Martin Luther King

It was December, 1955, and Martin Luther King, Jr. had just received his doctorate degree in theology（神学）. He had moved to Montgomery（ 蒙哥马利）, Alabama to preach at a Baptist church. He saw there, as in many other southern states, that African-Americans had to ride in the back of public buses. Dr. King knew that this law violated the rights of every African-American. He organized and led a boycott（联合抵制）of the public buses in the city of Montgomery. Any person, black or white, who was against segregation（种族隔离）refused to use public transportation. Those people who boycotted were threatened or attacked by other people, or even arrested or jailed by the police. After 382 Days of boycotting the bus system, the Supreme Court（最高）declared that the Alabama state segregation law was unconstitutional.

African-Americans were not only segregated on buses throughout the south. Equal housing was denied to them, and seating in many hotels and restaurants was refused.

In 1957, Dr. King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference（南

方教领导会议）and moved back to his home town of Atlanta, Georgia. This was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement（民权运动）. In the years following, he continued to organize non-violent protests against unequal treatment of African-American people. His philosophy remained peaceful, and he constantly reminded his followers that their fight would be victorious if they did not resort to bloodshed（流血）. Nonetheless（尽管如此）, he and his demonstrators were often threatened and attacked. Demonstrations which began peacefully often ended up in violence, and he and many others were often arrested.

On August 23, 1963, a crowd of more than 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. and marched to the Capitol Building（国会大厦）to support the passing of laws that guaranteed every American equal civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was at the front of the \"March on Washington.\" On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial（林肯纪念堂）that day, Dr. King delivered a speech that was later entitled \"I Have a Dream.\" The March was one of the largest gatherings of black and white people that the nation's capital had ever seen... and no violence occurred.

One year later, the Civil Rights Act（民权法案）of 19 was passed. It was not the first law of civil rights for Americans, but it was the most thorough and effective. The act guaranteed equal rights in housing, public facilities, voting and public schools. Everyone would have impartial hearings（申诉的机会）and jury trials. A civil rights commission would ensure that these laws were enforced. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and thousands of others now knew that they had not struggled in vain（徒劳）.

In the same year Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize for leading non-violent demonstrations.

In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while he was leading a workers' strike in Memphis, Tennessee. White people and black people who had worked so hard for peace and civil rights were shocked and angry. The world grieved the loss of this man of peace.

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 19 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 19, 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.)