Martin Luther King is known throughout the world as a famous civil rights activist. He did not believe it was fair that blacks did not have the same rights as whites. Here are some examples of ways blacks were treated unfairly in MLK's time.

• Seperate drinking fountains
• "Colored" balconies in movie theaters
• Mandatory seats in the back of buses
• Soldiers were needed to help young African Americans attend school safely.

The following are interesting facts about Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader.

• King's first civil rights action began with a protest of the "segregated bus system" in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. He wanted people to boycott the bus system. Many people did boycott them for over a year. In 1956, the US Supreme Court demanded Montgomery provide "equal, intergrated seating on public buses".

• In 1957, King helped to establish the "Southern Christian Leadership Conference". This organization hoped to promote nonviolent protests againt racism and segregation.

• In 1963, King and his group organized many marches and peaceful protests. The most famous took place on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. This is where King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech to over 200,000 people.

• He won the Nobel Peace Prize for leading none violent civil right demonstrations in 1964.

• In 1966, he started a civil rights campaign in Chicago, he's first big effort outside the south.

• Throughout his career, he started and lead many sit-ins (Sit-ins are when a group of people sat in a resteraunt and refused to leave)

• King continued to work hard to end racism right up to the day that he was killed. He was shot April 4, 1968, by James Earl Ray.

• Although his life was ended early, his hard work and dedication to ending racism can still be seen and felt in the United States today.