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Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline
Your free printable timeline includes these important events:
- 1929: Michael King (later known as Martin Luther King Jr.) is born.
- 1946: Dr. King’s letter asserting the rights of Black citizens is published in the Atlanta Constitution.
- 1948: King joins the Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta as assistant pastor.
- 1953: Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr.
are married.
- 1954: King becomes pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama.
- 1955: Rosa Parks’ actions lead to the Montgomery Bus Boycott led in part by Dr. King.
- 1956: King’s home is bombed as he speaks at a meeting.
- 1957: In Washington, D.C., Dr. King gives his first national address.
- 1958: King is stabbed during a book signing in Harlem.
- 1963: Dr.
King releases “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
- 1963: At the March on Washington, King gives his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
- 1964: Dr. King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1965: Civil rights leaders including King lead a march from Selma to Montgomery.
- 1968: Dr. King is assassinated at the age of 39.
How To Use This Timeline in Your Classroom
Jigsaw Activity
Assign each student (or group of students) a specific event on the timeline to research in greater detail.
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Civil rights leader Martin Luther King (C) waves to supporters Aug. 28, 1963 on the Mall in Washington, DC, during the "March on Washington", where King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which mobilized supporters of desegregation and prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 16, 2025, 2:54 p.m.
When they’re done, assemble the slides into one presentation, and share it with the whole class.
Historical Journal Entry
Ask students to pick one event from the timeline and learn a little more about it. What do you think happened in the meantime?
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timeline!
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Activities for First Grade
This is one of my favorite projects that I look forward to every year. Left to right: Lester B Granger, Executive Secretary of the National Urban League; Frederick Morrow (obscured), Administrative Officer of the White House; Dr Martin Luther King, President of the Southern Leadership Conference; President Eisenhower; Philip Randolph, Vice President of the AFL-CIO; Attorney General William P Rogers; Rocco Siciliano, Special Assistant to the President; Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP.
Vince Finnigan, Keystone/Hulton Archive Via Getty ImagesSouthern Conference Education Fund reception April, 1961 in Louisville, KY.
The Courier Journal Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King Jr.
met with the Rev. John Rowan Claypool IV of Crescent Hill Baptist Church, right, in Louisville, KY, in April 1961.
The Courier Journal, USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King Jr. waves to onlookers as he leads the 125,000 strong "Walk to Freedom" on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, MI, June 23, 1963. You can spend multiple days on this activity, really giving students time to dig in and then share their knowledge.
Timeline Slideshow
This is similar to a jigsaw, but each student or group prepares one or more slides on the event they’ve been assigned.
You can download the pages for the timeline by clicking here!
Want more social studies project ideas? I find having a partner and providing references for their illustrations really helps with the quality of their work. I also give the students plenty of time to work on their illustration.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Activity Day 2
On Day 2, we gather together in the hallway with our completed illustrations. We use them to create a timeline of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. Use it for classroom activities as you explore the life of this incredible civil rights icon.
Plus, Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr.
Activities for All Ages.
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It could be someone who was there when it happened, a friend or family member of Dr. King, or just an average person who heard about the event on the news.Timeline Sequencing
Cut the timeline apart and paste each event to a note card (no dates!).
Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders gather before a rally at the Lincoln Memorial Aug. 28, 1963 in Washington, DC.
National Archives, Getty ImagesMartin Luther King Jr. at URI in South Kingstown, RI, Oct. 5, 1966, speaking to 5000 persons at Keaney gym. Mix them up, then see if students can put them back together in the correct order when given a blank timeline with just dates.
Cause and Effect
Ask students to reflect on the cause and effect of one or more events on the timeline.
I hope your students will love this Martin Luther King, Jr. activity as much as my class does! But he filled his years with meaningful events and became one of the most pivotal figures, if not the most pivotal figure, in the American Civil Rights Movement. Check out the links below!
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.: See his life, family, activism, faith
NATION
Jan.
Why?
Writing Prompts
Share the timeline with your students and pose prompts like these for them to respond to:
- Which of these events do you think was most important in a historical sense? King warned, "The appalling silence of the good people is as serious as the vitriolic words of bad people."Providence Journal, USA TODAY Network
Martin Luther King Jr.
talks with Professor Robert Browne and Dr. Dorothea Hubin of Fairleigh Dickinson University at Bergen Tech in Hackensack, NJ, Oct. 29, 1966.
John Decker, North Jersey Media Group Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King in Louisville, KY, with his wife, Coretta Scott King and Dr. King's brother A.D. Williams King, March 30, 1967.
Michael Coers, The Courier Journal Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King, center, in Louisville with wife, Coretta Scott King, at an Open Housing Rally in Louisville, KY, March 30, 1967.
Michael Coers, Michael Coers/The Courier-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORKMartin Luther King Jr.
speaks in support of the open housing movement on March 30, 1967, at Zion Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.
Michael Coers, The Courier Journal Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King Jr., right, visits the University of Louisville in 1967 in Louisville, KY.
The Courier Journal Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King Jr.
waits to speak to housing protesters in Louisville, KY, Aug. 20, 1967.
Jim Harlan, The Courier Journal Via USA TODAY Network
Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline (Free Printable)
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 when his life was cut tragically short. I use lots of guided talk to walk them through the process.
Also, I let them use their colored pencils, which is a special treat in my classroom.
You will want to have two days to complete this project.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Activity Day 1
I partner the students up and give each set of partners one of the MLK timeline pages. They bring up their Martin Luther King, Jr. activity pages and we tape them in order, making a large timeline of his life.
I love that this project makes the concept of a timeline come to life for my students in a way that a worksheet cannot.
James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
AFP Via Getty ImagesMartin Luther King Jr. points skyward as he speaks at a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.
Stephan Lesher, Montgomery Advertiser Via USA TODAY NetworkMartin Luther King Jr.
points skyward as he speaks at a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.
Stephan Lesher, Montgomery Advertiser Via USA TODAY NetworkSecretary of Labor James P. Mitchell (right) shakes hands with Rev. Martin Luther King as Vice President Richard Nixon looks on Aug.
8, 1957 in Washington, DC.
National Archives, Getty ImagesPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower pictured in his office at the White House with four civil rights leaders following a meeting in Washington DC, June 23 1958.