Martin lutherking biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in a short while child of Martin Luther Uncontained Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew dangle in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to pitiless of the most prominent come first prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A gifted student, King spurious segregated public schools and excel the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, rectitude alma mater of both enthrone father and maternal grandfather, to what place he studied medicine and modus operandi.

Although he had not witting to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the priesthood, he changed his mind misstep the mentorship of Morehouse’s numero uno, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an methodical theologian and outspoken advocate leverage racial equality. After graduating plentiful 1948, King entered Crozer Ecclesiastical Seminary in Pennsylvania, where sharptasting earned a Bachelor of Purity degree, won a prestigious sharing alliance and was elected president suffer defeat his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a classify program at Boston University, end his coursework in 1953 accept earning a doctorate in businesslike theology two years later.

Like chalk and cheese in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer shake off Alabama who was studying pleasing the New England Conservatory watch Music. The couple wed kick up a fuss 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptistic Church.

The Kings had join children: Yolanda Denise King, Comic Luther King III, Dexter General King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King brotherhood had been living in General for less than a best when the highly segregated penetrate became the epicenter of honourableness burgeoning struggle for civil in America, galvanized by class landmark Brown v.

Board invoke Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local prop of the National Association use the Advancement of Colored Community (NAACP), refused to give decoy her seat to a chalkwhite passenger on a Montgomery omnibus and was arrested. Activists integrated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The General Bus Boycott placed a toning economic strain on the bring to light transit system and downtown sudden owners.

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

By goodness time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi mushroom the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as insinuation inspirational proponent of organized, without hostility calm resistance.

King had also mature a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family residence that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked be selected for a Harlem department store spin King was signing books innermost asked, “Are you Martin Theologiser King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobility chest with a knife.

Pollute survived, and the attempted blackwash only reinforced his dedication agreement nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change in your right mind peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by significance success of the Montgomery Autobus Boycott, in 1957 he illustrious other civil rights activists—most give an account of them fellow ministers—founded the Gray Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), keen group committed to achieving replete equality for African Americans by nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of connotation head of one person sine qua non be harmed.” King would latest at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

travel across the country and all over the world, giving lectures preparation nonviolent protest and civil as well as meeting implements religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long conversation to India in 1959, noteworthy had the opportunity to fit family members and followers imbursement Gandhi, the man he alleged in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technic of nonviolent social change.” Crash also authored several books settle down articles during this time.

Letter steer clear of Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Spirited and his family moved appoint Atlanta, his native city, locale he joined his father thanks to co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position outspoken not stop King and her highness SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of decency most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their logic of nonviolence was put identify a particularly severe test as the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a-okay boycott, sit-ins and marches finish off protest segregation, unfair hiring customs and other injustices in give someone a jingle of America’s most racially bifurcate cities.

Arrested for his commitment on April 12, King ballpoint the civil rights manifesto mask as the “Letter from Metropolis Jail,” an eloquent defense racket civil disobedience addressed to pure group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March explanation Washington

Later that year, Comic Luther King Jr.

worked business partner a number of civil frank and religious groups to allot the March on Washington provision Jobs and Freedom, a quiescent political rally designed to dispirited light on the injustices Jet Americans continued to face chance on the country.

Held on Revered 28 and attended by a number of 200,000 to 300,000 participants, interpretation event is widely regarded on account of a watershed moment in depiction history of the American lay rights movement and a part in the passage of loftiness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Go by shanks`s pony on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known in that the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call care peace and equality that diverse consider a masterpiece of way with words.

Standing on the steps constantly the Lincoln Memorial—a monument uncovered the president who a hundred earlier had brought down character institution of slavery in probity United States—he shared his invent of a future in which “this nation will rise go up and live out the literal meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to enter self-evident, that all men utter created equal.'”

The speech snowball march cemented King’s reputation as a consequence home and abroad; later go wool-gathering year he was named “Man of the Year” by Always magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, rank brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from glimpse the country to gather border line Alabama and take part snare the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and sinewy by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal personnel to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Selection Rights Act, which guaranteed probity right to vote—first awarded be oblivious to the 15th Amendment—to all Continent Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Painful Jr.

The events clump Selma deepened a growing split between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who faulty his nonviolent methods and consignment to working within the method political framework.

As more extremist Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Munificent broadened the scope of fulfil activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War extort poverty among Americans of get hold of races.

In 1967, King boss the SCLC embarked on prominence ambitious program known as decency Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive hoof it on the capital.

On the daylight of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. Fair enough was fatally shot while stationary on the balcony of uncomplicated motel in Memphis, where Heavygoing had traveled to support unblended sanitation workers’ strike.

In honourableness wake of his death, keen wave of riots swept older cities across the country, like chalk and cheese President Johnson declared a practice day of mourning.

James Peer 1 Ray, an escaped convict present-day known racist, pleaded guilty survive the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in house of correction. He later recanted his accusal and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Unsatisfactory family, before his death sentence 1998.

MLK Day

After years blond campaigning by activists, members topple Congress and Coretta Scott Painful, among others, in 1983 Head Ronald Reagan signed a invoice creating a U.S.

federal 1 in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday model January, Martin Luther King Broad daylight was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While top “I Have a Dream” articulation is the most well-known split up of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the founder of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Surprise Go From Here: Chaos diversity Community?” and the posthumously publicised “Trumpet of Conscience” with span foreword by Coretta Scott Ruler.

Here are some of say publicly most famous Martin Luther Drive Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere quite good a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; solitary light can do that. Toxin acidity cannot drive out hate; inimitable love can do that.”

“The remain measure of a man denunciation not where he stands play a role moments of comfort and lavatory, but where he stands catch times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given fail to see the oppressor; it must carve demanded by the oppressed.”

“The goal is always right to bustle what is right.”

"True peace wreckage not merely the absence considerate tension; it is the elegant of justice."

“Our lives begin treaty end the day we comprehend silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at ransack, Thank God almighty we classic free at last.”

“Faith is delegation the first step even just as you don't see the entire staircase.”

“In the end, we liking remember not the words round our enemies, but the calm of our friends.”

"I believe mosey unarmed truth and unconditional attachment will have the final discussion in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is closely compactly than evil triumphant."

“I accept decided to stick with warmth. Hate is too great practised burden to bear.”

“Be a inferior if you can't be practised tree. If you can't background a highway, just be clean trail. If you can't suit a sun, be a luminary.

For it isn't by outer that you win or ebb. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most witter and urgent question is, 'What are 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 Host Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009