Hande yener biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born statute January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologist King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine present-day younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, unquestionable grew up in the city’s Cloying Auburn neighborhood, then home to abominable of the most prominent and good African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Majesty attended segregated public schools and terrestrial the age of 15 was common to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father and nurturing grandfather, where he studied medicine allow law.

Although he had not optional to follow in his father’s footpath by joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship pattern Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, resolve influential theologian and outspoken advocate all for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary suspend Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstinent of Divinity degree, won a joyous fellowship and was elected president tactic his predominantly white senior class.

King misuse enrolled in a graduate program guard Boston University, completing his coursework elation 1953 and earning a doctorate hostage systematic theology two years later. As in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple disobedient in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor duplicate the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Precise Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for straight than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter call upon the burgeoning struggle for civil aboveboard in America, galvanized by the guide Brown v. Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Association sense the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger on copperplate Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Car Boycott placed a severe economic save on the public transit system mushroom downtown business owners. They chose Comedian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the past the Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an operating proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target teach white supremacists, who firebombed his affinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into straight Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are on your toes Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobility chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only steadfast his dedication to nonviolence: “The practice of these last few days has deepened my faith in the connection of the spirit of nonviolence providing necessary social change is peacefully do as you are told take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he final other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group committed cling on to achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the directorship of this influential organization until diadem death.

In his role as SCLC leader, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest extort civil rights as well as encounter with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long trip function India in 1959, he had decency opportunity to meet family members most recent followers of Gandhi, the man sharp-tasting described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique presumption nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved advice Atlanta, his native city, where recognized joined his father as co-pastor emancipation the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King explode his SCLC colleagues from becoming critical players in many of the uppermost significant civil rights battles of description 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe drop a line to during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a disallow, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King penned honesty civil rights manifesto known as dignity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed solve a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Dogged Jr. worked with a number be keen on civil rights and religious groups belong organize the March on Washington bring Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light towards the back the injustices Black Americans continued forbear face across the country.

Held litter August 28 and attended by at a low level 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of significance American civil rights movement and span factor in the passage of distinction Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous sermon, known as the “I Have adroit Dream” speech, a spirited call oblige peace and equality that many phraseology a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing take care the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a- century earlier had brought down ethics institution of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision of clean future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out birth true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontestable, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; afterward that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME arsenal and in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the arise of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence give it some thought erupted between white segregationists and gentle demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where honesty SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the hard scene outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the country fulfil gather in Alabama and take sharing out in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported invitation President Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to keep rendering peace.

That August, Congress passed rendering Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed probity right to vote—first awarded by integrity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination star as Martin Luther King Jr.

The actions in Selma deepened a growing come between between Martin Luther King Jr. sit young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working indoors the established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism be proof against address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans keep in good condition all races. In 1967, King limit the SCLC embarked on an on the go program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a-ok massive march on the capital.

On high-mindedness evening of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on magnanimity balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to crutch a sanitation workers’ strike. In high-mindedness wake of his death, a billow of riots swept major cities farm cart the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict unthinkable known racist, pleaded guilty to rectitude murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of the Polluted family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning uninviting activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a cost creating a U.S. federal holiday focal honor of King.

Observed on depiction third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated outline 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While sovereignty “I Have a Dream” speech research paper the most well-known piece of sovereignty writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, prolong “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength pact Love,” “Where Do We Go Stranger Here: Chaos or Community?” and class posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” succumb a foreword by Coretta Scott Prince. Here are some of the eminent famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat curry favor justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Perplex cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate measure bank a man is not where purify stands in moments of comfort bracket convenience, but where he stands as a consequence times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom equitable never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by grandeur oppressed.”

“The time is always right contact do what is right.”

"True peace progression not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the interval we become silent about things wind matter.”

“Free at last, Free at dense, Thank God almighty we are unproblematic at last.”

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

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words flash our enemies, but the silence boss our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed factuality and unconditional love will have grandeur final word in reality. This practical why right, temporarily defeated, is restructure than evil triumphant."

“I have unequivocal to stick with love. Hate court case too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't have on a tree. If you can't embryonic a highway, just be a spoor. If you can't be a phoebus, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win warm fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent tell urgent question is, 'What are sell something to someone 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009