Blog # 10

I decided to do this blog about a holiday on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because I think it is very important. I looked and found the history behind the famous MLK day and this is what I found. It is only a United States holiday and marks the birth-date of of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination, which was in 1968. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it was five votes short of the number needed to pass. Two of the main arguments were mentioned about the holiday, which were it would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be against the tradition, because King had never held public office. Later, The King Center turned to support from many communities and the general public.S ix million signatures were collected for a petition to congress to pass the law. At the White House Rose Garden on November 2 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King once and for all. It was observed for the first time on January 20 1986 and was officially observed in all 50 states in 2000. I think this day is important because it is about a man that very influential during the time and obviously made his mark on history.



Sources: Time.com, http://www.princeton.edu/pr/mlk/images/mlk_mainpic2.jpg