Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent civil rights activist and Baptist minister in the United States during the mid-20th century. He led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, and was a key figure in organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. King's nonviolent activism and powerful oratory skills made him a widely respected leader in the fight for racial equality and justice. He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39, leaving behind a legacy of social and political activism that continues to inspire people around the world today.