BiographyMartin Luther King Jr.: life and legacy
Overview
King emerged from the Montgomery bus boycott as a national leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Campaigns in Birmingham, Selma and elsewhere used mass nonviolent action to challenge segregation and voting exclusion. Before his assassination he increasingly addressed poverty, labour rights and the Vietnam War.
Life and career
King emerged from the Montgomery bus boycott as a national leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Campaigns in Birmingham, Selma and elsewhere used mass nonviolent action to challenge segregation and voting exclusion. Before his assassination he increasingly addressed poverty, labour rights and the Vietnam War.
Key events
1929: Born. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. 20th Century: Historical career. US civil-rights leader who linked nonviolent protest to racial and economic justice.
1968: Died. Martin Luther King Jr. died in 1968.
Historical context
Martin Luther King Jr.'s career belongs within Civil Rights. Civil-rights change came from long local organising, litigation, direct action and federal politics. Famous leadership should not erase women organisers, students, workers and community institutions. The central subjects here are the events behind this summary: US civil-rights leader who linked nonviolent protest to racial and economic justice.