Martin Luther King Jr. Brain Pop

As a child, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended segregated public schools. The law said that black students like King had to go to their own schools, separate from white students. King was a good student, and he graduated high school three years earlier than most people do. He went to college in Atlanta, Georgia. King then went on to study theology, the study of religious faith, at a school in Pennsylvania. This school was not segregated. In fact, King's senior class was mostly white, and he was elected president of it. King's education wasn't finished yet. In 1953, he got yet another degree from a school in Boston: a doctorate in theology. A doctorate is the highest degree that universities give out. This is why King is called "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

What is the main idea of the passage?

• King graduated high school earlier than most people do.

• The school in Pennsylvania where King studied theology was not segregated.

• King was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

• Throughout his life, King was educated at many schools, some of which were segregated.

In Montgomery, Alabama, and throughout the South, public transportation like the bus system was segregated. Black passengers had to sit in the backs of buses while white passengers sat in the front. As more white passengers got on, black passengers were asked to give up their seats for them. On December 1, 1955, a civil rights activist named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger when a bus driver asked her to. "I don't think I should have to stand up," Parks said. She was arrested.

According to the passage, why was Rosa Parks arrested on December 1, 1955?

• because she moved to the back of a bus and allowed a white person to sit in her seat

• because she wouldn't give up her seat on a bus where black people were supposed to give their seats to whites

• because she told everyone on a bus in Montgomery to stand up

• because she tried to drive a bus in Montgomery

After Rosa Parks' arrest, King helped organize a boycott of the Montgomery buses. When people boycott, they refuse to buy, use or do something to show that they're unhappy with a situation. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, thousands of African-American people stopped riding the buses to protest bus segregation. Instead, they walked or carpooled. African-American taxi drivers also charged people less money so that more people could take taxis. The boycott lasted for 381 days. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was against the US Constitution.

Which of the following best describes a "boycott"?

• Many people buy clothes from a company to show that they like the new styles of shirts that the company is making.

• Many people stop buying clothes from a company to show that they're unhappy with the way that the company treats workers.

• People say that they're unhappy with a company that sells clothes.

• A company starts charging people more money for its clothes.

During King's time studying theology, he learned about the work of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was an activist in the country of India. He used nonviolent, or peaceful, tactics to win freedom for his country. King admired Gandhi's work. He began to think that African-American people in the United States could also use nonviolence to protest unjust laws. King traveled over 6 million miles around the US, giving speeches and supporting nonviolent protests. He led marches and boycotts and joined sit-ins. A sit-in is a form of protest in which people sit in a place and refuse to leave. During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans held sit-ins at restaurants that wouldn't serve them.

Which of the following best describes the relationship between King and Gandhi?

• King and Gandhi were good friends and worked together.

• King didn't like Gandhi's work and fought against it.

• Gandhi studied King's work and brought King's ideas to India.

• King liked Gandhi's work and tried to do similar work in the US.

In 1963, King helped organize large, nonviolent civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama. The police reacted violently. They brought dogs and sprayed water from firehoses on the black people who attended. Images of the violence were caught on camera and shown on television across the nation. This shocked many people and caused them to support civil rights. King and many other protesters were arrested and put in jail during the Birmingham demonstrations. Throughout his fight for civil rights, King was arrested 20 times. He was also threatened and attacked.

Which detail from the passage shows the effect that television had during civil rights demonstrations?

• "In 1963, King helped organize large nonviolent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama."

• "The police reacted violently."

• "This shocked many people and caused them to support civil rights."

• "He was also threatened and attacked."

In August 1963, about 250,000 people marched through Washington, DC. They did this to call attention to the unequal treatment of African Americans and to show their support for civil rights. At this march, King gave a powerful speech. He talked about his dream for the United States. He said that he very much wanted everyone, no matter what they looked like, to have equal rights.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. This prize is awarded once a year to a person who has done great work to create peace. When he accepted his Nobel Prize, King gave a similarly powerful speech. He described how he believed that truth and love would conquer evil.

What is the meaning of the word "dream" in the passage above?

• thoughts, visions or feelings that happen when someone is sleeping

• something that is very beautiful to look at

• something that you really want to be true or that you have wanted to have for a long time

• a period of time when you are not aware of the real world

King's work helped the Civil Rights Act of 1964 get passed. The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public places like schools. It also said that someone could not be turned down for a job based on their skin color, their religion, where they come from, or whether they are male or female. President John F. Kennedy first suggested the Civil Rights Act. Some lawmakers from the South were against it. However, Congress ultimately passed it. It was signed into law by the president who came after Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson. King and other civil rights leaders were there for the signing.

Based on the passage, what became true after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed?

• Public places could be segregated and people of different skin colors kept separate.

• A person could not be turned down for a job because she had dark skin.

• Many people were turned down for jobs in Congress.

• King and other civil rights leaders got jobs in Congress.