Martin Luther King JR was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968.
He was greatly responsible for the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act for African Americans, both in the mid 1960s.
He organized nonviolent protests for freedom, peace and equality between blacks and whites based on his Christian beliefs. ... On October 14, 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against racial inequality.