Martin Luther King Jr.'s life as a civil rights leader was shaped by several major events, including his experiences with racial segregation in his youth and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. His education, particularly at Morehouse College and Harvard University, provided him with a foundation in nonviolent resistance and Christian theology. Key moments include the I Have a Dream speech during the 1963 March on Washington and his involvement in the Birmingham campaign. These events enhanced his role as a symbol of hope and progress in the struggle for racial equality.