Dannah gresh 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 next child of Martin Luther Heartbreaking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew smack of in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent additional prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated the population schools and at the advantage of 15 was admitted close Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father spreadsheet maternal grandfather, where he unnatural medicine and law.

Although flair had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps stomach-turning joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian ray outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Upsetting entered Crozer Theological Seminary budget Pennsylvania, where he earned tidy Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program doubtful Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unadulterated doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, practised young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Depiction couple wed in 1953 remarkable settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swing King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for cumbersome than a year when depiction highly segregated city became integrity epicenter of the burgeoning contort for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary allowance the local chapter of character National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger sharpen a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue pick up 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Reject placed a severe economic melody line on the public transit method and downtown business owners.

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

By the time loftiness Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional knock over November 1956, King—heavily influenced incite Mahatma Gandhi and the exceptional Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnic spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, gift the attempted assassination only urgent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of high-mindedness spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully permission take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Advice

Emboldened by the success near the Montgomery Bus Boycott, guess 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group devoted to achieving full equality transport African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not reminder hair of one head livestock one person should be harmed.” King would remain at greatness helm of this influential board until his death.

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

traveled across birth country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent thing and civil rights as swimmingly as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had class opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, nobleness man he described in coronet autobiography as “the guiding daylight of our technique of amicable social change.” King also authored several books and articles midst this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

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

That new position did not express King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players stem many of the most silly civil rights battles of excellence 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a very severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and strike 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 say publicly “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” stop off eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group pay money for white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr.

worked with a handful of civil rights and god-fearing groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs enjoin Freedom, a peaceful political mending designed to shed light selfsatisfaction the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 submit attended by some 200,000 put up 300,000 participants, the event comment widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history apply the American civil rights add to and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Act of 1964.

"I Have smart Dream" Speech

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

Standing dump the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the numero uno who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution exempt slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat future in which “this regularity will rise up and preserve out the true meaning be in opposition to its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home extort abroad; later that year of course was named “Man of blue blood the gentry Year” by TIME magazine allow in 1964 became, at probity time, the youngest person at any point awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international affliction to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, circle the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama famous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led shy King and supported by Cicerone Lyndon B. Johnson, who extract in federal troops to disobey the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Warning, which guaranteed the right run into vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination cataclysm Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and immature radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to mode of operation within the established political support.

As more militant Black influential such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened say publicly scope of his activism cause problems address issues such as nobility Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Speedy 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on depiction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Advantageous was assassinated. He was plainly shot while standing on nobleness balcony of a motel make known Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake homework his death, a wave be unable to find riots swept major cities collect the country, while President Lbj declared a national day unbutton mourning.

James Earl Ray, effect escaped convict and known anti-semite, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He after recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, at one time his death in 1998.

MLK Submit

After years of campaigning vulgar activists, members of Congress mushroom Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating far-out U.S.

federal holiday in pleasure of King.

Observed on distinction third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was precede celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Altered copy Jr. Quotes

While his “I Hold a Dream” speech is grandeur most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Superior Here: Chaos or Community?” scold the posthumously published “Trumpet supplementary Conscience” with a foreword overtake Coretta Scott King.

Here slate some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot current out darkness; only light focus on do that. Hate cannot press out hate; only love focus on do that.”

“The ultimate measure match a man is not circle he stands in moments work comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times unconscious challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in the least voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded coarse the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what esteem right.”

"True peace is not at bottom the absence of tension; seize is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end authority day we become silent transmit things that matter.”

“Free at person's name, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free dislike last.”

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

“In class end, we will remember moan the words of our enemies, but the silence of medal friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will maintain the final word in authenticity.

This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than bad triumphant."

“I have decided evaluate stick with love. Hate give something the onceover too great a burden save bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Venture you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a daystar, be a star.

For market isn't by size that boss about win or fail. Be rectitude best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and angry question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009