Protests
1955-1956
One of Martin Luther King Jr.’s first protests
was the Bus Boycott. It began in Montgomery, Alabama in the year 1955. It was
begun after an African-American woman by the name of Rosa Parks (pictured) was
arrested on December 1 for refusing to give up her seat to a white person. Martin Luther King, Jr. was asked to be
president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), the movement in
charge of the boycott. Through
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, an effectively organized car pool, the bombing
of the King house, sentencing and conviction of 100 MIA leaders for organizing
an illegal boycott, the Montgomery bus boycott continued strong. On December 21, 1956, the boycott ended
when the Montgomery busses gave in to the Supreme Court’s decision that
segregated busses was illegal.
1958-1961
In 1958, a deranged woman stabbed Martin Luther King Jr in the chest with a letter opener. On January 31, 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr. said good-bye to his congregation in Montgomery and he and his family moved to Atlanta where he finally became a co-pastor at Ebenezer Church with his father and where he could work more closely with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This organization was a council of black protesters who would advise and promote black protest groups. One of their ideas, Freedom Riders, was to have volunteers ride interstate busses to test the laws that said that segregation was unconstitutional. Throughout the south, the freedom riders rode buses, were abused by Klu Klux Klan members, and bombed. Eventually, the federal government had to send troops to protect the freedom riders.
1963-
1964
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested with other ministers in Birmingham, Alabama while leading marchers who were demanding better jobs. The police officers then took fire hoses and turned them on at the African-American citizens. There were about 1,300 marchers. Newspapers and television news covered the marchers and the apparent abuse by the hands of the Birmingham police. Pressured by business leaders, Birmingham city officials finally declared an end to segregation.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. went to
Washington D.C. President Kennedy
was planning to announce a bill that would end all segregation in all public
places. To show their support, the
“March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” was planned. A quarter of a million people
attended, and there, King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. The
following year was proof of Martin Luther King Jr’s fight without violence had
prevailed. Time Magazine named him
Man
of the Year , the civil rights bill was passed, and he received the
Nobel
Peace Prize.
Assassination
1968
In 1968, Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr. was planning several demonstrations to make people aware
of the terrible conditions that the poor endured. During one of his trips to Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther
King, Jr. was assassinated. His killer was a man named James Earl Ray. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination was a tragic event that
caused violence in over one hundred cities and the rioting of many citizens all
over the country. At least 10,000 people took part in a Seattle rally to honor
his memory.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of America’s most influential African-American citizens. He changed the country for the better, and America will surely never have another man like him.
To Return to Timeline Index