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Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights · United States · 1929–1968

Martin Luther King Jr. Life & Career Timeline

Nonviolent organising, moral witness and the struggle for equal citizenship.

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19291935194119471953195919651968
MLMartin Luther King Jr.Civil rights · United States
Born in Atlanta1929Born in Atlanta15 January 1929 · Atlanta, Georgia
Enters Morehouse College1944Enters Morehouse College20 September 1944 · Atlanta, Georgia
Ordained as a minister1948Ordained as a minister25 February 1948 · Atlanta, Georgia
Graduates from Crozer Seminary1951Graduates from Crozer Seminary8 May 1951 · Chester, Pennsylvania
Marries Coretta Scott1953Marries Coretta Scott18 June 1953 · Marion, Alabama
Begins at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church1954Begins at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church1 September 1954 · Montgomery, Alabama
Receives doctorate from Boston University1955Receives doctorate from Boston University5 June 1955 · Boston, Massachusetts
Leads Montgomery bus boycott1955Leads Montgomery bus boycott5 December 1955 · Montgomery, AlabamaRosa Parks
Southern Christian Leadership Conference formed1957Southern Christian Leadership Conference formed10–11 January 1957 · Atlanta, Georgia
Survives an assassination attempt1958Survives an assassination attempt20 September 1958 · New York City, United States
Returns to Atlanta1960Returns to Atlanta1960 · Atlanta, Georgia
Letter from Birmingham Jail1963Letter from Birmingham Jail16 April 1963 · Birmingham, Alabama
Receives Nobel Peace Prize1964Receives Nobel Peace Prize10 December 1964 · Oslo, Norway
Selma to Montgomery march1965Selma to Montgomery march21–25 March 1965 · Alabama, United States
Chicago Freedom Movement1966Chicago Freedom Movement1966 · Chicago, Illinois
Beyond Vietnam speech1967Beyond Vietnam speech4 April 1967 · New York City, United States
Assassinated in Memphis1968Assassinated in Memphis4 April 1968 · Memphis, Tennessee

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About this timeline

About Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead landmark campaigns against segregation and voting discrimination before his assassination in Memphis.

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Choose any Moment on the timeline to read its story, see why it matters and continue to the original source. Connected Moments open the other person’s timeline.

This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team.

Martin Luther King Jr. biography

Martin Luther King Jr. timeline: key events

Explore 18 documented Moments in chronological order. Read the dates, locations and source references below. Where available, additional context explains why a milestone matters.

Montgomery, Alabama

Begins at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

King became pastor of the congregation that would anchor his early civil-rights leadership.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Montgomery, Alabama

Leads Montgomery bus boycott

The Montgomery Improvement Association elected King president during the 381-day campaign against segregated buses.

Connected: Rosa Parks

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Atlanta, Georgia

Southern Christian Leadership Conference formed

King and other ministers organised a regional network for nonviolent civil-rights action.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

New York City, United States

Survives an assassination attempt

Izola Ware Curry stabbed King at a book signing; emergency surgery saved his life.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Birmingham, Alabama

Letter from Birmingham Jail

While jailed during the Birmingham Campaign, King defended nonviolent direct action against segregation.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Oslo, Norway

Receives Nobel Peace Prize

At thirty-five, King accepted the prize for nonviolent resistance to racial injustice.

Source: www.nobelprize.org

Alabama, United States

Selma to Montgomery march

King joined the successful voting-rights march after earlier demonstrators had faced violent repression.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

New York City, United States

Beyond Vietnam speech

At Riverside Church, King publicly opposed the Vietnam War and linked racism, poverty and militarism.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Memphis, Tennessee

Assassinated in Memphis

King was killed at the Lorraine Motel while supporting striking sanitation workers, one day after his final public address.

Source: kinginstitute.stanford.edu
Rosa Parks timelinePatient organising, principled resistance and a lifetime of civil-rights work.John F. Kennedy timelineWar service, a new political generation, Cold War crises and an unfinished presidency.Abraham Lincoln timelineSelf-education, Union, emancipation and a redefinition of American democracy.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · Licence shown on source file

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Quick answers

About the Martin Luther King Jr. timeline

Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?

Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead landmark campaigns against segregation and voting discrimination before his assassination in Memphis.

How many moments are included?

This public timeline currently contains 18 sourced moments spanning 1929–1968.

Who maintains this timeline?

This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team. Schools, clubs and cultural organisations can apply to become timeline partners.

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