiritual development. 
Source: www.biography.com
The Montgomery Bus 
Boycott
On March 2, 1955, a 15-year-old 
girl refused to give up her seat to 
a white man on a Montgomery 
city bus in violation of local law. 
Activists formed the Montgomery 
Improvement Association to 
boycott the transit system and 
chose King as their leader.
Source: www.biography.com
The Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference
Recognizing the need for a mass 
movement to capitalize on the 
successful Montgomery action, 
King set about organizing the 
Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference (SCLC), which gave 
him a base of operation 
throughout the South, as well as 
a national platform from which to 
speak.
Source: www.britannica.com
The Letter From The 
Birmingham Jail
King was jailed along with large 
numbers of his supporters, 
including hundreds of 
schoolchildren. 
From the Birmingham jail, King 
wrote a letter of great eloquence 
in which he spelled out his 
philosophy of nonviolence.
Source: www.britannica.com
Demand for equal justice
On August 28, 1963, an 
interracial assembly of more than 
200,000 gathered peaceably in 
the shadow of the Lincoln 
Memorial to demand equal 
justice for all citizens under the 
law. 
Source: www.britannica.com
Challenges Of The Final Years
King organized an initial march 
from Selma to the state capitol 
building in Montgomery but did 
not lead it himself. 
The marchers were turned back 
by state troopers with nightsticks 
and tear gas.
Source: www.britannica.com
Historical Significance
In the years after his death, King 
remained the most widely known 
African American leader of his 
era. 
His stature as a major historical 
figure was confirmed by the 
successful campaign to establish 
a national holiday in his honour 
in the United States.
Source: www.britannica.com