The period during which civil rights were at the forefront of American news was tumultuous, often violent, and at once divisive and uniting. One name is associated with this time more than any other: Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence as applied in the Civil Rights Movement led to permanent change in American laws and, more slowly, people’s attitudes.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit Study
Martin Luther King, Jr. – The Man
- Find or draw a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Timeline: Create a time line of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Answer the following questions:
- When was Martin Luther King, Jr. born?
- Where was he born?
- What is the name given to him at birth?
- Why was his name changed?
- Find out about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s family. Write a paragraph about his parents, grandparents and any brothers and sisters. Be sure to include what his parents did for a living and what number child was he in his family.
- Discover three interesting things about him as a youth.
- Discover three interesting things about him as a young adult. Find out about his college years.
- Discover three things about him as a family man.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Answer the following questions:
- When is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is also called what?
- When did Martin Luther King, Jr. Day become a holiday?
- Why Do We Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
America in the time of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Answer the following questions:
- What are Jim Crow laws?
- List some of them.
- Why are they called by this name?
- Discover what Jim Crow laws were in effect in the state where Martin Luther King, Jr. lived.
- Discover what Jim Crow laws were in effect in your state at the time Martin Luther King, Jr. lived.
- Which Jim Crow law do you feel was the most outrageous? Why?
The Civil Rights Leader
Create a time line from 1955-1968. List the major milestones and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Get the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cities of Importance Crossword Puzzle. (Crossword Puzzle Answer Key)
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Famous Speech
Dr. King gave a famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. Look up the speech and either read or listen to it and use the word bank to complete the word search with words from the speech.
Get the Dr. King's Dream Word Search. (Word Search Answer Key)
The King Philosophy
Discover what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. regarded as the “Triple Evils”. Give an example of each.
Discover what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. regarded as the “Six Principles of Non Violence”.
Discover what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. regarded as the “Six Steps of Non Violent Social Change”.
A to Zs of MLK Jr.
Research the following and how they relate to the civil rights contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A: Albany
B: Birmingham
C: Civil Rights Act of 1964
D: Drum Major Instinct Sermon
E: Ebenezer Baptist Church
F: Freedom
G: Grammy Award
H:"How Long, Not Long"
I : Izola Curry
J: James Earl Ray
K: King-Abernathy suite
L: "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
M: Montgomery Bus Boycott
N: Non-violent resistance philosophy
O: Operation Breadbasket
P: "Poor People's Campaign"
Q: Quakers
R: Rosa Parks
S: “Stride Toward Freedom”
T:” 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”
U: United States National Recording Registry
V: Voting Rights Act of 1965
W: Walter Bailey
X: DeXter Avenue Baptist Church
Y: Yolanda King
Z: Nobel Peace PriZe
The Author
Check out one of these books and read a little of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has to say:
- Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story in 1958
- The Measure of a Man in 1959
- Strength to Love in 1963
- Why We Can't Wait in 1963
- Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? in 1967
- The Trumpet of Conscience in 1968
- The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by James M. Washington) published posthumously in 1986
- The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson) published posthumously in 1998
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