Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led the modern American Civil Rights Movement from December 1955 until his assassination in April 1968. He is regarded as the foremost advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world. While others advocated for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Dr. King used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests and grassroots organizing, to achieve his goals. He led campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always standing by the principle that all men and women, regardless of color or creed, are equal. His “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most memorable and most revered speeches in history.  Students and scholars worldwide study Dr. King’s accomplishments. He is the only non-president in this country to have a national holiday in his honor and a memorial on the Great Mall in Washington, DC.