Famous Heroes: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King got a job as a pastor in 1954.

Martin finished high school two years early!

Martin got assassinated in 1968.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin had an older sister named Willie Christine, and a younger brother named Alfred Daniel. Martin's dad was a pastor, and his mom was a teacher.

One day young Martin was playing with his friends and found out two of them couldn't play with him anymore because he was black and they were white. Martin didn't like that. There were also "White Only Signs" hanging in many businesses. The signs meant that only white people could go to those stores or businesses. He didn't like that either.

Martin learned to read before he could go to school! Martin finished high school 2 years earlier than usual. When he was 15 he entered college!

Martin decided he wanted to be a minister. When he graduated he studied for a doctorate. While he was studying he met Coretta Scott. They fell in love and got married.

Pastor In 1954 Martin got a job as a pastor in Alabama. Just that next year in 1955 Rosa Parks got arrested because she was sitting on a white only section of a bus and she refused to move.

Martin started a boycott. Black people throughout the city stopped taking the bus. Martin said, "There comes a time when people get tired of Bomb being kicked about."

One night Martin had a meeting at his house. Then someone threw a bomb into his house. The people at the meeting wanted to fight. Martin told them to go home peacefully, "We must love our white brothers. We must meet hate with love."

In 1960 Martin moved back to Atlanta. He continued to lead marches for freedom.

In 1963 Martin led the biggest march of all. In his speech he said, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

In 1964 Martin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. White only signs were against the law.

In 1968 Martin was assassinated by a man named James Earl Ray. Martin's grave had the words, "I'm free at last," inscribed on it.

(The photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King is copyrighted and used with the permission of the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel. See Citations page for details.)