55 Years Ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Changed the World

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 101

In case it's been a while since your last social studies or history class, here's a (super) quick bio of Dr. King: Born in Atlanta in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was the son of an American Baptist minister. He followed in his father's footsteps and ultimately earned his doctorate in theology from Boston University.

Dr. King led the American Civil Rights Movement for 13 years, from December 1955 until his death on April 4, 1968. He is widely respected for his integrity, unwavering commitment to achieving legal equality for African Americans, and the significant strides made toward that goal under his leadership. Dr. King truly believed that all men and women everywhere, regardless of skin color, creed, or socioeconomic status were equal, and in addition to the Civil Rights Movement, he fought for causes such as poverty, oppression, and international conflict, including apartheid in South Africa.

Along with his faith, he was inspired by Gandhi's teachings, and King's use of peaceful protests, grassroots efforts, and powerful words instead of weapons distinguished him from other leaders. He was then and is now considered one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in the history of the world. (The Civil Rights Act of 1957 only addressed voter interference and fraud, not segregation.)

The Civil Rights Movement 101

It seems unfathomable that only 50 years ago, it was against the law for African Americans to drink from the same fountains, use the same restrooms, eat in the same restaurants, go to the same schools, stay in the same hotels, live in many of the same towns, or sit in the same section of the bus as white Americans. Bus segregation (ahem, Rosa Parks) was actually THE issue that ignited the Civil Rights Movement, and King's leadership began when he was recruited as the Montgomery Bus Boycott Spokesperson. A year later, the Supreme Court ruled segregated buses unconstitutional, beginning the end of the 1896 "separate but equal" ruling.

Side note: In 24 out of 50 states, interracial marriage was also against the law. That changed in 1958 when the ACLU fought the case of Virginia newlyweds Richard and Mildred Loving all the way to the Supreme Court and won, making them the first couple to ever do either. In 2000, Alabama was the last state to take the (unenforceable) law off the books.

The March on Washington

With tensions high and the fight long, the 1963 "March on Washington" (officially the March for Jobs and Freedom), was organized by the "Big Six" civil rights groups and scheduled for August 28...a full century after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The one-mile march went from the Washington Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial and had over 250,000 participants who became King's audience.

"I Have a Dream" Speech Trivia

• King admitted that The March on Washington wasn't the first time he'd used his "dream" language, or even the tenth…he'd used it in several minor speeches previously.
• Wyatt Walker, Dr. King's adviser, actually suggested he not use any of "that dream stuff" during the March on Washington because it was "trite" and "cliché." (Um…)
• Even with input from others and his advisers Stanley Levison and Clarence Jones writing the first draft, King was up until 4:00 AM the night before working on the speech. (Proving that all-nighters really can result in some of your best work.)
• The first draft, "Normalcy—Never Again," contained zero references to King's dreams.
• President Kennedy watched the speech from the White House and commented, "He's damned good."

And Now, Portions of the Actual "I Have a Dream" Speech*

Initially following what he'd prepared, King spoke with the booming eloquence he was so well known for. Then, halfway through his 17-minute speech, famous gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson, a friend of Dr. King's, implored him to "Tell 'em about the 'Dream,' Martin." So he did.

*PLEASE NOTE: The following was excerpted from the actual video footage and transcripts of Dr. King's speech, then verified for accuracy with the National Archive Files. Although the written text of the speech was distributed to the general public, it is still copyrighted 1963 by Martin Luther King, Jr. (and his heirs) and protected under applicable copyright laws, so it is being used strictly for educational purposes in the interest of furthering Dr. King's dream of equality for all. The speech in its entirety can be listened to at NPR here.

"I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. And some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." and the desire to "transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 'interposition' and 'nullification'–one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

"This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

"And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"

After the Speech and Dr. King's Tragic End

In January 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. was named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1963, becoming the first African American recipient in history. It was his second time on the cover; the first being a 1957 article on his role in the Montgomery bus boycott that paled a bit in comparison to Time's seven-page tribute that included several photos of his career highlights and pivotal moments.

In October of the same year, at the age of 35, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Civil Rights and Social Justice, becoming the youngest man to ever receive the prize. He donated the entire $54,123 prize to the civil rights movement.

In July 1964, Dr. King and other civil rights activists witnessed President John F. Kennedy sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which guaranteed equal employment for all, allowed federal authorities to enforce the integration of public facilities, and put limits on voter literacy tests. Between 1964 and 1969, the civil rights political climates were especially violent, with Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, Malcom X's assassination in February 1965, Alabama's "Bloody Sunday" in March 1965, the assassination of Dr. King in Memphis on April 4, 1968, and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy two months later on June 6.

We've come a long way since 1968, but we still have a long way to go…be kind to each other.

Read more by Beth Clark