Martin Luther King, Jr., ( January 15 , 1929 – April 4 , 1968 ) was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement , a political activist, a Baptist minister, and is regarded as one of America's greatest orators. King's most influential and well-known public address is the " I Have A Dream " speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1963. In 1964, King became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (for his work as a peacemaker , promoting nonviolence and equal treatment for different races ). On April 4 , 1968 , King was assassinated in Memphis , Tennessee . In 1977, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter . In 1986, Martin Luther King Day was established as a United States holiday . In 2004, King was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal . King often called for personal responsibility in fostering world peace. Our lives begin to end the day we b...