Today we honor the life, work, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Time magazine's 1963 "Man of the Year" worked for justice and equality throughout his short life. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on a motel balcony in Memphis. Four days after King's death, Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) proposed the establishment of a holiday in honor of King. The King Center, which was founded in 1968 by the late Coretta Scott King, organized a commemoration on January 15 1969, and for several years, various groups and individuals petitioned Congress to declare a holiday in memory of King. In 1973, Illinois became the first state to pass a King Holiday bill. The federal holiday was not signed into law until 1983, and was first observed in 1986. At that time, 17 states had been celebrating the King Holiday, and by 1989, 44 states had declared the holiday. In 1994, the mission of the day was expanded to include community service, interracial cooperation, and youth anti-violence initiatives. In 1999, New Hampshire became the last state to adopt the holiday.*

Ordained as a minister at 19 and educated at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was influenced by the Social Gospel, which applies biblical teachings to social problems, and Gandhi, who advocated and practiced nonviolence.** While working as Pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, he was elected President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1956 he and others were indicted "on the charge of being party to a conspiracy to hinder and prevent the operation of business without 'just or legal cause.'" That was only one of thirty arrests for his efforts on behalf of civil rights.***

King is probably most famous for the often cited "I Have a Dream" speech, which he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; however, his work extends far beyond the August 28, 1963, March on Washington. To learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., take a look at The King Center website. You will find a biography and chronology of King's life, as well as links, information about the holiday, and information about the work of the center. Another good site is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. This site is especially helpful to educators, as it includes lesson plans and classroom resources, as well as quotations, a King encyclopedia, information about lectures and programs, a bibliography, and the opportunity to purchase publications. A few of King's speeches are available free on this site.

Here at the library, we have numerous books about Dr. King. The most recent, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years 1965-1968, by Taylor Branch, was named one of Amazon.com's Top 50 Editor's Picks of 2006; a top 10 history book by editors and customers at Amazon.com; and one of New York Times’ 100 Notable Books for 2006. The book is the third in a trilogy. The first, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63, received the Pulitzer Prize. We also have Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65. These books combine for over two thousand pages of information about Martin Luther King, Jr. You can find other (and shorter) books, by doing a subject browse for King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968. To read about the Civil Rights Movement in general, you can do a subject browse for Civil Rights Movements -- United States -- History -- 20th Century.

If you are particularly interested in King's speeches, visit the Music, Arts, and Media Department, where you will find The Speeches of Martin Luther King. We also have a documentary titled In Remembrance of Martin, which includes comments from family, friends, classmates, advisors, and public figures, as well as archival footage of King. You can also visit the American Rhetoric website, on which the "I Have a Dream" speech is one of the most requested speeches.

*"The King Holiday: A Chronology," The King Center, http://www.thekingcenter.org/holiday/chronology.pdf.
**Hendrick, George and Willene Hendrick, Why Not Every Man?: African Americans and CIivil Disobedience in the Quest for the Dream (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2005), 187-204.
***"Chronology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," The King Center, http://www.thekingcenter.org/mlk/chronology.html; "Biographical Outline of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," The King Center, http://www.thekingcenter.org/mlk/bio.html.