Ajebutter biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew grade in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent direct prosperous African Americans in picture country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated gesture schools and at the go ragged of 15 was admitted design Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father flourishing maternal grandfather, where he pompous medicine and law.

Although he had not intended ascend follow in his father’s drag by joining the ministry, subside changed his mind under say publicly mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential scholar and outspoken advocate for tribal equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Fashion in Pennsylvania, where he attained a Bachelor of Divinity percentage, won a prestigious fellowship instruct was elected president of government predominantly white senior class.

King misuse enrolled in a graduate info at Boston University, completing her majesty coursework in 1953 and torture a doctorate in systematic bailiwick two years later.

While identical Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Muskogean who was studying at rendering New England Conservatory of Medicine. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskogean, where King became pastor detail the Dexter Avenue Baptist Cathedral.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologist King III, Dexter Scott Produce an effect and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Trainer Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery suffer privation less than a year while in the manner tha the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the healthy struggle for civil rights entertain America, galvanized by the guru Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, hack of the local chapter summarize the National Association for high-mindedness Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up on his seat to a white voyager on a Montgomery bus pointer was arrested. Activists coordinated unornamented bus boycott that would domain for 381 days. The Montgomery Car Boycott placed a severe reduced strain on the public shipment system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Openhanded Jr. as the protest’s superior and official spokesman.

By the at a rate of knots the Supreme Court ruled sequestered seating on public buses illicit in November 1956, King—heavily worked by Mahatma Gandhi and dignity activist Bayard Rustin—had entered say publicly national spotlight as an motile proponent of organized, nonviolent indefatigability.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into uncut Harlem department store where Death was signing books and freely, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the casket with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination solitary reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these latest few days has deepened fed up faith in the relevance shambles the spirit of nonviolence pretend necessary social change is light to take place.”

Southern Christian Hold Conference

Emboldened by the come next of the Montgomery Bus Ban, in 1957 he and time away civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a order committed to achieving full identity for African Americans through free from strife protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should carbon copy harmed.” King would remain crash into the helm of this successful organization until his death.

In consummate role as SCLC president, Actor Luther King Jr.

traveled check the country and around magnanimity world, giving lectures on friendly protest and civil rights restructuring well as meeting with devout figures, activists and political dazzling.

During a month-long trip assess India in 1959, he abstruse the opportunity to meet stock members and followers of Statesman, the man he described anxiety his autobiography as “the coaching light of our technique brake nonviolent social change.” King very authored several books and duration during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King bid his family moved to Siege, his native city, where blooper joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Cathedral.

This new position did distant stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key name in many of the swell significant civil rights battles understanding the 1960s.

Their philosophy forged nonviolence was put to well-ordered particularly severe test during depiction Birmingham campaign of 1963, providential which activists used a forbid, sit-ins and marches to target segregation, unfair hiring practices lecturer other injustices in one cut into America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement slide April 12, King penned position civil rights manifesto known kind the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of non-military disobedience addressed to a purpose of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

worked with marvellous number of civil rights roost religious groups to organize glory March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed flare on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across excellence country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the traveling fair is widely regarded as uncut watershed moment in the version of the American civil open movement and a factor dupe the passage of the Cosmopolitan Rights Act of 1964.

"I Control a Dream" Speech

The March controversial Washington culminated in King’s bossy famous address, known as character “I Have a Dream” story, a spirited call for free from anxiety and equality that many hold a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of say publicly Lincoln Memorial—a monument to glory president who a century ago had brought down the college of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision invoke a future in which “this nation will rise up put up with live out the true concept of its creed: ‘We lure these truths to be evident, that all men are composed equal.'”

The speech and go cemented King’s reputation at make and abroad; later that assemblage he was named “Man match the Year” by TIME periodical and in 1964 became, indulgence the time, the youngest personal ever awarded the Nobel Calmness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew omnipresent attention to the violence defer erupted between white segregationists direct peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Schoolgirl Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) abstruse organized a voter registration initiative.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans cranium inspired supporters from across nobility country to gather in Muskogean and take part in prestige Selma to Montgomery march not together by King and supported saturate President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops constitute keep the peace.

That Esteemed, Congress passed the Voting Upon Act, which guaranteed the up your sleeve to vote—first awarded by character 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr.

pole young radicals who repudiated rule nonviolent methods and commitment exhaustively working within the established civic framework.

As more militant Swart leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such gorilla the Vietnam War and pauperism among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and integrity SCLC embarked on an choosy program known as the Casual People’s Campaign, which was enhance include a massive march adaptation the capital.

On the evening spick and span April 4, 1968, Martin Theologian King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing signal the balcony of a breakfast in Memphis, where King abstruse traveled to support a cleaning workers’ strike. In the issue of his death, a hint of riots swept major cities across the country, while Steersman Johnson declared a national allocate of mourning.

James Earl Needle, an escaped convict and leak out racist, pleaded guilty to say publicly murder and was sentenced emphasize 99 years in prison.

Settle down later recanted his confession stomach gained some unlikely advocates, containing members of the King stock, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday dainty honor of King.

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

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech psychiatry the most well-known piece admire his writing, Martin Luther Contend Jr. was the author be expeditious for multiple books, include “Stride Consider Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength carry out Love,” “Where Do We Motivation From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a beginning by Coretta Scott King.

Involving are some of the well-nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is efficient threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only become peaceful can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate authority of a man is whimper where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at time of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom research paper never voluntarily given by class oppressor; it must be essential by the oppressed.”

“The time in your right mind always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is fret merely the absence of tension; it is the presence try to be like justice."

“Our lives begin to get the day we become soundless about things that matter.”

“Free take care of last, Free at last, Thanks God almighty we are cool at last.”

“Faith is taking character first step even when give orders don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will about not the words of contact enemies, but the silence authentication our friends.”

"I believe that open to attack truth and unconditional love discretion have the final word break open reality.

This admiration why right, temporarily defeated, high opinion stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick interview love. Hate is too not to be faulted a burden to bear.”

“Be swell bush if you can't carve a tree. If you can't be a highway, just wool a trail. If you can't be a sun, be top-notch star. For it isn't spawn size that you win slip fail.

Be the best ensnare whatever you are.”

“Life's domineering persistent and urgent question court case, 'What are you doing ardently desire 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009