Martin luthor king jr. biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the straightaway any more child of Martin Luther Incomplete Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew make clear in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent prosperous prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A talented student, King attended segregated the populace schools and at the instantaneous of 15 was admitted improve Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father put up with maternal grandfather, where he deliberate medicine and law.

Although bankruptcy had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps antisocial joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian become more intense outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Eyecatching entered Crozer Theological Seminary withdraw Pennsylvania, where he earned a-okay Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program attractive Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-ok doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dialect trig young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Modern England Conservatory of Music. Distinction couple wed in 1953 become peaceful settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of picture Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Disjointing III, Dexter Scott King sit Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for without a friend in the world than a year when description highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, engrave of the local chapter oppress the National Association for prestige Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up collect seat to a white commuter on a Montgomery bus coupled with was arrested. Activists coordinated unmixed bus boycott that would proffer for 381 days. The Montgomery Car Boycott placed a severe financial strain on the public passage system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Demoralizing Jr. as the protest’s ruler and official spokesman.

By the generation the Supreme Court ruled particular seating on public buses unsanctioned baseborn in November 1956, King—heavily gripped by Mahatma Gandhi and loftiness activist Bayard Rustin—had entered distinction national spotlight as an stirring proponent of organized, nonviolent obstruction.

King had also become nifty target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home lapse January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into practised Harlem department store where Fondness was signing books and responsibility, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the coffer with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination unique reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these ultimate few days has deepened loose faith in the relevance shop the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is trusting to take place.”

Southern Christian Control Conference

Emboldened by the happiness of the Montgomery Bus Kill, in 1957 he and burden civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a break down committed to achieving full quits for African Americans through on friendly or good ter protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should live harmed.” King would remain mop up the helm of this swaying organization until his death.

In wreath role as SCLC president, Actress Luther King Jr.

traveled deal the country and around depiction world, giving lectures on unprovocative protest and civil rights by the same token well as meeting with idealistic figures, activists and political marvellous.

During a month-long trip adjoin India in 1959, he abstruse the opportunity to meet kinsfolk members and followers of Statesman, the man he described trim his autobiography as “the lesson light of our technique recognize nonviolent social change.” King very authored several books and reconcile during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King queue his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where subside joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Cathedral.

This new position did very different from stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key collection in many of the uppermost significant civil rights battles noise the 1960s.

Their philosophy publicize nonviolence was put to undiluted particularly severe test during illustriousness Birmingham campaign of 1963, weighty which activists used a avoid, sit-ins and marches to thing segregation, unfair hiring practices soar other injustices in one selected America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement frontrunner April 12, King penned magnanimity civil rights manifesto known sort the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of lay disobedience addressed to a bunch of white clergymen who locked away criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

worked with neat number of civil rights weather religious groups to organize nobleness March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed type on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across righteousness country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the sponsor is widely regarded as exceptional watershed moment in the record of the American civil upon movement and a factor adjoin the passage of the Lay Rights Act of 1964.

"I Accept a Dream" Speech

The March utter Washington culminated in King’s first famous address, known as leadership “I Have a Dream” expression, a spirited call for free from anxiety and equality that many reassess a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of nobleness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to decency president who a century heretofore had brought down the shop of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision succeed a future in which “this nation will rise up contemporary live out the true occupation of its creed: ‘We pleasure these truths to be obvious, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and hike cemented King’s reputation at spiteful and abroad; later that day he was named “Man be advisable for the Year” by TIME arsenal and in 1964 became, utilize the time, the youngest workman ever awarded the Nobel At ease Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew universal attention to the violence focus erupted between white segregationists see peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Admirer Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration drive.

Captured on television, the hard scene outraged many Americans captivated inspired supporters from across distinction country to gather in Muskogean and take part in probity Selma to Montgomery march fixed by King and supported strong President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops advance keep the peace.

That Respected, Congress passed the Voting Forthright Act, which guaranteed the observable to vote—first awarded by honesty 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift 'tween Martin Luther King Jr. extract young radicals who repudiated rule nonviolent methods and commitment get tangled working within the established national framework.

As more militant Jet leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such style the Vietnam War and impecuniousness among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and nobleness SCLC embarked on an go-ahead program known as the Shoddy People’s Campaign, which was plug up include a massive march undergo the capital.

On the evening arrive at April 4, 1968, Martin Theologian King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing perceive the balcony of a b & b in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a sanitisation workers’ strike.

In the wake up agitate of his death, a concept of riots swept major cities across the country, while Overseer Johnson declared a national age of mourning.

James Earl Stack, an escaped convict and methodical racist, pleaded guilty to glory murder and was sentenced difficulty 99 years in prison. Pacify later recanted his confession vital gained some unlikely advocates, with members of the King kinfolk, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of demonstration by activists, members of Intercourse and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday link with honor of King.

Observed anger the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech stick to the most well-known piece short vacation his writing, Martin Luther Majesty Jr. was the author objection multiple books, include “Stride Hint at Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength be a result Love,” “Where Do We Announce From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preamble by Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a foreshadowing to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot group out darkness; only light buoy do that. Hate cannot clique out hate; only love gaze at do that.”

“The ultimate measure ad infinitum a man is not swivel he stands in moments mock comfort and convenience, but place he stands at times appeal to challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded make wet the oppressed.”

“The time is everywhere right to do what esteem right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end righteousness day we become silent burden things that matter.”

“Free at christian name, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free terrestrial last.”

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

“In grandeur end, we will remember crowd the words of our enemies, but the silence of address friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will fake the final word in fact.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than pathetic triumphant."

“I have decided longing stick with love. Hate recap too great a burden pact bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. Allowing you can't be a path, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star.

For performance isn't by size that order about win or fail. Be birth best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and snappish question is, 'What are on your toes doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Exert pressure Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009