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Early Life. In 1954, Martin Luther King becomes a Pastor at the Baptist church in Montgomery Alabama. He also heads a committee to promote African American rights and to look into arrests. Montgomery Bus Boycott. March 1955 – Claudette Colvin
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Early Life • In 1954, Martin Luther King becomes a Pastor at the Baptist church in Montgomery Alabama. • He also heads a committee to promote African American rights and to look into arrests.
Montgomery Bus Boycott • March 1955 – Claudette Colvin • December 1955 – Rosa Parks refuses to take a seat at the back of the bus. • Results in arrest.
Montgomery • Martin Luther King organizes a boycott which lasts a year. • Takes the Parks case to Supreme Court where it is ruled that Alabama law is unconstitutional.
He was arrested and chose to spend two weeks in Jail. • This brought national awareness to the Boycott. • “I was proud of my crime. It was the crime of joining my people in a nonviolent protest against injustice.”
In the end, African Americans won the right to sit anywhere on public transit. • Boycott ended on Dec 20, 1956. • Martin Luther King jr becomes a national hero.
Sit ins • Restaurants were also segregated • Many would not serve African Americans. • The sit in movement was led by students that would occupy resturants and refuse to leave. • This led to many arrests
Birmingham • Highly segregated city • African Americans could not have jobs that involved contact with whites. • To protest, a boycott of those stores was enacted and sit ins were used to disrupt business.
Birmingham • Use of Children in protest • Eugene “the bull” Connor orders use of fire hoses and dogs to quell protesters including children. • "The Civil Rights movement should thank God for Bull Connor. He's helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln." JFK
To gather more attention for the movement, Martin Luther King led a March on Good Friday and was also arrested. • After pressure from the media and the president, King was released. • May 8th, business removed segregation policies and Jim Crow laws signs.
March on Washington • On August 28th 1963, 250,000 protestors converged on Washington D.C • They wanted to ensure that Kennedy's new civil rights act was passed • They also wanted equality in law and employment. • Martin Luther King delivered the “I have a Dream Speech.”