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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Biography for Kids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. known for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-2-800x450.jpg\" "\\"What")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist and leader in the 1950s and 1960s in the southern United States. He believed in nonviolent, peaceful protest as a means to fight racial injustice. Dr. King was a powerful speaker, delivering many speeches to inspire others to join the movement. He survived several attacks on his life but was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where was Martin Luther King Jr. from?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-3-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Where")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Named after his father, Michael King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1934, his father changed his own name<\/a> to Martin Luther King Sr. and renamed his son Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954 and lived there for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was Martin Luther King Jr. married?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-4-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Was")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King Jr. married Coretta Scott in 1953. They had four children together: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. Coretta Scott King<\/a> spent her life continuing her husband’s fight for civil rights and preserving his legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did Martin Luther King Jr. become involved in the Civil Rights Movement?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-5-800x450.jpg\" "\\"How")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King’s father<\/a> was a pastor who regularly stood up to segregation in Atlanta and led a local march for Black voting rights in 1936. King followed in his father’s footsteps and became a pastor. While serving at a church in Alabama, King Jr. became a leader in the Civil Rights Movement through the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)<\/a> and led it through many civil rights protests and other activities in the years that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why did Martin Luther King Jr. believe in nonviolent protests?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-6-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Why")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n King was well-known for insisting civil rights activists protest peacefully, even when met by violence from those opposed to their movement. During a trip to India in 1959<\/a>, Dr. King learned about Mahatma Gandhi’s belief in nonviolent change. Other influences on Dr. King’s beliefs included Henry David Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did Rosa Parks know Martin Luther King Jr.?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-7-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Did")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Rosa Parks met Dr. King after her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. They worked together during the Montgomery Bus Boycott<\/a>, which was ultimately successful in desegregating the city’s transportation system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When did Martin Luther King Jr. give his “I Have a Dream” speech?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-8-800x450.jpg\" "\\"When")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n King gave his most famous speech<\/a> during the 1963 March on Washington. More than 250,000 civil rights supporters were in the audience as he spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many times was Martin Luther King Jr. arrested?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-9-800x450.jpg\" "\\"How")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Dr. King was arrested at least 29 times<\/a>, often on trumped-up charges. In 1960, a court in Atlanta sentenced him to four months of hard labor. Then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy intervened on his behalf and he was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did Martin Luther King Jr. win the Nobel Peace Prize?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-10-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Why")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize<\/a> “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” He accepted the award in the name of the thousands of people in the Civil Rights Movement, whom he called a \u201cmighty army of love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. die?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-12-800x450.jpg\" "\\"When")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was staying at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. As he stood on the balcony outside his room to speak to those gathered below, he was shot and killed<\/a>. Police arrested James Earl Ray, who was sentenced to a 99-year term in prison for the crime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day held?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-11-800x450.jpg\" "\\"When")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King Jr. Day, sometimes called MLK Day, is held on the third Monday in January each year in the United States. This falls on or close to his birthday, January 15. The federal holiday was approved by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and first observed in 1986.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is there a monument to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-13-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Is")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial<\/a> is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., at 1964 Independence Avenue S.W. (“1964” refers to the year the Civil Rights Act became law.) It officially opened in 2011 and includes a 30-foot statue and 450-foot-long Inscription Wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MLK-timeline-promo-800x450.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the most important dates and events in Dr. King’s life. Find a more detailed MLK timeline here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- January 15, 1929: Michael King, later known as Martin Luther King Jr., is born in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- August 6, 1946: The Atlanta Constitution<\/em> publishes King’s letter stating that black people \u201care entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- February 25, 1948: King is appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- June 18, 1953: Martin Luther King Jr. marries Coretta Scott in Alabama.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- September 1, 1954: King begins his pastorship at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott led in part by Dr. King.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- January 30, 1956: King’s home is bombed while he speaks at a meeting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- May 17, 1957: At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., King delivers his first national address, “Give Us the Ballot.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- September 20, 1958: During a book signing in Harlem, Izola Ware Curry stabs King with a letter opener. He survives the attack.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- April 16, 1963: King releases his famous “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- August 28, 1963: King gives his “I Have a Dream Speech” as part of the March on Washington.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- December 10, 1964: Dr. King receives the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- March 21-25, 1965: King and other civil rights activists lead a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- April 4, 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 39.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Martin Luther King Jr. Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Martin wasn\u2019t Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s real name.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-17-800x800.jpg\" "\\"MLK")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King Jr. first experienced segregation at just six years old.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-11-800x800.jpg\" "\\"MLK")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/9-9-800x800.jpg\" "\\"MLK")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n MLK was the youngest recipient at the time he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Activist Malala Yousafzai holds that honor today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get More Facts: 17 Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Facts To Share in the Classroom<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
His ability to inspire others with powerful words was one of Dr. King’s greatest attributes. Here are a few of our favorite quotes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Darkness](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-14-800x800.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Faith](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/4-14-800x800.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Forgiveness](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/9-13-800x800.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Love](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/12-13-800x800.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Everybody](\"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/15-10-800x800.jpg\" "\\"Martin")
We Are Teachers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Get More Quotes: 105 Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for the Classroom<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Videos for the Classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Learn about his life and hear him speak in these videos about Martin Luther King Jr. for kids and teens. (Please preview videos to ensure they’re appropriate for your intended audience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sesame Street: Martin Luther King Jr. Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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