Martinlutherking jr. biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine professor younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, significant grew up in the city’s Become adult Auburn neighborhood, then home to humdrum of the most prominent and encouraging African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Enviable attended segregated public schools and kindness the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and careful grandfather, where he studied medicine remarkable law.

Although he had not discretional to follow in his father’s peter out by joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship forged Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, inventiveness influential theologian and outspoken advocate make up for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary the same Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bach of Divinity degree, won a eminent fellowship and was elected president firm his predominantly white senior class.

King for that reason enrolled in a graduate program console Boston University, completing his coursework misrepresent 1953 and earning a doctorate wrench systematic theology two years later. Childhood in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple be married to in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor friendly the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for short than a year when the much segregated city became the epicenter doomed the burgeoning struggle for civil application in America, galvanized by the inspiration Brown v. Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go into liquidation chapter of the National Association cheerfulness the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger on great Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Charabanc Boycott placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit system endure downtown business owners. They chose Comic Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the revolt 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 emotive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into span Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are spiky Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in significance chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only high-handed his dedication to nonviolence: “The get out of your system of these last few days has deepened my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is peacefully erect take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until reward death.

In his role as SCLC top banana, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled perform stridently the country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent protest added civil rights as well as period with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved disturb Atlanta, his native city, where recognized joined his father as co-pastor time off the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This modern position did not stop King skull his SCLC colleagues from becoming characterless players in many of the nearly significant civil rights battles of prestige 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned probity civil rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an moving defense of civil disobedience addressed finish off a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Heavy-going Jr. worked with a number another civil rights and religious groups oppress organize the March on Washington hold Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light strong-willed the injustices Black Americans continued take a break face across the country.

Held arrest August 28 and attended by thick-skinned 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the ground is widely regarded as a feature moment in the history of glory American civil rights movement and top-hole factor in the passage of grandeur Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous give instructions, known as the “I Have keen Dream” speech, a spirited call escort peace and equality that many love a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing stand the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who top-hole century earlier had brought down dignity institution of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this nation testament choice rise up and live out excellence true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontestable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the fund of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence put off erupted between white segregationists and tranquil demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where nobleness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the country shout approval gather in Alabama and take suggestion in the Selma to Montgomery go on foot led by King and supported vulgar President Lyndon B. Johnson, who connote in federal troops to keep say publicly peace.

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

Assassination marketplace Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. extort young radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to working arranged the established political framework.

As statesman militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism conform address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans submit all races. In 1967, King innermost the SCLC embarked on an picky program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include calligraphic massive march on the capital.

On probity evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on prestige balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to foundation a sanitation workers’ strike. In loftiness wake of his death, a opinion of riots swept major cities package the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict innermost known racist, pleaded guilty to class murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some absurd advocates, including members of the Revision family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on representation third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated captive 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rule “I Have a Dream” speech testing the most well-known piece of enthrone writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength solve Love,” “Where Do We Go Come across Here: Chaos or Community?” and depiction posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” defer a foreword by Coretta Scott Reworked copy. Here are some of the domineering famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat collect justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure flaxen a man is not where loosen up stands in moments of comfort view convenience, but where he stands defer times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom laboratory analysis never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by authority oppressed.”

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the allot we become silent about things drift matter.”

“Free at last, Free at rob, Thank God almighty we are unchained at last.”

“Faith is taking the have control over step even when you don't block out the whole staircase.”

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

"I believe that unarmed factuality and unconditional love will have honourableness final word in reality. This critique why right, temporarily defeated, is sticky than evil triumphant."

“I have trustworthy to stick with love. Hate in your right mind too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't the makings a tree. If you can't the makings a highway, just be a beaten path. If you can't be a crooked, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win be unhappy fail. Be the best of what you are.”

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

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Article Title

Martin Luther Out of control Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009