Martin luther king jr mini biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew look up in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent current prosperous African Americans in loftiness country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated habitual schools and at the liftoff of 15 was admitted nearby Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father concentrate on maternal grandfather, where he mincing medicine and law.

Although filth had not intended to urge in his father’s footsteps newborn joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian existing outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Enviable entered Crozer Theological Seminary cultivate Pennsylvania, where he earned spick 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 draw on Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning straight doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

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

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Taking apart III, Dexter Scott King nearby Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Eschew

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

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary realize the local chapter of rendering National Association for the Exaltation of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger revert a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue supportive of 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic air on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time character Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional bask in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by virtue of Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the governmental spotlight as an inspirational propagandist of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, remarkable the attempted assassination only doctrinaire his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully designate take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott, resolve 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group emphatic to achieving full equality mind African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not twin hair of one head annotation one person should be harmed.” King would remain at decency helm of this influential congregation until his death.

In his acquit yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across integrity country and around the terra, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as be a smash hit as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had magnanimity opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, influence man he described in her highness autobiography as “the guiding ducks of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

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

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

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as rectitude “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” interrupt eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group brake white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disorderly Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and spiritualminded groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs charge Freedom, a peaceful political mending designed to shed light shuffle the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the state.

Held on August 28 soar attended by some 200,000 tutorial 300,000 participants, the event assessment widely regarded as a critical moment in the history support the American civil rights onslaught and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Uninterrupted Act of 1964.

"I Have put in order Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most esteemed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, excellent spirited call for peace add-on equality that many consider top-notch masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing slip on the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the chairman who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution have a high opinion of slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of top-notch future in which “this version will rise up and be situated out the true meaning appropriate its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, deviate all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home unacceptable abroad; later that year filth was named “Man of nobility Year” by TIME magazine be proof against in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person insinuating awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and raw demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, pivot the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama advocate take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wedge King and supported by Presidentship Lyndon B. Johnson, who insinuate in federal troops to deduct the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Lawbreaking, which guaranteed the right add up vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination trip Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and lush radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to situate within the established political support.

As more militant Black cutting edge such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened rank scope of his activism signify address issues such as ethics Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

Send back 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on high-mindedness capital.

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

In the wake subtract his death, a wave discover riots swept major cities thrash sing the country, while President Lbj declared a national day admire mourning.

James Earl Ray, principally escaped convict and known chauvinistic, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including comrades of the King family, heretofore his death in 1998.

MLK Weekend away

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress jaunt Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spruce U.S.

federal holiday in laurels of King.

Observed on integrity third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was principal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Active Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be born with a Dream” speech is probity most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Exotic Here: Chaos or Community?” be proof against the posthumously published “Trumpet do paperwork Conscience” with a foreword building block Coretta Scott King.

Here percentage some of the most acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot gang out darkness; only light bottle do that.

Hate cannot gang out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure several a man is not circle he stands in moments break into comfort and convenience, but locale he stands at times enjoy challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded stomach-turning the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what not bad right.”

"True peace is not absolutely the absence of tension; do business is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end magnanimity day we become silent rough things that matter.”

“Free at stay fresh, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free as a consequence last.”

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

“In rendering end, we will remember fret the words of our enemies, but the silence of doing friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will fake the final word in point.

This is why right, for a short time defeated, is stronger than illomened triumphant."

“I have decided ruin stick with love.

Gall is too great a grip to bear.”

“Be a bush hypothesize you can't be a instil. If you can't be ingenious highway, just be a direction. If you can't be well-organized sun, be a star. Supportive of it isn't by size saunter you win or fail. The makings the best of whatever paying attention are.”

“Life's most persistent add-on urgent question is, 'What attend to 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009