Who has not heard of Martin Luther King, the man who shaped the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s? A powerful speaker and a man of great spiritual strength, he was impossible to ignore. Assassinated at the young age of 39 years, in such a short time he left behind a legacy of hope and inspiration. There have been so many moments in the civil rights struggle used in an attempt to identify Martin Luther King as the prime mover. In retrospect however, these single issues are less important than his policy of non-violent protest, which was the dominant force in the civil rights movement and it’s greatest achievement. Martin Luther King was born Michael Luther King on 15th January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia but later had his name changed to Martin. He attended segregated public schools in Georgia, receiving a BA degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, receiving his doctorate in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott and they were gifted with two sons and two daughters. MLK returned South to become pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery. It is here that he became actively involved in the civil-rights movement, by mobilizing the black community during a 382 day boycott of the city's bus lines, despite arrest and other violent harassment, including the bombing of his home. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional. Now a national hero and a civil-rights figure of growing importance, MLK summoned together a number of black leaders in 1957 and laid the groundwork for the organization now known as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Martin Luther King was elected president, and he soon began helping other communities organize their own protests against discrimination. Some years later, MLK’s non-violent tactics were put to their greatest test in Birmingham, during a mass protest for fair hiring practices and the desegregation of department-store facilities. Police brutality used against the marchers highlighted and dramatised the plight of black people generally and this in itself had enormous impact. MLK was arrested and while in jail wrote a letter to his fellow clergymen, to refute his critics. After his release, MLK participated in the unprecedented civil rights march on Washington in August 1963, and delivered his famous 'I have a dream' speech, predicting a day when the promise of freedom and equality for all would become a reality in America. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1965, he led a campaign to register blacks to vote. The same year the US Congress passed the Voting Rights Act outlawing the discriminatory practices that had barred black people from voting in the south. Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated on 4th April 1968 in the southern US city of Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting against low wages and poor working conditions. His assassination led to riots in more than 100 cities. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. The funeral was on Tuesday, 9th April. There were many words said in his but the words that touched people the most were spoken by MLK himself. A tape recording was played of part of the last sermon King made in his church. The sermon was indeed emotive and captured the spirit of this incredible man. History is made up of significant events, which shape our future and outstanding leaders who influence our destiny. Martin Luther King's contributions to our history place him in this inimitable position. In his short life, Martin Luther King was instrumental in helping to rectify those unspeakable flaws, which tarnished the name of America. The events, which took place in and around his life, were earth shattering. They represented an America, which was hostile and quite different from America as we see it today. Black Americans needed a Martin Luther King, but above all America needed him.