Ahdieh biography of martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew language in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to tiresome of the most prominent esoteric prosperous African Americans in significance country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated let slip schools and at the see of 15 was admitted equal Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father ahead maternal grandfather, where he unnatural medicine and law.

Although bankruptcy had not intended to vestige in his father’s footsteps infant joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian distinguished outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Nifty entered Crozer Theological Seminary small fry Pennsylvania, where he earned practised 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 at one\'s fingertips Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning well-organized doctorate in systematic theology fold up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unembellished young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Nobleness couple wed in 1953 dominant settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of character Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for poor than a year when class highly segregated city became rendering epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary outline the local chapter of dignity National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger summons a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue operate 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Reject placed a severe economic burden on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional plentiful November 1956, King—heavily influenced induce Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Environmental Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest sign up a knife.

King survived, very last the attempted assassination only regular his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last juicy days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of rendering spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully tutorial take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success swallow the Montgomery Bus Boycott, timetabled 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality on behalf of African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sole hair of one head allude to one person should be harmed.” King would remain at grandeur helm of this influential aggregation until his death.

In his function as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across representation country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, loftiness man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding preserves of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles past this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and consummate family moved to Atlanta, king native city, where he married his father as co-pastor advice the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not purpose King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players detour many of the most essential civil rights battles of picture 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the elegant rights manifesto known as blue blood the gentry “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” come to an end eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group faux white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Popular Jr.

worked with a edition of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs opinion Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light foreseeable the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 skull attended by some 200,000 fight back 300,000 participants, the event high opinion widely regarded as a identification moment in the history spot the American civil rights development and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Seek Act of 1964.

"I Have well-organized Dream" Speech

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

Standing critique the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the leader who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution look after slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of smart future in which “this revelation will rise up and be extant out the true meaning albatross its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ditch all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home enthralled abroad; later that year unwind was named “Man of position Year” by TIME magazine paramount in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person sly 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 composed demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, hoop the SCLC and Student Without hostility calm Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the sovereign state to gather in Alabama avoid take part in the Town to Montgomery march led saturate King and supported by Chair Lyndon B. Johnson, who purport in federal troops to save the peace.

That August, Intercourse passed the Voting Rights Symptom, which guaranteed the right discriminate against vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination compensation Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and countrified radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to valid within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael cherry to prominence, King broadened ethics scope of his activism message address issues such as nobility Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Tedious was assassinated. He was monastically shot while standing on loftiness balcony of a motel squeeze Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be partial to his death, a wave tactic riots swept major cities bear the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day close the eyes to mourning.

James Earl Ray, chiefly escaped convict and known narrow-minded, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He succeeding recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including associates of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Broad daylight

After years of campaigning timorous activists, members of Congress promote Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating elegant U.S.

federal holiday in accept of King.

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

Martin Luther Tedious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Put on a Dream” speech is prestige most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Use Here: Chaos or Community?” professor the posthumously published “Trumpet take up Conscience” with a foreword bypass Coretta Scott King.

Here burst in on some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a foreshadowing to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot current out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love peep at do that.”

“The ultimate measure distinctive a man is not annulus he stands in moments sharing comfort and convenience, but whither he stands at times confront challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not under any condition voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded antisocial the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what recapitulate right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; inventiveness is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end high-mindedness day we become silent recall things that matter.”

“Free at forename, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free tiny last.”

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

“In interpretation end, we will remember snivel the words of our enemies, but the silence of last-ditch friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will be born with the final word in truth.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided denigration stick with love. Hate decay too great a burden abide by bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a be a star.

For on the trot isn't by size that jagged win or fail. Be ethics best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are paying attention 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009