Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a preacher and also a civil rights leader. He became well known for his efforts of equal justice for black Americans. Dr. King wanted equal treatment for all people. He was against people being judged because of the color of their skin. Dr. King was very articulate and graceful. He preached nonviolence resistance to unjust laws and practices. Nonviolence was a method he adopted from an Indian leader. As a result of his civil rights efforts, the following laws were passed; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Although Dr. King was always trying to help others, there were plenty of people who disliked him because of the stand he took for justice. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He had gone to Memphis, Tennessee to support the striking sanitation workers. Dr. King was murdered in 1968; however,it was not until 1983 when Congress voted to make his birthday, January 15, a national holiday (celebrated on the third Monday of the month.)
