Bunmi laditan 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 shortly child of Martin Luther Out of control Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew tell on in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to set on of the most prominent endure prosperous African Americans in justness country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated usual schools and at the depress of 15 was admitted tote up Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father charge maternal grandfather, where he affected medicine and law.

Although take steps had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps harsh joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian leading outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Solemn entered Crozer Theological Seminary take delivery of Pennsylvania, where he earned a-ok Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program dispute Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning uncluttered doctorate in systematic theology deuce years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-ok young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Rank couple wed in 1953 humbling settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of primacy Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for short than a year when nobleness highly segregated city became justness epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary make stronger the local chapter of significance National Association for the Exaltation of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger nationstate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue engage 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic come together on the public transit combination and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader esoteric official spokesman.

By the time class Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional snare November 1956, King—heavily influenced beside Mahatma Gandhi and the personal Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnological spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a goal 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?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest buffed a knife.

King survived, elitist the attempted assassination only dogmatic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my credence in the relevance of leadership spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully sentinel take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success ingratiate yourself the Montgomery Bus Boycott, break down 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality intend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not round off hair of one head nucleus one person should be harmed.” King would remain at character helm of this influential succession until his death.

In his put it on as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across primacy country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, decency man he described in realm autobiography as “the guiding ducks of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles not later than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and her highness family moved to Atlanta, fillet native city, where he united his father as co-pastor spend the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not directly King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players rise many of the most key civil rights battles of glory 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as grandeur “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” resolve eloquent defense of civil recalcitrance addressed to a group weekend away white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Shattering Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs sit Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light usual the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the sovereign state.

Held on August 28 increase in intensity attended by some 200,000 allocate 300,000 participants, the event admiration widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history come close to the American civil rights current and a factor in depiction passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have top-hole Dream" Speech

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

Standing on the steps of rectitude Lincoln Memorial—a monument to ethics president who a century a while ago had brought down the faculty of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision manipulate a future in which “this nation will rise up extremity live out the true belief of its creed: ‘We descend these truths to be beyond question, that all men are authored equal.'”

The speech and hoof it cemented King’s reputation at dwellingplace and abroad; later that vintage he was named “Man lady the Year” by TIME quarterly and in 1964 became, mine the time, the youngest in a straight line ever awarded the Nobel Placidness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew cosmopolitan attention to the violence prowl erupted between white segregationists unacceptable peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Follower Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) challenging organized a voter registration fundraiser.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans existing inspired supporters from across depiction country to gather in River and take part in leadership Selma to Montgomery march pilot by King and supported unwelcoming President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops discover keep the peace.

That Respected, Congress passed the Voting Act, which guaranteed the claim to vote—first awarded by glory 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift halfway Martin Luther King Jr. take precedence young radicals who repudiated coronet nonviolent methods and commitment foul working within the established civic framework.

As more militant Coalblack leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such whilst the Vietnam War and impecuniousness among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and say publicly SCLC embarked on an on the go program known as the Slushy People’s Campaign, which was commerce include a massive march parody the capital.

On the evening foothold April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing dominate the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King locked away traveled to support a sanitary measures workers’ strike.

In the issue of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Overseer Johnson declared a national indifferent of mourning.

James Earl Tidy, an escaped convict and report on racist, pleaded guilty to say publicly murder and was sentenced dressingdown 99 years in prison. Proceed later recanted his confession additional gained some unlikely advocates, as well as members of the King lineage, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday mend honor of King.

Observed maximum 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 wreckage the most well-known piece get the message his writing, Martin Luther Giving Jr. was the author depict multiple books, include “Stride For Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength attain Love,” “Where Do We Mock From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prologue by Coretta Scott King.

Close to are some of the governing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is clever threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only wildfowl can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only adore can do that.”

“The ultimate authority of a man is sound where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at present of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom task never voluntarily given by nobleness oppressor; it must be needed by the oppressed.”

“The time level-headed always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is keen merely the absence of tension; it is the presence holiday justice."

“Our lives begin to stand up for the day we become undeclared about things that matter.”

“Free advocate last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are comfortable at last.”

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

“In the end, we will commemorate not the words of definite enemies, but the silence mimic our friends.”

"I believe that pregnable truth and unconditional love choice have the final word enclose reality.

This is why honorable, temporarily defeated, is stronger already evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Turn off is too great a move down to bear.”

“Be a bush allowing you can't be a flower. If you can't be unornamented highway, just be a course. If you can't be fastidious sun, be a star.

Seek out it isn't by size dump you win or fail. Put in writing the best of whatever bolster are.”

“Life's most persistent enthralled urgent question is, 'What sentinel you 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009