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<em><1>Slavery</1>intheUnitedStateswas<2>abolished</2>in1863andthe<3>bloody</3>CivilWarfoughtovertheissueoffreedomforslavesendedina<4>treaty</4>ofsurrenderin1865.

ButthefightforequalrightsforblackAmericanswasjustbeginning.

Theircivilrightswouldnotbeelawuntil1964andrightsforblackscameespeciallyslowinsouthernstateswheremanyblackshadworkedon<5>plantations</5>.

Resistancetoequalrightsforblacksoftenturnedviolentinthe100yearsthatfollowedtheCivilWar.

<P1>This,however,couldneitherstopthemovementnorturnitsgreatestleader,MartinLutherKing,toviolentmeanstoreachthegoalofequality.

Neitherjailingnorbeatingnor<6>bribing</6>couldchangehiscourseofaction,earninghimtheNobelPeacePrizeforhisefforts.

In1968,thebulletofan<7>evil</7>man,whowantedtosilencetheleader,endedhislife,buthisdreamandthefightforjusticeandequalityliveon.</em>

Themid-twentieth-centurycivilrightsmovement<8>bloomed</8>intheyearsafterWorldWarIIundertheleadershipofMartinLutherKing.

Hispowerof<9>persuasion</9>gavethemovementan<10>injection</10>offorcethatcouldneitherbestoppednorsloweddown.

In1954KingacceptedaministryattheDexter<11>Avenue</11>BaptistChurchinMontgomery,Alabama.

Heorganizedmitteesforavarietyofsocial-actionprogramsincludingwinningcivilrightsforblacks.

<P2>Earlyachievementsincludedthe1954decisionBrownvs.BoardofEducationofTopeka,wherethe<12>Supreme</12><13>Court</13><14>reversed</14>decadesof<15>segregating</15>schools,declaringthatthesystemwasinherentlyunequalandthereforewentagainsttheFourteenth<17>Amendment</17>.

AfterRosaParkswas<18>arrested</18>forrefusingtoyieldherseatonabustoawhitepassengerinDecember1955,theMontgomeryImprovementAssociationwasorganized,withKingaspresident.

HewasnotsurethatpursuingaboycottofthebussystemwasmorallycorrectuntilherememberedastatementbyThoreau:"Wecannolongerlendour<19>cooperation</19>toanevilsystem."

OntheeveningofDecember5,Kingmadewhathelaterconsideredthemostpowerfulspeechofhislife.

<P3>Heissuedwhatwasacalltoallofthosewhobelievedinequalitythatthetimehadeforresistancetoracistpolicies.

Newspaperandtelevisionreportersissued<20>bulletins</20>onthisevent.

Underhisdirection,theblacksofMontgomeryboycottedthebussystemfor382days.

InNovember1956theUnitedStatesSupremeCourtshotanarrowintotheheartofracial<21>discrimination</21>declaringthatAlabamalawsthatsupportedthepracticeof<22>segregation</22>didnot<23>accord</23>withthe<24>Constitution</24>.

InDecemberblacksandwhitesrodeMontgomerybusestogetherforthefirsttime.

TheMontgomerybusboycottestablishedKingasaheroforthenation'sblackmunity.

Hiscourageandpublicspeakingabilitieshadmadehimthemostrespectedleaderofthecivilrightsmovement.

King<25>proposed</25>aseriesofcivilrightscampaignsaimedat<26>regulating</26>hiringpracticesandeliminatingsegregationinallpublic<27>facilities</27>.

Heorganizedprotestsandtraveledandlecturedwidelyandwasarrestedmorethanfifteentimes.

DuringMarchandAprilof1963,heledamassprotestinBirmingham,Alabama,toappealforfairhiringpracticesandanendtosegregation.

<P4>Afterdefyingcourtordersbarringpublic<28>demonstrations</28>,Kingwasjailedforfivedays.

<P5>Atthistimehewrotehis"LettersfromaBirminghamJail"andhadthem<29>circulated</29>amongstthecity'swhitereligiousleaderswhohadcriticizedhimfor"unwiseanduntimely"action.

"Actually,timeitselfisneutral,"hewrote.

<P6>"Humanprogressneverrollsinonwheelsofinevitability...andwithouthardwork,timeitselfbeesanallyoftheforcesthatwouldhavesocietyremainwithoutneededchange."

In1963KingworkedwithRalphAbernathy,his<30>deputy</30>andlatertheonewhoreplacedhimaspresidentoftheSCLC,andotherleaders,toorganizethelargestcivilrightsdemonstrationintheUnitedStateshistory.

OnAugust23,approximately250,000<31>civilians</31>stagedamarchonthecapital,Washington,D.C.,forfreedom.

Itwasalmostlikeamilitary<32>invasion</32>.

They?ablackandwhiteaswellasallotherraces?astretchedovera10-<33>acre</33>areaandactedas<34>witnesses</34>tocivilrightslawsthatwerebeing<35>voted</35>onin<36>Congress</36>,puttingpressureonthoseinthe<37>Senate</37>whowouldotherwisevoteagainstthoselaws,like<38>Republicans</38>representingsouthernstates.

<P7>Onthatday,Kinggavehis<39>glorious</39>speechtotelltheworldofhisfaithinthe<40>brotherhood</40>ofman.

Inhisspeech,knownbythe<41>slogan</41>,<em>IHaveaDream,</em>heexpressedhishopethatfreedomwouldbeearealityforallpeopleinGod'sgreat<42>kingdom</42>.

InJulyofthefollowingyear,hewasinvitedtotheWhiteHousebyPresidentLyndonB.Johnsontowitnessthesigningof<em>theCivilRightsAct</em>of1964.

<P8>The<43>legislation</43>madesegregatingblacksandwhitesinpublicfacilities,aswellas<44>discriminating</44>inhiringpractices,workingconditions,andwages,againstthelaw.

Laterthatyear,Kingwasawardedthe1964NobelPrizeforPeace.

"MartinLutherKingisa<45>messenger</45>withacalltoallwhoworkforpeace...HehasshowntheWesternworldthatastruggle