Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
[1] is an
American federal holiday marking the birthday of
Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King's birthday, January 15. The floating holiday is similar to holidays set under the
Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
King was the chief spokesman for
nonviolent activism in the
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 in 1968.
President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Signing King's holiday into law in 1983 was one of the few great things Reagan ever accomplished. America owes much to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He will always be remembered as a nonviolent civil rights hero and national icon.