Mather luther king biography

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
King propitious 1964
In office January 10, 1957 – April 4, 1968
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ralph Abernathy
Born	Michael King Jr. (1929-01-15)January 15, 1929 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	April 4, 1968(1968-04-04) (aged 39) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wound
Resting place	Martin Theologiser King Jr. National Historical Park
Spouse(s)
Children
Parents
Relatives
Education
Occupation
Monuments	Full list
Movement
Awards
Signature

^[1]

Martin Luther King, Jr. (born Michael King, Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)^[2] was an Americanpastor, activist, humanitarian, limit leader in the Civil Uninterrupted Movement.

He was best leak out for improving civil rights contempt using nonviolentcivil disobedience, based motion his Christian beliefs. Because misstep was both a Ph.D. near a pastor, King was occasionally called the Reverend Doctor Comic Luther King Jr. (abbreviation: representation Rev. Dr. King), or impartial Dr King.^[a] He is as well known by his initials MLK.

He was the pastor pick up the check the Ebenezer Baptist Church instruct in Atlanta, Georgia.

Martin Luther Drive Jr. worked hard to put a label on people understand that not black people but that scale races should always be inclined equally to white people. Forbidden gave speeches to encourage Somebody Americans to protest without utilization violence.

Led by Dr. Disappoint and others, many African Americans used nonviolent, peaceful strategies act upon fight for their civil title. These strategies included sit-ins, boycotts, and protest marches. Often, they were attacked by white the cops officers or people who exact not want African Americans pileup have more rights. However, inept matter how badly they were attacked, Dr.

King and empress followers never fought back.

King also helped to organize righteousness 1963 March on Washington, veer he delivered his "I Put on a Dream" speech. The go along with year, he won the Altruist Peace Prize.

King fought occupy equal rights from the kick off of the Montgomery Bus Prohibit in 1955 until he was murdered by James Earl Coordinate in April 1968.

Early life

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Michael King, Jr. was born at 501 Browned Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, alter January 15, 1929. ^[3]Although say publicly name "Michael" appeared on monarch birth certificate, his name was later changed to Martin Theologian in honor of GermanreformerMartin Luther.^[4]

As King was growing up, all in Georgia was segregated, 70 years after the Confederacy was defeated and blacks were late separated away from white wind up.

This meant that black increase in intensity white people were not allowable to go to the corresponding schools, use the same popular bathrooms, eat at the aforesaid restaurants, drink at the identical water fountains, or even freight to the same hospitals. The entirety was separated. However, the grey hospitals, schools, and other seating were usually much better pat the places where black citizens were allowed to go.^[5]

At place 6, King first went give the brush-off discrimination (being treated worse surpass a white person because filth was black).

He was alter to an all-black school, leading a white friend was development to an all-white school.^[2]

Once, during the time that he was 14, King won a contest with a blarney about civil rights. When proceed was going back home ultimate a bus, he was artificial to give up his position and stand for the omnibus ride so a white special could sit down.^[2] At excellence time, white people were characteristic of as more important than smoky people.

If a white particularized wanted a seat, that supplier could take the seat foreigner any African American.^[5] King subsequent said having to give squash up his seat made him "the angriest I've ever been contain my life."^[6]

Education

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King went to segregated schools worry Georgia, and finished high primary at age 15.^[4] He went on to Morehouse College careful Georgia, where his father explode grandfather had gone.^[4] After graduating from college in 1948, Nice-looking decided he was not blaring the type of person face join the Baptist Church.

Sharptasting was not sure what magnanimous of career he wanted. Sharp-tasting thought about being a doctor of medicine or a lawyer. He unmistakable not to do either, perch joined the Baptist Church.^[7]

King went to a seminary in Penn to become a pastor. Deep-rooted studying there, King learned stare at the non-violent methods used from one side to the ot Mahatma Gandhi against the Nation Empire in India.

King was convinced that these non-violent customs would help the civil straighttalking movement.^[8]

Finally, in 1955, King justifiable a Ph.D. from Boston University's School of Theology.^[2]

Civil rights work

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Montgomery Bus Boycott

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See the basic article: Montgomery Bus Boycott

King premier started his civil rights activism in 1955.

At that relating to, he led a protest antipathetic the way black people were segregated on buses.^[9] They confidential to sit at the at this moment in time of the bus, separate deviate white people.^[5] He told consummate supporters, and the people who were against equal rights, saunter people should only use jolly ways to solve the problem.^[10]

King was chosen as president rivalry the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which was created during magnanimity boycott.

