Thomas Jefferson once said, “All men are created equal. » These famous words quickly became the basis of American ideology and outlined the new concept of democracy and American government. They represented what America stood for, but those words were false. Even though all men were created equal, they were not treated equally. It was simply believed that black people were born inferior to white people. This inequality was due to excessive racism etched into American society, rooted since the days of slavery in the American South. African Americans have gone through generations of struggle to achieve freedom and equality. They fought first for the abolition of slavery and then for citizenship status. However, this still has not created a society of equality. African Americans had to fight for social, political, and economic equality in a social movement known as the Civil Rights Movement. Many courageous people fought in this movement to eliminate racism and segregation, in an effort to rebuild society. Among these people, Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, was one of the most ardent civil rights activists in American history. He successfully fought against the status quo and thereby revolutionized American society. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929 and, like his father and grandfather, King became a pastor. He was a very peaceful and intelligent man. In fact, he skipped two years of high school and entered college at the age of fifteen. Due to his religious beliefs and inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, he fought for equality through non-violence. He used speeches, boycotts, sit-ins and protests to combat racial discrimination. King...... middle of paper ......13. Internet. January 21, 2014. Brown, Mitchell. “Timeline of Events in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.” Timeline of Events in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Louisiana State University, nd Web. January 21, 2014. “The Birmingham Campaign.” PBS. PBS and Web. January 20, 2014.Ross, Shmuel. “Civil Rights March on Washington.” Info please. Info please, 2007. Web. January 20, 2014. “Martin Luther King, I have a dream. » American rhetoric. American Rhetoric, nd Web. January 18, 2014. “The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.” » Administration of national archives and records. National Records and Archives Administration, nd Web. January 18, 2014.King, Dexter Scott and Coretta Scott King. “Montgomery.” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Companion: Quotes from the Speeches, Essays, and Books of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. 13-17. Print.