Martin Luther King Jr. DayBCNC Foundations 3

Summary of the Holiday The 3rd Monday in January President Ronald Reagan (40th president)

made it a national holiday in 1983 First celebrated in 1986 Honors Martin Luther King Jr., one of the

most important people who fought for black civil rights.• Right (n): something that you are morally, legally,

or officially allowed to do or have• Civil rights (n): the rights that every person should

have (such as being treated fairly by the law)

Black History in America America has a history of racism

against black people. They were originally brought to the US

from Africa as slaves.• Slave (n): someone who is forced to work for

no money or benefits. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln

freed the slaves. Black people continued to gain more

rights, but still were not equal.

Segregation In the mid-1900s,

people began to fight against segregation.

Segregation is the separation of races.

Whites and blacks went to separate schools, restaurants, and even rode different buses

White and black schools in the 1950s

MLK Jr. MLK Jr. was a reverend (church

leader) He became a leader in the fight for

civil rights He was peaceful and did not use

violence He and other civil rights activists

created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)• “Not one hair of one head of one person

should be harmed.”

Example of Nonviolent Protest The Montgomery Bus

Boycott• Boycott (n, v): when you

don’t use a service or give money to a business because you disagree with something about it

King and others boycotted the Montgomery bus system for 381 days.• This created big financial

problems for businesses 1956: segregation on

buses becomes illegal

King Was a Great SpeakerHere are some quotes:

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

August 28th, 1963 The biggest demonstration in

American history• 300,000 people came to Washington DC

King gave his most famous speech (“I have a dream”)

This demonstration helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964

King’s Death On the evening of

April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of a hotel

The killer was James Earl Ray, a convict and known racist

Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison and died in 1998

Racism in America Racism is still a

problem in the world and in America.

However, thanks to people like MLK Jr., the problem is getting smaller.