Today in History: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today in History–January 15–the Library of Congress features civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., born on this date in 1929. King entered Morehouse College at 15, received a bachelor of divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951, and a Ph.D from Boston University in 1955. Armed with his doctorate and belief in the use of non-violent action to end racial discrimination, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and joined the civil right movement. In less than a decade, he earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Learn more about this inspirational man  by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below for more resources related to MLK.

Primary sources

• Martin Luther King historical newspaper coverage
• Images related to Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Jury for Martin Luther King, Jr’s Assassin Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustration
• Early draft of Letter from a Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project
• Letter from Birmingham City Jail The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute
• Audio of King reading Letter from a Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project
• Martin Luther King, Jr., on Nonviolence television interview October 27, 1957
• Martin Luther King, Jr. mentions in the Civil Rights History Project oral history video interviews
• H.R. 3706, a bill to make the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a legal public holiday
• More contemporary U.S. legislation related to Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University
• Before & After ’68: The Poor People’s Campaign, Then & Now participants in the Poor People’s Campaigns of 1968 and 2018 — scholars, cultural workers and documentarians — discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s original mass action for human rights and justice on it’s 50th anniversary and its contemporary counterpart
• “We Shall Overcome” sheet music

Secondary sources

• Martin Luther King, Jr. stories from America’s Library
  • Brief bio
  • Don’t Ride That Bus “Bus Boycott in Alabama”
  • A Powerful Tool “Voting for Change”
  • An Unjust Law Is No Law At All “King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
• Library blog posts
  • Dr. King Remembered Folklife Today
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day In Custodia Legis
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2014 In Custodia Legis
  • Music for MLK Day In the Muse
  • Thoughts on Martin Luther King Day Folklife Today
• Nonviolent Philosophy and Self Defense collection article
• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Barry Wittenstein, Author of A Place to Land AASL Knowledge Quest
• Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Laws That Changed America webcast video
• Making a Way Out of No Way: Martin Luther King’s Use of Proverbs for Civil Rights webcast video
• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute archived website

Teaching resources

• I Have a Dream Image Sequencing Activity
• Martin Luther King, Jr. – Why we can’t . . . guided primary source analysis activities
• Learning from the Source: We Shall Overcome
• Teaching with the Library of Congress blog posts
  • Explore with Students the History and Traditions of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Honoring Our History through Artwork: Martin Luther King, Jr. in Library of Congress Primary Sources
  • Looking Behind the March on Washington: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and Labor in Primary Sources
  • A Man to Remember: Commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Exploring Photographs of Civil Rights Movement Leaders

Civil rights resources

• Primary Source Spotlight: Civil Rights primary source collections
• Primary Source Learning: Civil Rights teaching resources