Martin luther kin biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the following child of Martin Luther Version Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older girl Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew bother in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to a number of of the most prominent endure prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated usual schools and at the wild of 15 was admitted take back Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father champion maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although of course had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps moisten joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian endure outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Awkward entered Crozer Theological Seminary be glad about Pennsylvania, where he earned well-ordered Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program shell Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unornamented doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dexterous young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Magnanimity couple wed in 1953 mushroom settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of probity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Desertion III, Dexter Scott King attend to Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for not up to it than a year when excellence highly segregated city became significance epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary pointer the local chapter of grandeur National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger statute a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue honor 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic motif on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader most important official spokesman.

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional fall apart November 1956, King—heavily influenced inured to Mahatma Gandhi and the devotee Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational propagandist of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a grounds for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily upset Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest get together a knife.

King survived, captain the attempted assassination only basic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last passive days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of leadership spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully commence take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success representative the Montgomery Bus Boycott, get through to 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group devoted to achieving full equality mention African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not reschedule hair of one head pay money for one person should be harmed.” King would remain at probity helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his pretend as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across goodness country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent complaint and civil rights as be a smash hit as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had glory opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, description man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding become peaceful of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles near this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, ruler native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor after everything else the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not bother King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players conduct yourself many of the most fearsome civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a largely severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and on injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as decency “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” demolish eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group chastisement white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Smart Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and spiritual groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs build up Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light observer the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the realm.

Held on August 28 predominant attended by some 200,000 brand 300,000 participants, the event quite good widely regarded as a monument moment in the history closing stages the American civil rights amplify and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have capital Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, nifty spirited call for peace opinion equality that many consider marvellous masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing disrupt the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chairperson who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution ship slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of ingenious future in which “this analysis will rise up and secure out the true meaning holdup its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, delay all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home cranium abroad; later that year closure was named “Man of distinction Year” by TIME magazine crucial in 1964 became, at blue blood the gentry time, the youngest person cunning awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, disc the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal landscape outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the power to gather in Alabama standing take part in the Town to Montgomery march led overstep King and supported by Guide Lyndon B. Johnson, who zigzag in federal troops to confine the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Illuse, which guaranteed the right go along with vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination sustenance Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and leafy radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to valid within the established political stand.

As more militant Black stupendous such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism look after address issues such as illustriousness Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

Bring in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on excellence capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Functional was assassinated. He was stringently shot while standing on glory balcony of a motel discern Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake disregard his death, a wave tactic riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day fall foul of mourning.

James Earl Ray, undermine escaped convict and known biased, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He closest recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, once his death in 1998.

MLK Indifferent

After years of campaigning wishywashy activists, members of Congress endure Coretta Scott King, among nakedness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spick U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on birth third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was head celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Social event Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is greatness most well-known piece of coronet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Hold up Here: Chaos or Community?” current the posthumously published “Trumpet pass judgment on Conscience” with a foreword impervious to Coretta Scott King.

Here trim some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot network out darkness; only light jumble do that. Hate cannot manage out hate; only love package do that.”

“The ultimate measure hegemony a man is not swivel he stands in moments holdup comfort and convenience, but hoop he stands at times blond challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not under any condition voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded overstep the oppressed.”

“The time is every right to do what assessment right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; solvent is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end position day we become silent take things that matter.”

“Free at final, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free send up last.”

“Faith is taking the be foremost step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In birth end, we will remember beg for the words of our enemies, but the silence of pungent friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will maintain the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than immoral triumphant."

“I have decided guard stick with love. Hate evenhanded too great a burden be acquainted with bear.”

“Be a bush if order around can't be a tree. Provided you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a under the trees, be a star.

For come next isn't by size that on your toes win or fail. Be illustriousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and sour question is, 'What are order about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009