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Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. This award is given almost every year.
It goes to the person, people, or organization most responsible for promoting peace. King was 35 years old. He was the youngest person ever to receive the prize. In December, he went with family and friends to Oslo, Norway, where the award ceremony took place. On his return, King was showered with honors. The city of Atlanta, where he lived, gave him a fancy dinner event. Together, Black and White people sang the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.” Only a few years before, King had been arrested in Atlanta for trying to eat at an all-White lunch counter.
King spoke at the dinner. He said, “I must confess that I have enjoyed being on this mountaintop and I am tempted to want to stay here and retreat to a more quiet and serene life. But something within reminds me that the valley calls me in spite of all its agonies, dangers, and frustrating moments.” The valley he was headed to was a place called Selma.
◀ The 15th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1870. It guaranteed that United States citizens could not be denied the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude.” But it was very hard for Black men to register to vote. Even after the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920, Black men and women often waited all day to register, only to be turned away by rude officials. Black people had to pass tests showing they could read. The tests were full of questions that few White people could answer. Many Black people who tried to register were threatened. Some were beaten. Some were hanged.
▲ Why did voting matter? Without the right to vote, Black people had no hope of changing their government. There would be no Black sheriffs, judges, or mayors. Plus, elected White officials would be more likely to respect the rights of Black people with votes. After all, they owed their jobs to the people who elected them. King wanted to make the right to vote available to all Black people. In January 1965, he chose Selma, Alabama, as the place to begin his campaign. In Selma, he led hundreds to the courthouse to register, but they were turned back and arrested. King was arrested again, for parading without a permit.
“I believe firmly that love is a transforming power that can lift a whole community to new horizons of fair play, goodwill, and justice.”
▲ The marchers tried a second time, then a third time, They finally set out on the historic 54-mile march on March 21, protected by Army troops and the National Guard. The trip took them five days. When the marchers arrived in Montgomery, they were overjoyed. They proudly sang, “We have overcome today.”
◀ In 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. It let Black people safely register, and even those who could not read could vote.
