Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. At the age of 15 he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta and graduated in 1948. After he finished college, he studied for three years to become a minister. Then he went to Boston University and received his Ph.D. in 1955, when he was 26 years old. Dr. King became a Baptist minister and a leader of the civil rights movement. The goals of this movement were to put an end to the unfair and unequal treatment of black people in America. He died in 1968 at the age of 30. Today he is thought of by many as a great leader whose dream of justice and equality for all Americans.

This is part of a speech given by Dr. King in 1963. Over 200,000 people were there.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Questions

1) In what year did Dr. King enter Morehouse College?

2) How long has Dr. King been dead?

3) What does Dr. King mean when he said 'the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.'?

4) Do you think that Dr. King's goal for America has been reached?

5) What should we do to keep Dr. King's dream alive?

© Rick Jones All rights reserved.

Thanks Rick!