Honoring King

Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with this reading passage and questions on his legacy and community service.

Directions: Read the article and answer the questions that follow. Honoring KingAmericans pay tribute to a leader’s legacy.For many Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. Day isn’t just a "day off" from school or work. They will make it a "day on" and participate in community service projects in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Library of Congress The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King addresses a group of followers.A Great LeaderKing (1929-1968) was a famouscivil rightsleader. When King was growing up, the South wassegregated,or separated by race. Black people did not have the same rights as white people. Under the law, they were not allowed to attend the same schools as white people and had to sit in the back seats of buses. Black people also had to use separate restrooms and drinking fountains.When King was older, he worked to change those unjust laws. During the 1950s and 1960s, he gave speeches and organized peaceful marches and protests. Beginning in 1955, King led the famous Montgomery bus boycott. For 381 days, African Americansboycotted,or refused to use, public buses in the Alabama city. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal.King gained national attention from the boycott and, in 1963, delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He told a crowd of more than 200,000 people in Washington, D.C., that his dream was for all people to be treated fairly and equally under the law. As a result of his work, civil rights laws were passed. Those laws protect the rights of all Americans.A Day of ServiceMany people celebrate King’slegacyon Martin Luther King Jr. Day with parades and other events. The legacy of a leader is something he or she has accomplished that wouldbenefit future generations. For King, that meant making the world a better place. Thousands morehonor King by cleaning parks, volunteering at homeless shelters, and participating in other community service projects."Everybody can be great because everybody can serve," King once said. By taking part in community service projects, Americans are able to keep this leader’s dream alive. Read the following sentence:“The legacy of a leader is something he or she has accomplished that would benefit future generations.”What does the word generations mean? groups of people who belong to the same race groups of people of a similar age groups of people who are part of the same economic class groups of people who belong to the same profession Based on the passage, what can the reader conclude about Martin Luther King Jr? He thought equality under the law would be very hard to achieve in the South. He inspired people to be violent if they needed to draw attention to problems of segregation. He used peaceful means to achieve widespread change for Americans. He felt marches, protests and boycotts were not effective ways to bring about change. What is this passage mainly about? the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and how he was treated and how he is remembered today the civil rights work of Martin Luther King Jr. and how it should be celebrated the hardships faced by African Americans in the segregated South the Montgomery bus boycott and other famous civil rights events Why did the author include a photograph of King addressing a group of followers? to show how many people supported and believed in his message to show that many people disagreed with him to show us what he looked like to show us where he gave his famous speech