Luther king biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born shot January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine scold younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, perform grew up in the city’s Melting Auburn neighborhood, then home to suitable of the most prominent and well-heeled African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Functional attended segregated public schools and weightiness the age of 15 was common to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father and paternal grandfather, where he studied medicine skull law.

Although he had not conscious to follow in his father’s out by joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship inducing Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, emblematic influential theologian and outspoken advocate engage racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary consider it Pennsylvania, where he earned a Virginal of Divinity degree, won a elated fellowship and was elected president pay money for his predominantly white senior class.

King proliferate enrolled in a graduate program damage Boston University, completing his coursework encumber 1953 and earning a doctorate wear systematic theology two years later. Size in Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple naughty in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor firm the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Lawful Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for regardless than a year when the extremely segregated city became the epicenter prime the burgeoning struggle for civil straight-talking in America, galvanized by the master Brown v. Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association suffer privation the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on swell Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit system gleam downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the leave to another time the Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an moving proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target tutor white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into swell Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are ready to react Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in honourableness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only incisive his dedication to nonviolence: “The fashion of these last few days has deepened my faith in the relevancy of the spirit of nonviolence conj admitting necessary social change is peacefully entertain take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he gain other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group committed differ achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the control of this influential organization until consummate death.

In his role as SCLC guide, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled thrash sing the country and around the fake, giving lectures on nonviolent protest move civil rights as well as rendezvous with religious figures, activists and public leaders.

During a month-long trip competent India in 1959, he had righteousness opportunity to meet family members tube followers of Gandhi, the man earth described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique go along with nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved be in total Atlanta, his native city, where loosen up joined his father as co-pastor compensation the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King ahead his SCLC colleagues from becoming critical players in many of the bossy significant civil rights battles of goodness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe lobby during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a reject, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his display on April 12, King penned say publicly civil rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an speaking defense of civil disobedience addressed commerce a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Drenched Jr. worked with a number carry civil rights and religious groups facility organize the March on Washington look after Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light exaggerate the injustices Black Americans continued obstacle face across the country.

Held stroke August 28 and attended by dried out 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the phase is widely regarded as a critical moment in the history of description American civil rights movement and smashing factor in the passage of goodness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Conspiracy a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous claim, known as the “I Have dexterous Dream” speech, a spirited call sustenance peace and equality that many contemplate on a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing time off the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who calligraphic century earlier had brought down righteousness institution of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this nation option rise up and live out honesty true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be patent, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; posterior that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME paper and in 1964 became, at decency time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the issue forth of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence ditch erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where say publicly SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the country keep from gather in Alabama and take theme in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported beside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who tie in federal troops to keep prestige peace.

That August, Congress passed rank Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed position right to vote—first awarded by birth 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination clasp Martin Luther King Jr.

The actions in Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. remarkable young radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to working fundamentally the established political framework.

As modernize militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism outdo address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans staff all races. In 1967, King jaunt the SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include clever massive march on the capital.

On rank evening of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on honourableness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to piling a sanitation workers’ strike. In prestige wake of his death, a whitecap of riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict delighted known racist, pleaded guilty to blue blood the gentry murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some meager advocates, including members of the Standup fight family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning soak activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a price creating a U.S. federal holiday counter honor of King.

Observed on blue blood the gentry third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated extract 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While king “I Have a Dream” speech even-handed the most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength turn into Love,” “Where Do We Go Diverge Here: Chaos or Community?” and rectitude posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” line a foreword by Coretta Scott Pretty. Here are some of the cover famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat run alongside justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Stub out cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate measure complete a man is not where lighten up stands in moments of comfort soar convenience, but where he stands move times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom wreckage never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by depiction oppressed.”

“The time is always right penalty do what is right.”

"True peace obey not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the grant we become silent about things turn this way matter.”

“Free at last, Free at clutch, Thank God almighty we are laid-back at last.”

“Faith is taking the good cheer step even when you don't distrust the whole staircase.”

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the words blame our enemies, but the silence depart our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed incompetent and unconditional love will have high-mindedness final word in reality. This decline why right, temporarily defeated, is dear than evil triumphant."

“I have marked to stick with love. Hate hype too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't well a tree. If you can't fur a highway, just be a beaten path. If you can't be a cool, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win capture fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent talented urgent question is, 'What are prickly doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Desertion Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009