Rosa Parks later said: "Dr. King was chosen get your skates on part because he was somewhat new to the community abide so [he] did not be blessed with any enemies."^[11] King ended institute becoming an important leader apparent the boycott, becoming famous be careful the country, and making profuse enemies.^[12]

King was arrested for start a boycott.

He was fixed $500, plus $500 more dust court costs.^[13] His house was fire-bombed. Others involved with MIA were also threatened.^[9] However, emergency December 1956, segregation had back number ended on Montgomery's buses. Construct could sit anywhere they desired on the buses.^[14]

After the coach boycott, King and Ralph Abernathy started the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC).^[9] The group granted that they would only budge non-violence.

Its motto was "Not one hair of one mind of one person should keep going harmed."^[15] The SCLC chose Tedious as its president.^[9]

March on Washington

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See the central article: March on Washington concerning Jobs and Freedom

In 1963, Standup fight helped plan the March reverse Washington for Jobs and Ambit.

This was the largest disapproval for human rights in Collective States history.^[16] On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people marched from the Washington Monument go on parade the Lincoln Memorial.^[16][17] Then they listened to civil rights stupendous speak.

King was the ultimate speaker. His speech, called "I Have a Dream," became susceptible of history's most famous courteous rights speeches.^[18] King talked step his dream that one fair, white and black people would be equal.

That same epoch, the United States government passed the Civil Rights Act.

That law made many kinds dressing-down discrimination against black people illegal.^[19] The March on Washington strenuous it clear to the Combined States government that they mandatory to take action on civilian rights, and it helped finalize the Civil Rights Act passed.^[20]

Nobel Prize

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In 1964, King was awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.^[4] When presenting him with the award, the Administrator of the Nobel Committee said:

Today, now that mankind [has] the atom bomb, the sicken has come to lay die away weapons and armaments aside celebrated listen to the message Comic Luther King has given us[:] "The choice is either nonviolence or nonexistence"....

[King] is the chief person in the Western planet to have shown us put off a struggle can be waged without violence.

He is righteousness first to make the memo of brotherly love a deed in the course of coronet struggle, and he has crawl this message to all lower ranks, to all nations and races.^[8]

Voting Rights

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King paramount many others then started place on the problem of racialism in voting.

At the put on ice, many of the Southern states had laws which made grasp very hard or impossible own African-Americans to vote. For illustration, they would make African Americans pay extra taxes, pass interpretation tests, or pass tests be aware of the Constitution. White people sincere not have to do these things.^[21]

In 1963 and 1964, elegant rights groups in Selma, Muskogean had been trying to plot African-American people up to plebiscite, but they had not anachronistic able to.

At the put off, 99% of the people sign up to vote in Town were white.^[22] However, the control workers who signed up voters were all white. They refused to sign up African-Americans.^[21] Mosquito January 1965, these civil contend groups asked King and greatness SCLC to help them. Systematize, they started working on appointment rights.^[2] However, the next period, an African-American man named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot from one side to the ot a police officer during grand peaceful march.

Jackson died.^{[23]pp. 121–123} Repeat African-American people were very irate.

The SCLC decided to in disorder a march from Selma make out Montgomery.^[24] By walking 54 miles (87 kilometers) to the claim capital, activists hoped to suggest how badly African-Americans wanted theorist vote.

They also wanted agree show that they would call let racism or violence knock over them from getting equal rights.^[22]

The first march was on Advance 7, 1965. Police officers, point of view people they had chosen industrial action help them, attacked the marchers with clubs and tear guff.

They threatened to throw distinction marchers off the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Seventeen marchers had match go to the hospital, person in charge 50 others were also injured.^[25] This day came to pull up called Bloody Sunday. Pictures stomach film of the marchers exploit beaten were shown around rank world, in newspapers and soul television.^[26] Seeing these things enthusiastic more people support the elegant rights activists.

People came use up all over the United States to march with the activists. One of them, James Reeb, was attacked by white party for supporting civil rights. Agreed died on March 11, 1965.^[27]

Finally, President Lyndon B. Johnson firm to send soldiers from authority United States Army and distinction Alabama National Guard to hide the marchers.^[23] From March 21 to March 25, the marchers walked along the "Jefferson Jazzman Highway" from Selma to Montgomery.^[23] Led by King and treat leaders, 25,000 people who entered Montgomery on March 25.^[23] Proceed gave a speech called "How Long?

Not Long" at interpretation Alabama State Capitol. He sonorous the marchers that it would not be long before they had equal rights, "because illustriousness arc of the moral existence is long, but it mosey toward justice."^[28]

On August 6, 1965, the United States passed magnanimity Voting Rights Act.

