Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (born Atlanta, Georgia, 1929; assassinated Memphis, Tennessee, April 4, 1968) was a civil rights leader and a minister. He was an excellent student and skipped two years of high school. He entered Morehouse College at age fifteen. He graduated in 1948 and decided to become a minister. He obtained a divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in theology from Boston University. In 1954 he became the pastor of a congregation in Montgomery, Alabama. He became active in civil rights in 1955. He urged people to use nonviolent methods to obtain their rights. He was arrested and jailed several times. King and other leaders organized a march to Washington, DC, in 1963. There he gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. While supporting a strike of garbagemen in Memphis Tennessee, he was killed by James Earl Ray. Idea: The children could read excerpts from the I Have a Dream speech and illustrate his words. They could also view photos of King at: Martin Luther King.
Bijou Le Tord (born Saint Raphael, France, 1945) writes and illustrates books for children. The illustrations of her 22 books definitely remind the reader of impressionist paintings. Children can wind their way through her website at: Bijou Le Tord.
Philip Livingston (born Albany New York, 1716; died York, Pennsylvania, June 12, 1778) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented New York. Born into wealth and prestige, he made his own fortune by being a merchant. He became involved in politics and legislation at a variety of levels, including the Continental Congress. During the Revolutionary War, he actively raised funds for the troops. He died in York when the Continental Congress was in session there. Children could learn more at: Phillip Livingston.
Edward Teller (born Budapest, Hungary, 1908; died Stanford, California, September 9, 2003) was a renowned physicist. He is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb. Children could learn more at: Edward Teller.
