Martin Luther King Jr.

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Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the worlds best known non-violent peace protestors, was Martin Luther King Jr. Born on January 15, 1929, Martin became an idol to many. With his peaceful protests and non-violent boycotts, he changed the lives of all African Americans living in the United States at the time. With the help of his many supporters and followers, Martin brought freedom to the African Americans, who were being unfairly treated and respected. Even after his house was bombed and after he was physically assaulted, he still followed his peaceful ways of protesting. On April 4, 1968, while seeking to assist a garbage workers strike in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. After his death Martin was remembered as a symbol for African American civil rights.

One of the biggest and most accomplished acts of Martin Luther King Jr. was the bus boycott. On December 5, 1955, a few days after Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refused to obey the city's rules on segregation of buses, a boycott was launched by black residents.

Martin was elected as president of this newly-formed Montgomery Improvement Association. During 1956, his house was bombed and he was convicted on charges of conspiring to interfere with the bus company's operations. In December, 1956, all the work had paid off, Montgomery buses were rid of segregation.

Martin Luther King Jr. also led many marches of protest. One of the most famous was to Washington D.C. in August 28, 1963. More than 250,000 protesters were attracted. Martin Luther King addressed the "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This speech was considered one of his most famous and is still remembered to this day.

Martin Luther King Jr. and his staff also guided mass demonstrations...