Learn about the life and legacy of one of America's greatest civil rights leaders — while practising the passive voice and key civil rights vocabulary.
Read the text about Martin Luther King Jr., then answer the comprehension questions below.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and young Martin grew up in a deeply religious family. He was an excellent student and entered Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. After studying theology and philosophy, he earned his doctorate from Boston University in 1955. That same year, he became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
In December 1955, a Black woman named Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery because she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. King helped to organise a boycott of the city's buses that lasted 381 days. Black citizens walked, shared car rides, or cycled to work instead of taking the bus. The boycott ended in victory when the US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. This success made King a national figure in the fight for civil rights.
On 28 August 1963, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to over 250,000 people at the March on Washington. In his speech, he called for an end to racial discrimination and imagined a future in which people would be judged not by the colour of their skin but by their character. The following year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law, making racial discrimination in public places illegal. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, becoming the youngest person at that time to win the award — he was just thirty-five years old.
Tragically, King was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of thirty-nine. He had travelled there to support striking sanitation workers. His death shocked the world, but his ideas lived on. Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on the third Monday of January each year. His message of nonviolent resistance and equal rights continues to inspire people around the world.
1 Martin Luther King Jr. was born in .
2 He entered college at the age of .
3 The Montgomery Bus Boycott was started after .
4 The bus boycott lasted .
5 The "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered at the .
6 The Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places .
7 When King won the Nobel Peace Prize, he was .
8 King was in Memphis in 1968 to support .
Complete the sentences about civil rights history using the correct passive form. Pay attention to the tense indicated in brackets.
Passive voice: subject + form of be + past participle
Simple past passive: The law was signed by the president.
Past perfect passive: The seats had been reserved for white passengers.
Simple present passive: His birthday is celebrated every year.
We use the passive when the action or result is more important than who performed it.
1 Rosa Parks because she refused to give up her seat. (simple past passive)
2 The "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of over 250,000 people. (simple past passive)
3 Before the boycott, Black passengers to sit at the back of the bus. (past perfect passive)
4 The Civil Rights Act into law in 1964. (simple past passive)
5 Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January. (simple present passive)
6 King the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent work. (simple past passive)
7 Many civil rights leaders by Gandhi's ideas before King started his movement. (past perfect passive)
8 His speeches in schools around the world today. (simple present passive)
Match each word or phrase to its correct meaning. All words appear in the reading text or relate to the civil rights movement.
1 The separation of people based on race, e.g. in schools or on buses:
2 Refusing to buy or use something as a form of protest:
3 Treating someone unfairly because of their race, gender, or religion:
4 Fighting for change without using physical violence:
5 Against the rules of a country's constitution; not legal under the highest law:
6 The deliberate killing of an important person, often for political reasons:
7 The basic rights that every citizen should have, such as the right to vote:
8 A large public meeting or event to support a cause or show agreement:
Write a text (80–120 words) about one of the following topics. Try to use the passive voice at least twice and include vocabulary from Exercise C.
Topic 1 — MLK's importance: Why is Martin Luther King Jr. still remembered today? What did he achieve, and why does his message remain important? Think about how his ideas have influenced the world.
Topic 2 — Nonviolent resistance: King believed that change could be achieved without violence. Do you think nonviolent resistance is an effective way to fight for justice? Give reasons for your opinion and use examples from the text or from history.
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