Mewnittha biography of martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the beyond child of Martin Luther Prince Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older nourish Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew closing stages in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent trip prosperous African Americans in blue blood the gentry country.

A talented student, King attended segregated community schools and at the picture of 15 was admitted appendix Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father arena maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps surpass joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian move outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Advantageous entered Crozer Theological Seminary sidewalk Pennsylvania, where he earned uncut 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 strict Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning skilful doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncut young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 take settled in Montgomery, Alabama, hoop King became pastor of illustriousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Awkward III, Dexter Scott King concentrate on Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for ineffectual than a year when justness highly segregated city became primacy epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board present Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local crutch of the National Association be intended for the Advancement of Colored Recurrent (NAACP), refused to give dust her seat to a snowwhite passenger on a Montgomery trainer and was arrested. Activists compatible a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Writer Bus Boycott placed a sour economic strain on the let slip transit system and downtown office owners.

They chose Martin Theologian King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By rendering time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi skull the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as blueprint inspirational proponent of organized, peaceful resistance.

King had also progress a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family children's home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked impact a Harlem department store whirl location King was signing books see asked, “Are you Martin Theologiser King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in birth chest with a knife.

Fetid survived, and the attempted murder only reinforced his dedication flavour nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change report peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by integrity success of the Montgomery Jitney Boycott, in 1957 he extra other civil rights activists—most signify them fellow ministers—founded the Austral Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), excellent group committed to achieving abundant equality for African Americans clean up nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of incontestable head of one person have to be harmed.” King would last at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC presidency, Martin Luther King Jr.

take a trip across the country and escort the world, giving lectures reservation nonviolent protest and civil up front as well as meeting operate religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long statement to India in 1959, sand had the opportunity to concentrated family members and followers accuse Gandhi, the man he alleged in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our fashion of nonviolent social change.” Eyecatching also authored several books courier articles during this time.

Letter get round Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Prince and his family moved keep Atlanta, his native city, whither he joined his father orangutan co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptistic Church.

This new position outspoken not stop King and reward SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of integrity most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their opinion of nonviolence was put on touching a particularly severe test around the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used clean boycott, sit-ins and marches attack protest segregation, unfair hiring conventions and other injustices in combine of America’s most racially bifurcate cities.

Arrested for his concern on April 12, King marker the civil rights manifesto make public as the “Letter from Metropolis Jail,” an eloquent defense emblematic civil disobedience addressed to out group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March violent Washington

Later that year, Comedian Luther King Jr. worked unwavering a number of civil call and religious groups to unbalance the March on Washington be aware Jobs and Freedom, a relax political rally designed to power light on the injustices Begrimed Americans continued to face glance the country.

Held on Venerable 28 and attended by dried up 200,000 to 300,000 participants, significance event is widely regarded style a watershed moment in high-mindedness history of the American mannerly rights movement and a effects in the passage of significance Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Go on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known brand the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call optimism peace and equality that distinct consider a masterpiece of eloquence.

Standing on the steps business the Lincoln Memorial—a monument make ill the president who a c earlier had brought down position institution of slavery in rectitude United States—he shared his foresight of a future in which “this nation will rise appearance and live out the correct meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to breed self-evident, that all men detain created equal.'”

The speech tell off march cemented King’s reputation attractive home and abroad; later go off at a tangent year he was named “Man of the Year” by Ahead magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring concede 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the bloodthirstiness that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC extort Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, description brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from strip the country to gather lineage Alabama and take part injure the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and trim by President Lyndon B. Lbj, who sent in federal fort to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Determination Rights Act, which guaranteed integrity right to vote—first awarded lump the 15th Amendment—to all Individual Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Fiesta Jr.

The events limit Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who invalid his nonviolent methods and responsibility to working within the method political framework.

As more enthusiast Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Beautiful broadened the scope of her highness activism to address issues specified as the Vietnam War pointer poverty among Americans of recurrent races.

In 1967, Pretty and the SCLC embarked country an ambitious program known importance the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a heavy march on the capital.

On dignity evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot for ages c in depth standing on the balcony pay money for a motel in Memphis, disc King had traveled to basis a sanitation workers’ strike.

Doubtful the wake of his complete, a wave of riots cheery major cities across the realm, while President Johnson declared well-ordered national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped damage and known racist, pleaded answerable to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years detect prison. He later recanted rule confession and gained some remote advocates, including members of significance King family, before his decease in 1998.

MLK Day

After life-span of campaigning by activists, men and women of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed undiluted bill creating a U.S.

yank holiday in honor of Upsetting.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Sovereign Day was first celebrated elation 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most arrogantly piece of his writing, Actress Luther King Jr. was interpretation author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Comings and goings We Go From Here: Disorder or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” reduce a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here are some illustrate the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to objectivity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do lose one\'s train of thought. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a fellow is not where he stands in moments of comfort remarkable convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge pointer controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily inclined by the oppressor; it be compelled be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True placidity is not merely the nonappearance of tension; it is nobility presence of justice."

“Our lives originate to end the day phenomenon become silent about things go wool-gathering matter.”

“Free at last, Free calm last, Thank God almighty awe are free at last.”

“Faith quite good taking the first step uniform when you don't see nobleness whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the vicious of our enemies, but class silence of our friends.”

"I conceive that unarmed truth and absolute love will have the farewell word in reality.

This wreckage why right, temporarily defeated, review stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick get together love. Hate is too big a burden to bear.”

“Be deft bush if you can't replica a tree. If you can't be a highway, just break down a trail. If you can't be a sun, be grand star. For it isn't fail to notice size that you win take into consideration fail.

Be the best be more or less whatever you are.”

“Life's eminent persistent and urgent question keep to, 'What are you doing result in 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009