MLK notes

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)

Prominent leader in the American civil rights movement, born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that legalized racial segregation in the United States.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld state laws requiring racial segregation under the doctrine of 'separate but equal.'

Emancipation Proclamation

An announcement by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring all slaves in Confederate states to be free.

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight for the abolition of segregation and discrimination.

Gandhi's Influence

MLK was inspired by Gandhi's nonviolent approach to social change.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist known for refusing to give up her bus seat, her actions led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Children's Crusade

A series of protests in Birmingham in 1963 where children marched for civil rights, facing violent opposition.

I Have a Dream Speech

A famous speech by MLK delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.

The Freedom Riders

Groups of civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to challenge segregated public transportation.

Violence in Los Angeles (1965)

Riots stemming from police mistreatment and neglect of the Black community, resulting in severe property damage and loss of life.

Black Panther Party

A militant organization that believed in using violence as a means of achieving civil rights and social justice.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation signed into law that aimed to eliminate various barriers to voting for African Americans.

James Earl Ray

Assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. who was arrested and later confessed to the crime.

Coretta Scott King

MLK’s wife and civil rights activist who continued the fight for equality after his assassination.

Nonviolence

MLK's fundamental belief that justice can be achieved through peaceful means rather than violence.

Malcolm X

A civil rights leader who advocated for Black empowerment and unity, often critiquing nonviolent strategies.

Selma to Montgomery marches

Protests aimed at securing voting rights for African Americans, marked by the violent events of Bloody Sunday.