leaders of the civil rights movement

On August 28, 1963, King's huge demonstration at the nation's capital drew more than 200,000 people. It would be called the March on Washington. There King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke about his belief that someday all men could treat each other like brothers, regardless of race. (5)

Rosa Parks

Jackie Robinson

He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and throughout his decade-long career, Robinson distinguished himself as a talented player and a vocal civil rights activist.(1)

Robinson was arrested and court-martialed for refusing to give up his seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus.(1)

Robinson became a champion for African-American athletes, civil rights and other important causes. He spoke about discrimination before Congress and called out the Yankees for not having any black players.(1)

After baseball, Robinson continued his work for social change. He was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42, a great honor in baseball. (1)

Jackie Robinson made history in 1947 when he broke baseball’s color barrier to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. (4)

Rosa Parks got on the bus around 6:00 pm (2)

what he is known for is the first African American to play baseball

Rosa Parks said She had paid the same ticket price, and she was not sitting in the white area.(2)

Rosa Parks worked for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP. The group fought against Jim Crow laws whenever they could. Jim Crow laws were unfair to black people and kept them separate from white people. Colvin's actions inspired Parks to protest on that day 60 years ago. The rest, as they say, is history. (2)

White passengers rode at the front of the bus, while blacks had to sit in the back. When the front seats filled up, the bus driver could make black passengers give up their seats.(2)

On December 1, 1955, after a long day's work, Rosa Parks got on the bus home. The driver noticed several white passengers standing in the aisle. He asked four black passengers to give up their seats. Three agreed. But Parks refused, so the driver called the police. Later, Parks recalled that she was not physically tired, but she was tired of giving in. The police arrested Rosa and took her to jail. Later that night, she was released until her trial.(2)

African Americans decided to continue the boycott. They chose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as their leader. Montgomery's buses remained mostly empty for 381 days. People carpooled, rode in taxis or walked – even long distances. The buses sat idle, and the bus company lost money. (2)

Martin Luther King Jr

king entered school at age 5. He skipped two grades in high school.(5)

He started college in 1944, when he was 15 years old. (5)

In the spring of 1963, he organized a protest in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. It turned violent. Police came at the protestors with dogs and sprayed them with fire hoses. King and many others were arrested. From his jail cell, King explained that nonviolent protest is meant to cause a crisis. (5)

Martin Luther King Jr. changed how African-Americans were treated in America. He is the best known African-American leader of his time. He was honored with a national holiday. Many schools and public buildings have been named after him. King was deeply committed to social justice and change through peaceful protest.(5)

the civil rights leader went to jail 29 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.(6)