"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
1929 born January 15
1948 ordained to the Baptist ministry, at age 19
1953 marries Coretta Scott and settles in Montgomery, Alabama
1955 receives Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University
1955 joins the bus boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1; on December 5, he is elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, making him the official spokesman for the boycott
--> On November 13, the Supreme Court rules that bus segregation is illegal, ensuring victory for the boycott.
1957 forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights
--> 1958: The U.S. Congress passed the first Civil Rights Act since reconstruction.
1959 visits India to study Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence
--> In November 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission bans segregation in interstate travel due to work of MLK and the Freedom Riders.
1963 on April 13th, launches the Birmingham Campaign; writes "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
--> On May 10, 1963, the Birmingham agreement is announced. The stores, restaurants, and schools will be desegregated, hiring of blacks implemented, and charges dropped.
1963 leads the march on Washington on August 28th; delivers "I have a dream" speech
1964 receives the Nobel Peace Prize
1966 moves into a Chicago slum tenement to attract attention to the living conditions of the poor; initiates a campaign to end discrimination in housing, employment, and schools
1968 dies from a fatal gunshot in Memphis, Tennessee
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
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