King said his dream was ‘deeply rooted in the American dream’ — a dream ‘that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed’

King's reputation as an orator, scholar, theologian and activist committed to improving lives at the grassroots level grew as he moved with his wife from Montgomery to Atlanta. His civil rights work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference took him from community to community, focusing on local issues with national implications.