| Martin Luther King Jr. was a great American leader. He was one of the most important political and spiritual leaders of the 20th century. |
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He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the house that he grew up in. |
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| Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the injustice and mistreatment of African Americans. They have lived in the U.S since early colonial times, but African Americans (or black people) have not always enjoyed real freedom. |
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| In the 1950s and 1960's, civil rights were demanded for all Americans. In some cities, mostly in the south, there were separate sections on buses, restaurants, hotels, and schools for black people and for white people. |
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| Martin Luther King Jr. was greatly influenced by the teachings of Ghandi, also a political and spirtual leader, who preached nonviolence in dealing with oppressive British rule over India. |
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| King organized peaceful marches in protest against unfairness in American society. |
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| He was shot and killed in 1968 by a white racist at a hotel in Nashville, Tennesee. Unfortunately, racism still exists in the United States, but this is changing slowly over time. |
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| The United States is now lead by a man who owes some of his good fortune to the hard work and the teaching of Martin Luther King Jr. |
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