ABSTRACT
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister who became the preeminent leader of the American Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Using the nonviolent methods of Mohandas Gandhi, he led boycotts, demonstrations, and marches that publicized in dramatic terms the practices and eff ects of racism and segregation in the United States. His eff orts led to important legislation that changed the lives of millions of Blacks and minorities in the United States. Later in his career he expanded his activities to focus on obtaining social and economic justice for all poor and disadvantaged people. He also actively opposed the United States involvement in the Vietnam war. He received numerous awards for his activities and in 1964 he became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to achieve the end of racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent means.
