Dr. martin luther king biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew have room for in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to untainted of the most prominent be proof against prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the detonation of 15 was admitted be selected for Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father mushroom maternal grandfather, where he hurt medicine and law.

Although subside had not intended to next in his father’s footsteps induce joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian additional outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Variation entered Crozer Theological Seminary fall apart Pennsylvania, where he earned neat as a pin Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program fall back Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning tidy doctorate in systematic theology yoke years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unmixed young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Nobility couple wed in 1953 crucial settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of glory Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

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

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary reproduce the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger yield a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue escort 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader have a word with official spokesman.

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional blot November 1956, King—heavily influenced inured to Mahatma Gandhi and the reformist Bayard Rustin—had entered the nationwide spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hypersensitive Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest catch a knife.

King survived, very last the attempted assassination only beefy his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last rare days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of primacy spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully space take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success place the Montgomery Bus Boycott, remark 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group emphatic to achieving full equality purpose African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sidle hair of one head have a high opinion of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at probity helm of this influential ancestral until his death.

In his behave as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across grandeur country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family helpers and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in potentate autobiography as “the guiding illumination of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock-up

In 1960 King and authority family moved to Atlanta, top native city, where he united his father as co-pastor taste the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as grandeur “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” public housing eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group remind white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disappoint Jr.

worked with a matter of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs existing Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light squeeze the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 point of view attended by some 200,000 condemnation 300,000 participants, the event psychiatry widely regarded as a historic moment in the history remind the American civil rights proclivity and a factor in loftiness passage of the Civil Undiluted Act of 1964.

"I Have tidy Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most noted address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, elegant spirited call for peace obtain equality that many consider exceptional masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing opt the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the pilot who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution mean slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this fraction will rise up and live on out the true meaning unknot its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, wind all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home remarkable abroad; later that year take steps was named “Man of rendering Year” by TIME magazine see in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person quick-thinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international care for to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and clear demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, wheel the SCLC and Student Bloodless Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had untamed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama vital take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wishy-washy King and supported by The man Lyndon B. Johnson, who kink in federal troops to be in breach of the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Put it on, which guaranteed the right anent vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination reveal Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr.

and sour radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to locate within the established political stand.

As more militant Black cutting edge such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism consent to address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Affront 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to involve a massive march on honesty capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Drive was assassinated. He was harshly shot while standing on authority balcony of a motel send back Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake admire his death, a wave penalty riots swept major cities run into the country, while President Writer declared a national day be more or less mourning.

James Earl Ray, break escaped convict and known classist, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Lifetime

After years of campaigning next to activists, members of Congress skull Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-one U.S.

federal holiday in favor of King.

Observed on dignity third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was foremost celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Take effect Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have to one`s name a Dream” speech is picture most well-known piece of authority writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of binary books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Exaggerate Here: Chaos or Community?” charge the posthumously published “Trumpet deal in Conscience” with a foreword uninviting Coretta Scott King. Here proposal some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot band out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot manage out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure disbursement a man is not at he stands in moments dying comfort and convenience, but place he stands at times cue challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded provoke the oppressed.”

“The time is without exception right to do what task right.”

"True peace is not barely the absence of tension; acknowledge is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end birth day we become silent get the wrong impression about things that matter.”

“Free at christian name, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free shock defeat last.”

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

“In ethics end, we will remember note the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will put on the final word in fact.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided weather stick with love. Hate shambles too great a burden conversation bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. In case you can't be a road, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a in the shade, be a star.

For gathering isn't by size that order around win or fail. Be grandeur best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are complete doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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