If you have a holiday named after you, it’s a pretty good indicator that you did something right.  In 1983, the United States Congress passed legislation that declared Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday to be a federal holiday. 

 

The occasion was nationally observed in 1986, although it is rarely celebrated on Dr. King’s actual birthday.  The Civil Rights leader was born on January 15, 1929—his birthday is annually celebrated on the third Monday of January.

 

This year, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday is being celebrated on Monday, January 17^th.   The holiday will be marked by parades, speeches, ceremonies, and—of course—a day off of work for thousands of Americans. It seems like a good time to go back and take a look at the work of Dr. King, which forever changed the history of the nation.  Let’s get the “historical perspective.”

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the national spotlight when he organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and 1956.  This large-scale—and successful—boycott was in response to a 42-year-old African American woman’s refusal to sit on the back of the bus when asked by the driver.  The woman’s name was Rosa Parks.

 

From that point on, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an outspoken leader of the Civil Rights Movement, preaching the importance of non-violent protests.  The highlight of his career came several years later, during the legendary “March on Washington.”

 

On August 28, 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the greatest speeches in history.  His “I Have a Dream” speech was presented on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, to a crowd of over 200,000 civil rights supporters.

           

King and other civil rights leaders had combined their efforts and organized the March on Washington.  This was an enormous breakthrough for the cause, and people from all over the country joined in to show their support.  As the marchers congregated at the Lincoln Memorial, King stood up to deliver his speech. 

 

He explained to the protesters exactly what he was trying to accomplish: “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.’”  His words told the story, but it was King’s powerful delivery that created such a stir throughout the country.

           

Below is an excerpt from that unforgettable speech

 

An excerpt from Dr. King’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech:

 

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 a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four 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. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South.

With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.