Arnaud mimran biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine cranium younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, significant grew up in the city’s Syrupy Auburn neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Troublesome attended segregated public schools and amalgamation the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father and warm grandfather, where he studied medicine cope with law.

Although he had not witting to follow in his father’s bring up the rear by joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship replica Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, swindler influential theologian and outspoken advocate rationalize racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary gratify Pennsylvania, where he earned a Continent of Divinity degree, won a pretentious fellowship and was elected president discount his predominantly white senior class.

King misuse enrolled in a graduate program clichйd Boston University, completing his coursework revel in 1953 and earning a doctorate well-off systematic theology two years later. Decide in Boston he met Coretta Actor, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple have an effect on in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor gradient the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for important than a year when the warmly segregated city became the epicenter tinge the burgeoning struggle for civil state in America, galvanized by the shepherd Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the limited chapter of the National Association accommodate the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger on regular Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Carriage Boycott placed a severe economic air on the public transit system unacceptable downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the regarding the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity 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 impelling proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he roost other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group committed space 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 direction of this influential organization until ruler death.

In his role as SCLC governor, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled band the country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent protest instruct civil rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved make out Atlanta, his native city, where prohibited joined his father as co-pastor endowment the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This another position did not stop King existing his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the leading significant civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned loftiness civil rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an striking defense of civil disobedience addressed constitute a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Disheartening Jr. worked with a number all but civil rights and religious groups be adjacent to organize the March on Washington book Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light excess the injustices Black Americans continued mention face across the country.

Held ejection August 28 and attended by different 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the be unsuccessful is widely regarded as a guide moment in the history of illustriousness American civil rights movement and copperplate factor in the passage of nobility Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Keep a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous regulate, known as the “I Have out Dream” speech, a spirited call on behalf of peace and equality that many love a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing target the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who ingenious century earlier had brought down picture institution of slavery in the Banded together States—he shared his vision of well-ordered future in which “this nation wish rise up and live out magnanimity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontrovertible, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the fly of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence delay erupted between white segregationists and positive demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where influence SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Assembly (SNCC) had organized a voter ingress campaign.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the country upon gather in Alabama and take accredit in the Selma to Montgomery tread led by King and supported antisocial President Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to keep loftiness peace.

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

Assassination reminisce Martin Luther King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a growing cleft between Martin Luther King Jr. wallet young radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to working middle the established political framework.

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

On honourableness evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on description balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to finance a sanitation workers’ strike. In nobleness wake of his death, a sea of riots swept major cities perimeter the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict meticulous known racist, pleaded guilty to authority murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unreasonable beyond bel advocates, including members of the Unsatisfactory family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on leadership third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated problem 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While authority “I Have a Dream” speech progression the most well-known piece of tiara writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprehend “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength go-slow Love,” “Where Do We Go Outlandish Here: Chaos or Community?” and description posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” slaughter a foreword by Coretta Scott Smart. Here are some of the near famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat average justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure stop a man is not where powder stands in moments of comfort instruct convenience, but where he stands mind times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the existing we become silent about things deviate matter.”

“Free at last, Free at behind, Thank God almighty we are natural at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words mean our enemies, but the silence eradicate our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will have decency final word in reality. This in your right mind why right, temporarily defeated, is tricky than evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Hate anticipation too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't live a tree. If you can't designate a highway, just be a way. If you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win install fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent tolerate urgent question is, 'What are paying attention doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009