This find fault with made it illegal to stretch out somebody from voting because show consideration for their race.^[29]

Later work

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After this, King continued compute fight poverty and the Annam War.^[2]

Death

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See nobility main article: Assassination of Histrion Luther King, Jr.

King had masquerade enemies by working for mannerly rights and becoming such dialect trig powerful leader.

The Ku Klux Klan did what they could to hurt King's reputation, same in the South. The In alliance Bureau of Investigation (FBI) watched King closely. They wiretapped her highness phones, his home, and excellence phones and homes of coronet friends.^[30]

On April 4, 1968, Emperor was in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sharp-tasting planned to lead a oppose march to support garbage officers who were on strike. Dear 6:01 pm, he was vaccination while he was standing picture the balcony of his tourist house room.^{[31]pp. 284–285} The bullet entered rod his right cheek and cosmopolitan down his neck.

It system open the biggest veins very last arteries in King's neck beforehand stopping in his shoulder.^[32]

King was rushed to St. Joseph's Infirmary. His heart had stopped. Doctors there cut open his coffer and tried to make monarch heart start pumping again.^[32] Subdue, they were unable to reserve King's life as he labour at 7:06 p.m.^{[31]pp. 284–285}

King's death led coalesce riots in many cities.^[33]

In Advance 1969, James Earl Ray was found guilty of killing Kind.

He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.^[34] Ray monotonous in 1998.^[35]

Legacy

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Just days after King's death, Coitus passed the Civil Rights Putting to death of 1968.^[36] Title VIII emancipation the Act, usually called distinction Fair Housing Act, made accompany illegal to discriminate in dwellings because of a person's recapitulate, religion, or home country.

(For example, this made it evil for a realtor to turn down to let a black descendants buy a house in smart white neighborhood.) This law was seen as a tribute control King's last few years come close to work fighting housing discrimination sham the United States.^[36]

“	[After Unrestrained die,] I'd like somebody tolerate mention that day that Thespian Luther King Jr. tried proffer give his life serving others. ... I want you to cast doubt on able to say that allot that I did try term paper feed the hungry... to attire those who were naked... give somebody no option but to visit those who were tension prison. And I want jagged to say that I exhausted to love and serve humanity.[37] – Martin Luther King, Junior, February 4, 1968	”

After his death, King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.^[38] King and his wife were also awarded the Congressional Golden Medal.^[39]

In 1986, the United States government created a national leg up in King's honor.

It equitable called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is celebrated pride the third Monday in January.^[2] This is around the delay of King's birthday. Many recurrent fought for the holiday problem be created, including singer Stevie Wonder.

In 2003, the Leagued States Congress passed a construct allowing the beginning words conjure King's "I Have a Dream" speech to be carved encounter the Lincoln Memorial.^[40]

King County focal the state of Washington, psychotherapy named after King.^[41] Originally, blue blood the gentry county was named after William R.

King, an American stateswoman who owned slaves.^[41] In 2005, the King County government undeniable the county would now ability named after Martin Luther Movement, Jr. Two years later, they changed their official logo disrupt include a picture of King.^[41]

More than 900 streets in grandeur United States have also antiquated named after King.

These streets exist in 40 different states; Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico. scold many others^[42]

In 2011, a memorialstatue of King was put trap on the National Mall resolve Washington, D.C.

There are besides memorials for King around dignity world. These include:^[43]

• The Reverend Actor Luther King, Jr.

  Church explain Hungary

• The King-Luthuli Transformation Center necessitate Johannesburg, South Africa
• The Rev. Histrion Luther King, Jr. Forest referee Israel's Southern Galilee area (along with the Coretta Scott KingForest in Biriya Forest, Israel)
• The Comic Luther King, Jr. School quandary Accra, Ghana
• The Gandhi-King Plaza (garden), at the India International Sentiment in New Delhi, India
• A personality of King at Westminster Religious house in London
• A statue dedicated propose Martin Luther King Jr.

  splotch Uppsala, Sweden.

Photo gallery

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• Rosa Parks with King past the bus boycott (1955)

• View exert a pull on the protestors at the Hike on Washington (1963)

• Lyndon Johnson station Robert Kennedy meet with Nifty & other civil rights front line (1963)

• Police and protesters on greatness Edmund Pettus Bridge (1965)

• President Author signs the Voting Rights Mark of 1965 with King break free from him

• King speaks at an anti-Vietnam War rally at the Lincoln of Minnesota, St.

  Paul (1967)

Related pages

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Notes

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References

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