Take a look at historical photographs highlighting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his life's work as the country celebrates his legacy.
On April 4, 1968, a single bullet fired in Memphis, Tennessee, changed the world. An assassin fatally shot Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was 39 years old. The civil rights leader carried the banner for the causes of social justice — organizing protests, leading marches and making powerful speeches exposing the scourges of segregation, poverty and racism. The legacy he left behind is long and storied. Half a century after King's assassination, we take a look at historical photographs highlighting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement
19 photos
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AFP/Getty Images
Pastor and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. speaks in this March 29, 1966, photograph.King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, in a killing that sent shock waves throughout American society. His killer, James Earl Ray, confessed to the shooting and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
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Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
Dr. King seen at home with his wife Coretta and daughter Yolanda May 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Getty Images
American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks on the telephone after encountering a white mob protesting against the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, May 26, 1961.
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Children are attacked by dogs and water cannons during a protest against segregation organized by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth in May 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Dr. King and his wife Coretta Scott King lead a black voting rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery.
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Dr. King appears on the television news program "Face The Nation,'" April 16, 1967.
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A young boy listens during a speech by Dr. King near the Montgomery, Alabama, State Capitol steps.
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Dr. King at the Soviet Sector border of the Berlin Wall in Bernauer Strasse, Berlin, Germany, Sept.12, 1964. Werner Steltzer, director of the Berlin Information Center is indicating points of interest.
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An unspecified photo of Dr. King.
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Crowds march down the street to attend a speech by Dr. King in Chicago, Illinois, on the same day James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, three civil rights workers, were killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
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On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. King waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
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Dr. King speaks at Vermont Avenue Baptist Church February 1968 in Washington, D.C.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with civil rights leaders in the White House, including Dr. King (left) in this undated photo.
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Civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, A. Phillip Randolph and Walther Reuther, hold hands as they lead a crowd of hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963.
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Dr. King and Malcolm X wait for a press conference on March 26, 1964.
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Getty Images
Dr. King preaching at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England, on Dec. 6, 1964.
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Dr. King lying in state in Memphis, Tennessee, as his colleagues pay their respects to him. From right: Andrew Young, Bernard Lee and Reverend Ralph Abernathy.
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A large crowd of mourners follow the casket of Dr. King through the streets of Atlanta, Georgia. Two men carry a large sign with King's face.
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Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. King, and her daughter, Yolanda, sit in a car as it leaves for Dr. King's funeral in Atlanta, Georgia.
