Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Evangelist Billy Graham said the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was “one of the worst tragedies in American history”.

After the Civil War, segregation and voting discrimination replaced slavery as barriers to the equality of all. The 15th Amendment made former slaves the largest voting block in many parts of the south. White politicians, afraid of losing power, enacted pole taxes and literacy tests, which also kept many poor whites from voting.

When Rosa Parks was arrested, in 1955, for not giving up her bus seat to a white person, Martin Luther King Jr. organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott which succeeded in ending segregation on public transportation. In 1963, King joined with other political and religious leaders to organize the March on Washington, one of the largest political rallies in U.S. history. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with the American flag by his side, King gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech.

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. set one of the worst waves of rioting in U.S. history, effectively ending the Civil Rights Movement. During his life, Martin Luther King Jr. succeeded in ending segregation, abolishing discriminatory housing practices, and ensuring peaceful, nonviolent transfer of power through fair elections.

Illinois was the first state to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday. In 1982, President Reagan signed a bill making the day an official federal holiday.