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Martin Luther King Jr. is born.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Major Events
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King begins his first semester at Morehouse College at the age of 15.
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King receives his bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College.
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King begins his graduate studies in systematic theology at Boston University
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King and Coretta Scott are married in Alabama.
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King is awarded his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University
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Rosa Parks is arrested during the bus incident in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Martin Luther King leads the Montgomery Bus Boycotts
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King's house in Montgomery is bombed
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King gives the speech "The Most Durable Power"
“Let no man pull you as low as to hate him.” (The Most Durable Power). -
King helped found the SCLC (Souther Christian Leadership Conference) and was the first president of the conference.
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King writes an article named "Nonviolence and Racial Justice" and later gives it as a speech at the Friends General Conference Meeting.
“True peace is not merely the absence of some negative force- tension, confusion or war; it is the presence of some positive force - justice, goodwill and brotherhood.” (Nonviolence and Racial Justice). “The method of nonviolence is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice" (Nonviolence and Racial Justice). -
King is stabbed my Izola Curry, a mentally ill African American woman
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King goes to India and later writes an article "My Trip to the Land of Gandhi" to highlight the similarities and differences between the Indian and North American nonviolent movements.
“True nonviolent resistance is not unrealistic submission to evil power. It is rather a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love.” (My Trip to the Land of Gandhi) -
King led the Albany Movement - an unsuccessful protest of segregation in Albany, Georgia.
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King writes "Letter from Birmingham City Jail"
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King gives his infamous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
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King leads the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, one of the largest political rallies in American history.
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King gives his speech "Eulogy for the Martyred Children" after the bombing at 16th Baptist Street Church in Birmingham Alabama where four girls were killed by Robert Chambliss and his co-conspirators.
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King is named the "Man of the Year" by TIME Magazine
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King receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent methods to racial violence in America.
“I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time -- the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression.” (Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech) -
King writes the article "Negroes are Not Moving Too Fast"
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King leads a march from Montgomery, Alabama, to Selma, Alabama.
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King gives the speech "Our God is Marching On"
“I know you are asking today, ‘How long will it take?’ I come to say to you this afternoon however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth pressed to the earth will rise again.” -
King writes the article "Next Stop: North"
“Nonviolence is a powerful demand for reason and justice. If it is rudely rebuked it is not transformed into resignation and passivity.” (Next Stop: The North) -
King writes an article named "Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom"
“Not a single person has been killed in a nonviolent demonstration.” -
King gives the speech "A Time to Break Silence" on how the Vietnam War affects the Civil Rights Movement.
“A time comes when silence is betrayal.” -
King organized the "Poor People's Campaign" in an attempt to gain justice for lower class citizens of America.
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King presents his sermon "The Drum Major Instinct"
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King gives the speech "I See the Promised Land"
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a change later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great movement there. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I’m so happy I didn’t sneeze." (I See the Promised Land) -
King is assassinated on the balcony of his motel room.
