NAME_________________________________ DATE________________

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

THE EARLY YEARS

(1929-1968)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta,
Georgia. He was the third child born to Martin, Sr. and Alberta King. His
father was the minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Martin Luther King, Jr.s
parents taught him to treat other people with respect. Dr. King was a very
good student in school. He loved to read and learn. Dr. King attended
Morehouse College in Atlanta. He graduated from college in 1948. Dr. King
went to Crozer Theological Seminary to study to become a minister. Then he
went to Boston University to earn his doctorate degree. He met his wife,
Coretta, while he was at Boston University. They were married in 1953. Dr.
and Mrs. King moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he became the
minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Dr. King supported Rosa Parks
when she was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus to a white man.
The black people in Montgomery did not ride the bus for 381 days, until the
United States Supreme Court ruled that black people did not have to sit on the
back of the bus.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Where did Dr. King meet his wife, Coretta?

a. in Atlanta, Georgia
b. at Boston University
c. at Morehouse College
d. in Montgomery, Alabama

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2. What did Dr. Kings parents teach him?

a. to be a minister
b. to play the piano
c. to treat other people with respect
d. to be a writer

3. Where did Dr. King study to become a minister?

a. Boston University
b. Morehouse College
c. The University of Georgia
d. Crozer Theological Seminary

4. Why did people in Montgomery refuse to ride the bus?

a. because Dr. King did not preach
b. because they felt Rosa Parks was unfairly arrested
c. because the bus drivers quit
d. none of these

5. Where did Dr. and Mrs. King move to when he became the pastor of
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
a. Atlanta, Georgia
b. Montgomery, Alabama
c. New York, New York
d. Boston, Massachusetts

6. According to the article, ______.

a. Dr. King was a good student.
b. Dr. King was born in New York, New York.
c. Dr. King studied to become a dentist.
d. none of these

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Dr. King believed that all people were equal. It did not matter what
color their skin was or where they were from. He wanted all people to
be treated with respect. A group of people formed the Southern
Leadership Conference in 1957. The group wanted to help blacks to be
treated more fairly. Dr. King was elected as the president of this group.
A march was held in Washington, D.C. in front of the Lincoln
Memorial. There were 37,000 people at this march. Dr. King became a
leader of the civil rights movement in America after this march. The
United States government began to listen to Dr. King. They formed
committees to investigate the problems of racism. Dr. King went to
many towns and cities to speak. He wrote a book, Stride Toward
Freedom. Many people liked his book.
Dr. King went to India to study nonviolence. This was the protest style
of Mohandas Gandhi. Dr. King returned to Atlanta after his trip. He
continued to go to marches and demonstrations. He was often arrested
for leading marches and demonstrations, but he believed in what he
was doing. Gradually, more and more Americans came to agree with
him.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Why did Dr. King go to India? _______________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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2. What did Dr. King believe about people? ______________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

3. Why was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference formed?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

4. What was the name of Dr. Kings book? _______________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

5. When did Dr. King become a leader of the civil rights movement in
America? ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

6. What often happened to Dr. King when he went to demonstrations and

marches? ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

THE LATER YEARS

Dr. Kings famous I Have A Dream speech was given on August 28, 1963, in
Washington D.C. It was the 100th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
Act, which had freed the slaves. Dr. King spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
There were over 200,000 people there to hear Dr. King speak. Some of the people
were black and some were white. This speech changed the way some Americans felt
about the civil rights movement. In 1964, Dr. King was honored for his work with the
civil rights movement. He won the Nobel Peace Prize. He divided the $54,000 prize
among several civil rights movement organizations. President Lyndon Johnson
signed the Civil Rights Act into law in 1965. It stated that people could not be
discriminated against because of their race, color, or national origin. Dr. King
continued to work with the civil rights movement. He gave many speeches and
visited cities and towns.
In April 1968, Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee, to help sanitation workers with
a strike. He gave his last speech on April 4, 1968. He was killed as he stood on a
hotel balcony. America was saddened by his death. His funeral was held in Atlanta
on April 9, 1968. Dr. King was buried in Atlanta, Georgia.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Why do you think Dr. King gave his I Have a Dream speech on
August 28, 1963? _________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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2. What is the Civil Rights Act?________________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

3. Why was Dr. King given the Nobel Peace Prize? _________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

4. Why did Dr. King go to Memphis? ___________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

5. Where is Dr. King buried? __________________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

6. What did Dr. King do after the Civil Rights Act was signed into
law?___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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DR. KING WORD SEARCH

M O N T G O M E R Y F S R H O
D J N O P G G S F I O E C A R
D A R E T S I N I M J R C Y O
E T E X T G P A G H A N D I Q
W T O R H K N N T M P R I Z E
S E D U C A T I O N H M T H B
S R V P E L S S H Q A R E Z W
T O C E E N E O J S A L R M L
H C S A P Y T E Q U A L T O N
G Y D C S B O W R G I W I A A
I E Z E I D R E A M O B Z B G
R S T V A V P E B D O S T B O
Q L K F P T I L C Z O S H M D
O V P N K Z K L Q W Z G U M F

ATLANTA DREAM LEADER MEMPHIS PROTEST RIGHTS

CIVIL EDUCATION MARCH PEACE RACE SPEECH
CORETTA EQUAL MINISTER PRIZE READ WASHINGTON

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DR. KING WORD UNSCRAMBLE

UNSCRAMBLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS.

1. INMART _______________________________________________

2. TTOACRE ______________________________________________

3. TECPSER ______________________________________________

4. ECAEP ______________________________________________

5. OVEETMNM ____________________________________________

6. IZPRE ______________________________________________

7. LTANATA ______________________________________________

8. MEADR _____________________________________________

9. LAQEU _____________________________________________

10. HSEECP _____________________________________________

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DR. KING CROSSWORD PUZZLE

2 3 4

8 9

10

Across
2. Dr. King's first name
6. I Have A Dream was a _____ by Dr. King.
7. Dr. King won the Nobel Peace __.
8. city where Dr. King was born.
10. Dr. King believed all people were __.
Down
1. Dr. King believed in ___.
3. Dr. King's parents taught him to ___ other people.
4. First name of Dr. King's wife
5. city where Dr. King was killed.
9. Dr. King was a __ of the civil rights movement.

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WRITING ACTIVITY

WRITE ABOUT DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

_____________________________________________________________
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ANSWERS
PAGES 1-2: 1. b
2. c
3. d
4. b
5. b
6. a

PAGES 3-4: 1. to study Gandhis teachings of nonviolence

2. that all people are equal
3. to help blacks be treated equally
4. Stride Toward Freedom
5. after the march in Washington
6. He was arrested.

PAGES 5-6: 1. It was the 100th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

2. A law that states people cant be discriminated against because of
color, race, or national origin.
3. because of his work with the civil rights movement
4. to help sanitation workers with a strike
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. He continued to work with the civil rights movement by giving
speeches and going to marches.

PAGE 7: NO ANSWERS NEEDED

PAGE 8: 1. Martin
2. Coretta
3. respect
4. peace
5. movement
6. prize
7. Atlanta
8. dream
9. equal
10. speech

PAGE 9: Across: 2. MARTIN, 6. SPEECH, 7. PRIZE, 8. ATLANTA, 10. EQUAL.

Down: 1. NONVIOLENCE, 3. RESPECT, 4. CORETTA, 5.MEMPHIS,
9. LEADER

PAGE 10: WRITING ACTIVITY

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