Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta Georgia. His father was called Martin Luther King Sr. and his mother Alberta, née Williams, was a school teacher. His grand-father on his mother's side, Adam Daniel Williams, was an Ebenezer baptist church pastor and a pioneer for the resistance against racial discrimination. He struggled for the right of black people to attend college and bring an end to racism. His family was relatively middle-class and he grew up in quite a cultured environment.

His father followed in the footsteps of his maternal grand-father, replacing him as the church pastor. His childhood was steeped in evangelical morality and he knew nothing of the misery millions of black Americans endured every day. Much like his father had managed to move up in society, they expected him to follow into the same career.

At 15 years old, he attended Morehouse College, reserved for black students in his town, who wanted a career as a lawyer or doctor. His father and grand-father hoped that he would become a pastor, keeping with family tradition, but he was not convinced it was for him.

The teachers who oversaw his education convinced him that a religious career would be just as intellectually rewarding. He was ordained into his father's parish where he became an assistant.

Martin Luther King received his diploma from Morehouse College with a degree in sociology. At age 19 he became a baptist pastor. He then began a training course in theology in Crozer, Chester in Pennsylvania.

He gained his degree in theology at Crozier. Two years later, on June 18th 1953, he married Coretta Scott King.

Martin Luther King became a baptist church pastor in Montgomery, Alabama.

He gained his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Boston.

Rosa Parks, a black dressmaker, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger whilst on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested by police and fined $10. She was already actively struggling for civil rights and organized workshops on interracial co-operation. She became a symbol of the political injustice, and then later a figure of the fight against racial segregation. American Congress gave her the nickname "the mother of the civil movement".

Rosa Parks appealed the trail. Pastors and black leaders created an association to change the status of Montgomery. It was during this time that the young Martin Luther King, at 26 years, with the help of Ralph Abernathy, launched a protest and boycott against the bus company. He also became the president of the association.

He then began the fight against segregation, inspired by the non-violent ideas of Gandhi and Thoreau in order to improve civil rights. In spite of his non-violent stance, the police arrested countless people including Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. The press became very interested in this story and Martin Luther King became the spokesman of black America with his eloquence and culture. His house becomes a target for bomb attacks.

The Federal Court condemns the segregational rules on the bus but the Mayor of Montgomery appeals.

After a year boycotting against the company, the Supreme Court ends the segregation laws on buses and declares against the constitution. Martin Luther King was certain of the effectiveness of "non-violent direct action". It was the first victory for a fight that would quickly grow in size and spread across all over the United States.

Black leaders from six southern states met to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Martin Luther King became its president. The organization decided to concentrate on discrimination on transport elsewhere, rather than just Montgomery, despite the new law and for the apportunity of black people's right to now vote.

He traveled to India and met Nehru, a prominent figure in the struggle for the independence of India and a member of Congress, who became India's Prime Minister on August 15th 1947.

He took part in the stance of young African Americans during the student movement, against segregation. He is then arrested during a sit-in and because of his previous record he is condemned to 4 months hard labour in prison. Robert Kennedy campaigned to stop his sentence. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the then presidential candidate, gave him his support. However King couldn't convince the students to adopt a non-violent stance. The movement for civil rights reaches a very high magnitude.

J.F.K became president and declared himself in favour of the anti-discrimination legislation, giving Martin Luther King more support. He successfully claims for the traditional demand of black people's right to equality, an ordinary idea embedded in the mind of the average American. He wants to convince his adversaries, not humiliate them. He fights against the problem without attacking individuals.

The town of Birmingham was the most precisely segregated of any city in the United States. The Ku Klux Klan had a lot of control and the chief of police was a sympathizer. This town became the main symbol of racist intolerance throughout America.

The SCLC developed Project C, which would provoke their oppressors to react through acts of violence in front of the media and their cameras. Thanks to this, the government would legislate and thus ban segregation. Being able to provoke this became a crucial aspect of Martin Luther King's non-violent strategy.

The authorities gave into the SCLC's provocation. Martin Luther King was arrested. He wrote a letter whilst in Birmingham prison. This letter remains one of the greatest manifestations of the civil rights movement, defending the philosophy of non-violence. Robert Kennedy and J.F.K came to his rescue once again and got him out of jail.

The Supreme Court declared the segregation of Birmingham anti-constitutional. A month later, J.F.K made a televised speech, during which he announced a new legislation on civil rights, in the hope of banning segregation in all public places. This project was presented to Congress a week later. The fight against segregation in Birmingham, supported by the President, was for Martin Luther King to make a revolutionary change to the face of America.

A march on Washington was organized. At the end of the protest, Martin Luther King gave his famous speech; "I have a dream" in front of 250,000 people, joined together on the Lincoln Memorial. This speech was transmitted live by three major national channels. He described his vision of an American brotherhood where black and white people will be united and free. This was when the Kennedy administration decided to distance itself from the pastor.

President Kennedy was assassinated in an open top car in Dallas, Texas during a campaign trail for re-election. The civil rights movement had aimed to strengthen American rights and Afro-American rights such as the SNCC.

He returned to Washington to meet with President Johnson to sign a law on civil rights, which banned segregation in all public places, in favour of the creation of public schools and equal opportunities at work. However the riots escalated as poverty was still present and black people still did not have the right to vote or to become a politician. For Martin Luther King this violence would only end when there was economic justice.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize. His book "Why We Can't Wait" was published.

Martin Luther King received his award in Oslo. At the age of 35, he was the youngest ever winner and the second black American. For him, this award symbolized acknowledgement of the civil rights movement by the international community. He is considered one of the most important non-violent leaders of the 20th Century.

He takes to the streets of Selma, Alabama. This march was organized for the right to vote.

He is arrested and sent to prison when the violence becomes too much. Anti-segregationists assassinated Malcolm X. Martin Luther King attempted to lead the operations from his prison cell.

New riots raged mainly in the ghetto of Watts in Los Angeles throughout August. Martin Luther King gave his signature to the "Voting Rights Act" by President Johnson. This law ended segregation in public places and included the right to vote for black people.

King supported the fight for the relocation of those living in Chicago's shantytowns. The members of "Black Power", then changing to "Black Panthers" blamed the excessive restraint of Martin Luther King who continued to remain faithful his non-violent beliefs.

Martin Luther King declared himself against the war in Vietnam. He believed that the war would incur higher spending which would reduce the amount given to programs against poverty. New riots took place in the city Detroit throughout July. However his stance against the government's actions divides the SCLC as some support him and others believe differently. He publishes his book "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community".

Martin Luther King returns to Memphis, Tennessee to organize a march in support of a trade union for black workers on strike. He stayed in the Lorraine Motel in town and was preparing his speech on the balcony when he was assassinated. His killer, James Earl Ray was waiting in a bathroom of the hotel opposite. He had been in favour of segregation and was condemned to 99 years in prison. In the wake of King's death, riots broke out in more than 60 towns.

President Johnson declared a national day of mourning in honor of the leader of the civil rights movement. 300,000 people attended his funeral. Ralph Abernathy, always at his right, became in charge of the SCLC. In 1986, American Congress instituted a bank holiday in memory of Martin Luther King. The fight which he had lead had revolutionized America, which was swamped in extreme racial tensions. His ideology of non-violence allowed the important improvement of black peoples civil rights.