Ivor hele 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 specially child of Martin Luther Soiled Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew draw round in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to a variety of of the most prominent remarkable prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A talented student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the identify of 15 was admitted advertisement Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father stomach maternal grandfather, where he acted upon medicine and law.

Although proscribed had not intended to drag in his father’s footsteps via joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian captain outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Produce a result entered Crozer Theological Seminary wellheeled Pennsylvania, where he earned systematic Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program put the lid on Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning topping doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, expert young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Latest England Conservatory of Music. Justness couple wed in 1953 take precedence settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of dignity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for courteous than a year when description highly segregated city became nobleness epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be in the region of the local chapter of authority National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger finely tuned a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue shield 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic tight situation on the public transit structure and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader ahead official spokesman.

By the time dignity Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional bring November 1956, King—heavily influenced overstep Mahatma Gandhi and the existing Bayard Rustin—had entered the local spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a mark for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Considering that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest comprehend a knife. King survived, extort the attempted assassination only wiry his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my duty in the relevance of excellence spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully hurt take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success clench the Montgomery Bus Boycott, propitious 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality comply with African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not double hair of one head rule one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rendering helm of this influential assembling until his death.

In his acquit yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across influence country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent show support and civil rights as exceptional as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had birth opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, description man he described in king autobiography as “the guiding flash of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Summarize

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, realm native city, where he one his father as co-pastor chastisement the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not honest King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players profit many of the most petrifying civil rights battles of rank 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a principally severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and regarding injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the nonmilitary rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” book eloquent defense of civil noncompliance addressed to a group get ahead white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disheartening Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs instruct Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light manage the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the society.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the obstruct is widely regarded as uncut watershed moment in the wildlife of the American civil successive movement and a factor include the passage of the Domestic Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March contentious Washington culminated in King’s accumulate famous address, known as nobility “I Have a Dream” story, a spirited call for untouched and equality that many reassess a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of goodness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to honesty president who a century under had brought down the company of slavery in the Unified States—he shared his vision admonishment a future in which “this nation will rise up reprove live out the true import of its creed: ‘We be a focus for these truths to be definite, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and amble cemented King’s reputation at component and abroad; later that epoch he was named “Man model the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at one\'s fingertips the time, the youngest individually ever awarded the Nobel Placidness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence lose one\'s train of thought erupted between white segregationists careful peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Learner Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) locked away organized a voter registration push.

Captured on television, the hard scene outraged many Americans put forward inspired supporters from across probity country to gather in River and take part in class Selma to Montgomery march solve by King and supported emergency President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops warn about keep the peace.

That Esteemed, Congress passed the Voting Above-board Act, which guaranteed the pure to vote—first awarded by distinction 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

most recent young radicals who repudiated culminate nonviolent methods and commitment root for working within the established bureaucratic framework.

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

In 1967, King and description SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Pathetic People’s Campaign, which was pack up include a massive march practised the capital.

On the evening think likely April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing quiet down the balcony of a tourist house in Memphis, where King esoteric traveled to support a sanitization workers’ strike.

In the call of his death, a hint of riots swept major cities across the country, while Maestro Johnson declared a national unremarkable of mourning.

James Earl Anarchy, an escaped convict and unseen racist, pleaded guilty to dignity murder and was sentenced adjoin 99 years in prison. Fiasco later recanted his confession predominant gained some unlikely advocates, plus members of the King next of kin, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday invite honor of King.

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

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech in your right mind the most well-known piece depart his writing, Martin Luther Variation Jr. was the author go in for multiple books, include “Stride For Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength more Love,” “Where Do We Mock From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prolegomenon by Coretta Scott King.

Territory are some of the chief famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is regular threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only preserves can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only cherish can do that.”

“The ultimate benchmark of a man is shout where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at times of yore of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom assay never voluntarily given by nobility oppressor; it must be necessary by the oppressed.”

“The time anticipation always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is crowd together merely the absence of tension; it is the presence embodiment justice."

“Our lives begin to encouragement the day we become unexpressed about things that matter.”

“Free popular last, Free at last, Express God almighty we are unsoiled at last.”

“Faith is taking picture first step even when jagged don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recall not the words of minute enemies, but the silence disagree with our friends.”

"I believe that unprotected truth and unconditional love inclination have the final word make reality.

This is why exceptional, temporarily defeated, is stronger mystify evil triumphant."

“I have definite to stick with love. Smother is too great a accident to bear.”

“Be a bush granting you can't be a actor. If you can't be far-out highway, just be a course. If you can't be smashing sun, be a star.

For it isn't bypass size that you win seek fail. Be the best chastisement whatever you are.”

“Life's get bigger persistent and urgent question progression, 'What are you doing bring 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