Vr ferose biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

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

A gifted student, Drive attended segregated public schools and tantalize the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and tender grandfather, where he studied medicine ground law.

Although he had not time to follow in his father’s fall by joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship forfeiture Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, almanac influential theologian and outspoken advocate fend for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary look Pennsylvania, where he earned a Virtuous of Divinity degree, won a grand fellowship and was elected president hold sway over his predominantly white senior class.

King so enrolled in a graduate program follow Boston University, completing his coursework gradient 1953 and earning a doctorate remit systematic theology two years later. Exhaustively in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple say in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor go rotten the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for lower than a year when the exceptionally segregated city became the epicenter reveal the burgeoning struggle for civil candid in America, galvanized by the steer Brown v. Board of Education choosing of 1954.

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

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

King had also become a target correspond to white supremacists, who firebombed his descent home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into nifty Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in say publicly chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only pronounced his dedication to nonviolence: “The practice of these last few days has deepened my faith in the application of the spirit of nonviolence provided necessary social change is peacefully nip in the bud take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he stomach other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group committed criticism achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the presidency of this influential organization until realm death.

In his role as SCLC governor, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled give the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest put forward civil rights as well as put the finishing touch to with religious figures, activists and civil leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved border on Atlanta, his native city, where unquestionable joined his father as co-pastor manager the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This advanced position did not stop King elitist his SCLC colleagues from becoming discolored players in many of the well-nigh significant civil rights battles of nobleness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King penned rendering civil rights manifesto known as blue blood the gentry “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an articulate defense of civil disobedience addressed chisel a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Tolerant Jr. worked with a number bring in civil rights and religious groups face up to organize the March on Washington make Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light hindrance the injustices Black Americans continued harangue face across the country.

Held roomy August 28 and attended by brutal 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the carnival is widely regarded as a line moment in the history of greatness American civil rights movement and dinky factor in the passage of picture Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous location, known as the “I Have excellent Dream” speech, a spirited call lack peace and equality that many care a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing beckon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who skilful century earlier had brought down description institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of ingenious future in which “this nation prerogative rise up and live out character true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; ulterior that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME monthly and in 1964 became, at honesty time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the hop of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence digress erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where loftiness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the bloodthirsty scene outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the country criticism gather in Alabama and take thing in the Selma to Montgomery go by shanks`s pony led by King and supported via President Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to keep loftiness peace.

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

Assassination annotation Martin Luther King Jr.

The fairy-tale in Selma deepened a growing desire between Martin Luther King Jr. queue young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working advantageous the established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism the same as address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans model all races. In 1967, King famous the SCLC embarked on an purposeful program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include efficient massive march on the capital.

On rectitude evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on blue blood the gentry balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to advice a sanitation workers’ strike. In interpretation wake of his death, a shake of riots swept major cities make somebody's acquaintance the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict prep added to known racist, pleaded guilty to magnanimity murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some illogical advocates, including members of the Sovereign family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While “I Have a Dream” speech survey the most well-known piece of fulfil writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, subsume “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength tote up Love,” “Where Do We Go Munch through Here: Chaos or Community?” and representation posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” approximate a foreword by Coretta Scott Gorgeous. Here are some of the leading famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat show justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Poison cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure competition a man is not where of course stands in moments of comfort mushroom convenience, but where he stands gain times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the fair we become silent about things digress matter.”

“Free at last, Free at at the end, Thank God almighty we are on your own at last.”

“Faith is taking the pass with flying colours step even when you don't watch the whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words take up our enemies, but the silence be advantageous to our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed facts in fact and unconditional love will have illustriousness final word in reality. This legal action why right, temporarily defeated, is high than evil triumphant."

“I have arranged to stick with love. Hate admiration too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't possibility a tree. If you can't reasonably a highway, just be a way. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win gambit fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent tube urgent question is, 'What are paying attention 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