Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, was a black 

pastor. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia

on 15 January, 1929. He was the leader of the Civil Rights
movement demanding equality for black people. Many Southern states in the
USA like Georgia, were segregated in the 1950s: black children couldn’t go to
the same schools as whites; Blacks and Whites couldn’t sit in the same
bus seats, theatres or use the same public toilets. King believed that was
wrong.

In December 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman, was on a bus in Montgomery,

Alabama. A white man demanded her seat and she refused. She was arrested.
King, who was working in Montgomery, led a black protest. For a year, black
people refused to use the buses. Finally, segregation on the buses was declared
illegal.

Dr King was now famous and he continued with many other protests. Some

white people supported him, but many opposed him. His house was bombed.

In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. But he continued to have enemies

and on April 4, 1968 he was assassinated. Ironically, the death of this non-
violent man provoked riots all over America.
a dream = un rêve
happily = joyeusement, avec bonheur
a pastor = un pasteur
to demand = exiger
equality = égalité
Southern states = Etats du Sud
a seat = un siège
to lead, led, led = diriger
famous = célèbre
to support someone = soutenir quelqu'un
the Nobel Peace Prize = le prix Nobel de la Paix
riots = des affrontements

December 1st 1955: Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to let her seat to a white man.
The police were called and Mrs. Parks was arrested.
Then Martin Luther King decided boycottingto boycott the bus company.
Pluriel, car ici, "the police" est mis pour les policiers, et non pour l'institution de
la police.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.He was an
African American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the American civil rights
movement.He made progress to secure civil rights in the United States.King became a
civil rights activist early in his career.He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.King's
efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his famous “I Have a
Dream” speech.In 1964, King became the youngest person to achieve the Nobel Peace
Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination.King was
assassinated on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was
established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.The holiday is celebrated on the Monday
following the day of his birthday He was one of the great leaders in American history.

1. Biography
Martin Luther King Junior (originally Michael Luther King Junior) was born in Atlanta (Georgia), on
January 15, 1929. His mother, Alberta King, was a schoolteacher and his father, Martin Luther King,
was a Baptist minister.
King studied theology and received his Doctorate degree in 1953. Nearly a year after, he moved
to Montgomery (Alabama) to preach at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, with his newly-wed wife,
Coretta Scott.

2. The Civil Rights Movement

At this time, Black ("colored") people had not the same rights as other people. They were
denied the right to vote, to decent housing, to sit elsewhere than at the back of the buses...

a. Boycott and first legal victory

An event would lead King to create the Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955, a Black

seamstress, Rosa Parks, refused to give her seat to a white person on a bus and was arrested. King

organised the boycott of the public buses in Montgomery. The people who refused segregation

were attacked or threatened. On January 30, 1956 King's house was bombed.

After one year of boycotting the bus system, the Supreme Court declared that the Alabama state

segregation law was unconstitutional. That was a great legal victory but it took many years before

things really changed.

In 1957, for instance, President Eisenhower had to call 1,000 soldiers to escort 9 Black students and

restore order in the previously all-White Central High in Little Rock (Arkansas). In 1962, two people
were killed and many more injured as James Meredith was enrolled as the first Black at the University

of Mississippi!

b. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference

In 1957, Black ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King became its

President. The aim of the SCLC was to fight against segregation: this was the beginning of the Civil

Rights Movement.

After a year of travelling and demonstrating across the country, King continued to organise non-

violent protests against unequal treatment. Contrary to Malcolm X who encouraged people to be

violent, King advocated peace.

In 1958, King published his first book, Stride Toward Freedom, which deals with his recollections of

the Montgomery bus boycott.

c. "I have a dream" speech

On August 23, 1963, 250,000 people gathered in Washington D.C and marched to the Capitol

Building to support the passing of laws that guaranteed every American equal civil rights. From the

steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his "I have a dream" speech.
3. Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King's assassination
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act which guaranteed equal rights in housing, public facilities, voting and
public education, was passed. That year, King received the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated by James Earl Ray. His death did not slow down the
Civil Rights Movement. His widow, Coretta, continued to fight for freedom with Black and White
people.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan declared the third Monday in January a federal legal holiday
commemorating Martin Luther King's birthday. King is the only Afro-American to have a legal
holiday in America.