Sadly it was the assassination of the most prominent civil rights leader of his day, which prompted the declaration of today's national holiday. It was established as a holiday in numerous cities and states beginning in 1971; the holiday was enacted at the federal level by legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
Very few will disagree we need a three-day weekend in the middle of January but not if it means we have to sacrifice the leader of a non-violent civil disobedience movement. The tactics he espoused were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and have left an ever lasting mark on our society.
The above picture is from the day he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. It is one of his most recognized public speeches that was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In it he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Uttered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement.
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