Martin Luther King Jr., one of the foremost civil rights leaders in American history, based his protests on the ideas of Thoreau and Gandhi. His insistence on standing up for what is right led to his early death at the hand of a gunman. He was one of the greatest leaders in American history. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to fighting for equal rights for African Americans. By the time of his violent death in 1968, King had changed the country. He had helped thousands of blacks exercise their right to vote. He had forced cities to abandon laws that discriminated against their black citizens. And he had taught the country about a force more powerful than violence. Clear prose and supporting photographs tell the story of the man who became the leader of the civil rights movement. Contains many of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches and sermons and 50 black-and-white photos.