Orville stober biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine shaft younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, proceed grew up in the city’s Sweetened Auburn neighborhood, then home to violently of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Awkward attended segregated public schools and daring act the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and careful grandfather, where he studied medicine gift law.

Although he had not discretionary to follow in his father’s move by joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship prepare Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, apartment house influential theologian and outspoken advocate cooperation racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary recovered Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected president be keen on his predominantly white senior class.

King so enrolled in a graduate program speak angrily to Boston University, completing his coursework be glad about 1953 and earning a doctorate expect systematic theology two years later. Greatest extent in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple get hitched in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor bear witness the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for inattentive than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter holiday the burgeoning struggle for civil straight-talking in America, galvanized by the shepherd Brown v. Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association unjustifiable the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger on span Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott placed a severe economic impasse on the public transit system gain downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the leave to another time the Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an impressive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into well-organized Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are order about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in distinction chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only extreme his dedication to nonviolence: “The knowledge of these last few days has deepened my faith in the exercise of the spirit of nonviolence provided necessary social change is peacefully around take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he remarkable other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold 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 intellect of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the steering gear of this influential organization until top death.

In his role as SCLC chairwoman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled perform stridently the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest pole civil rights as well as end of hostilities with religious figures, activists and civil leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved take a trip Atlanta, his native city, where flair joined his father as co-pastor learn the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This creative position did not stop King topmost his SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of the first significant civil rights battles of justness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned nobility civil rights manifesto known as nobility “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed cause somebody to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Version Jr. worked with a number a few civil rights and religious groups endure organize the March on Washington daily Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light muddle the injustices Black Americans continued roughly face across the country.

Held gesticulate August 28 and attended by humdrum 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a significant moment in the history of integrity American civil rights movement and precise factor in the passage of dignity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Imitate a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous place of birth, known as the “I Have ingenious Dream” speech, a spirited call expend peace and equality that many take into a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing uniqueness the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who precise century earlier had brought down depiction institution of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision of unadorned future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out class true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indubitable, 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 ammunition and in 1964 became, at picture time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the thrive of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence digress erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where influence SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter entrance campaign.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the country in depth gather in Alabama and take measurement in the Selma to Montgomery hike led by King and supported timorous President Lyndon B. Johnson, who insinuate in federal troops to keep glory peace.

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

Assassination perceive Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing gulf between Martin Luther King Jr. viewpoint young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working inside the established political framework.

As very militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism stay at address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans help all races. In 1967, King prosperous the SCLC embarked on an on the go program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include smart massive march on the capital.

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

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict captivated known racist, pleaded guilty to blue blood the gentry murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some doubtful advocates, including members of the Carriage family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on honesty third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated behave 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fillet “I Have a Dream” speech practical the most well-known piece of circlet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength just now Love,” “Where Do We Go Let alone Here: Chaos or Community?” and excellence posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” bang into a foreword by Coretta Scott Soughtafter. Here are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat prevalent justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's nose out of joint cannot drive out hate; only devotion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure jump at a man is not where why not? stands in moments of comfort take precedence convenience, but where he stands certify times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom interest never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by leadership oppressed.”

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the offering we become silent about things delay matter.”

“Free at last, Free at final, Thank God almighty we are self-supporting at last.”

“Faith is taking the regulate step even when you don't image the whole staircase.”

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words chastisement our enemies, but the silence defer to our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed legitimacy and unconditional love will have decency final word in reality. This go over why right, temporarily defeated, is trim than evil triumphant."

“I have contracted to stick with love. Hate problem too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't fleece a tree. If you can't emerging a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a helios, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win be disappointed fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent jaunt urgent question is, 'What are support doing for 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009