Martin Luther King Jr.

Front

What famous boycott did Martin Luther King Jr. help orchestrate?

Back

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer explanation

The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. The campaign lasted from December 5, 1955 -- the Monday after Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a white person -- to December 20, 1956, when the federal ruling Browder v. Gayle took effect, and led to a United States Supreme Court decision that declared segregation on buses to be unconstitutional.

Front

Where did King deliver his famous "I Have a Dream" speech?

Back

Washington D.C.

Answer explanation

Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement.

Front

How many times was Dr. King imprisoned?

Back

29 times

Answer explanation

According to the King Center, the civil rights leader went to jail 29 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.

Front

What civil rights organization did King found with Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Joseph Lowery?

Back

SCLC

Answer explanation

In 1957, King and other civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The group was created to harness the moral authority and organizing power of black churches to conduct nonviolent protests in the service of civil rights reform.

Front

How old was Martin Luther King Jr. when he won the Nobel Peace Prize?

Back

35

Answer explanation

At 35 years of age, the Georgia-born minister was the youngest person ever to receive the award.

Front

When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed?

Back

3rd Monday of January

Answer explanation

MLK Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15.

Front

What is the title of the 30-foot granite sculpture of Dr. King at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in the National Mall in Washington D.C.?

Back

Stone of Hope

Answer explanation

The inspiration for the memorial design is a line from King's "I Have A Dream" speech: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

Front

How long is the "I Have a Dream" speech?

Back

17 minutes

Answer explanation

According to the King Center, Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is 17 minutes long.

Front

Where was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?

Back

Memphis, TN

Answer explanation

In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Front

What year was Martin Luther King Day first observed as a federal holiday?

Back

1986

Answer explanation

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later, in 1986.