Passion or Profession: Civil Rights Activist

Period: 1929–1968

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister who was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to use nonviolent means to help black Americans achieve civil rights. He became the most famous figure of the civil rights movement in the United States and is revered as a visionary leader. He helped organized the Birmingham bus strike as well as the march on Washington, where he delivered the now famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968, becoming a martyr for his cause.