Name: ______________________________

Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.

by Lydia Lukidis

You probably know about Martin

Luther King Jr. He was a civil rights
activist. And he made that famous “I
Have a Dream” speech. But he did so
much more than that. Let’s take a
closer look at his life and what he
accomplished.

King was born in 1929 in Atlanta.

His father was a preacher and his
mother was a teacher. He had an older
sister and a younger brother. When he
was in high school, he was so smart that
he skipped two grades. He went to
Morehouse College when he was only 15 years old, and got a degree in sociology. He was inspired by
his father and later got a divinity degree. After that, he went to Boston University and got his doctor's
degree in theology. This is why people call him Dr. King.

When he was younger, he experienced racism. He also saw racism against the African
American community in general. Segregation was part of life at that time. That’s when different races
were kept separate and not given the same rights. For example, African Americans weren’t given the
same chances when it came to education, jobs, or transportation. Segregation was part of the law in
the American South and other places in the United States at that time.

King wanted to do something about this. He wanted to make the world a better place. So he
fought for equal rights for African Americans. This is what the civil rights movement was all about. He
was an activist during the 1950s and 1960s. He wanted people to understand what was going on and
that it was not fair. He also wanted to change the laws. He led many peaceful protests to create this
change. He was not only the leader of the civil rights movement, but he also helped start it.

One of his first protests was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (You might remember that during this

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time Rosa Parks had refused to give up
her seat to a white man when she was on
a bus. She was arrested on the spot.)
King fought against the public
transportation system in Montgomery.
The protest lasted 382 days. It was not an
easy battle. King was arrested and his
house was bombed. But in the end, King
was happy to see that segregation on
Montgomery buses ended. African Americans could sit wherever they wanted.

King continued to fight for equality. In 1963, he

helped organize the "March on Washington." He wanted to
help end segregation in public schools, end discrimination
in jobs, and protect the African Americans from police
abuse. Over 250,000 people joined the march. That’s when
King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The
speech was very powerful. And the march was successful.
A year later, the Civil Rights Act was passed and African
Americans were given their rights.

King never backed down in his fight for justice, even

when his life was in danger. And he didn’t just fight for
African Americans. He fought for equality for everyone. He
fought for people of different religions. He also fought for
people who had less money. It didn’t seem fair to him that people were mistreated just for being who
they were. In 1953, King met and married Coretta Scott King. She was also passionate about fighting
for equality. Together, they had 4 children.

King was killed in 1968. But his legacy will live on forever. His speeches still inspire us today,
and he is still seen as one of the best public speakers. He traveled more than six million miles and gave
speeches more than 2,500 times. He was the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was even created in his honor. He became the only non-president to have a
national holiday in remembrance of him.

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Name: ______________________________

Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.

by Lydia Lukidis

1. According to the article, Martin Luther King Jr. had a doctorate

degree in which field of study?
a. civil rights activism b. medicine
c. sociology d. theology

2. Based on the information in the article, Martin Luther King Jr. was the
youngest person to do what?

a. attend Boston University

b. get arrested for peaceful protesting
c. win the Nobel Peace Prize
d. give a speech at the White House

3. What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and what did it help accomplish?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. What did the 1963 March on Washington help to accomplish?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. According to the article, which of the following approaches did Martin Luther King Jr. use to
advocate for civil rights?

a. intimidation
b. violence
c. bullying
d. peaceful protests

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Name: ______________________________

Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.

by Lydia Lukidis

The following terms are vocabulary words from the article. Match the vocabulary
word with its correct definition by writing the corresponding letter on the line.

1. _____ activist a. the opportunity for everyone to have the same rights,
opportunities, and treatment

2. _____ sociology b. taken into custody by police or other legal authorities

3. _____ racism c. the rights of citizens to social and political freedom

4. _____ boycott d. having strong feelings or beliefs about something

5. _____ equality e. the study of human society

6. _____ segregation f. poor treatment of someone based on the belief that their
race is inferior to one's own race

7. _____ civil rights g. the act of commemorating or remembering someone or

something

8. _____ remembrance h. a refusal to participate in an event or policy in order to

protest against it

9. _____ passionate i. a person who campaigns for social or political change

10. _____ arrested j. the enforced separation of people from different racial
groups

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Name: ______________________________

Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.

by Lydia Lukidis

In the article, “Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.,” you learned that Martin
Luther King Jr. gave speeches more than 2,500 times during the civil rights
movement. He is remembered for his powerful, inspiring words.

Using the Internet, with the permission of an adult, choose a quote from
Martin Luther King Jr. Write the quote on the lines below, and then
describe what it means to you.

Quote I chose: ____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

What it means to me: _____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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 ANSWER KEY
Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.
by Lydia Lukidis

1. According to the article, Martin Luther King Jr. had a doctorate

degree in which field of study? d
a. civil rights activism b. medicine
c. sociology d. theology

2. Based on the information in the article, Martin Luther King Jr. was the
youngest person to do what? c

a. attend Boston University

b. get arrested for peaceful protesting
c. win the Nobel Peace Prize
d. give a speech at the White House

3. What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and what did it help accomplish?

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a 382 day protest of the public transportation system in
Montgomery. As a result of the boycott, segregation on Montgomery buses was ended.

4. What did the 1963 March on Washington help to accomplish?

The March on Washington helped bring about the Civil Rights Act the following year.

5. According to the article, which of the following approaches did Martin Luther King Jr. use to
advocate for civil rights? d

a. intimidation
b. violence
c. bullying
d. peaceful protests

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 ANSWER KEY
Great Minds: Martin Luther King Jr.
by Lydia Lukidis

The following terms are vocabulary words from the article. Match the vocabulary
word with its correct definition by writing the corresponding letter on the line.

1. i activist a. the opportunity for everyone to have the same rights,

opportunities, and treatment

2. e sociology b. taken into custody by police or other legal authorities

3. f racism c. the rights of citizens to social and political freedom

4. h boycott d. having strong feelings or beliefs about something

5. a equality e. the study of human society

6. j segregation f. poor treatment of someone based on the belief that their

race is inferior to one's own race

7. c civil rights g. the act of commemorating or remembering someone or

something

8. g remembrance h. a refusal to participate in an event or policy in order to

protest against it

9. d passionate i. a person who campaigns for social or political change

10. b arrested j. the enforced separation of people from different racial

groups
LD

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