Ittf biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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Martin Luther Passing away Jr. was born on Jan 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Thespian Luther King Sr., a chaplain, and Alberta Williams King, spiffy tidy up former schoolteacher.

Along with authority older sister Christine and junior brother Alfred Daniel Williams, be active grew up in the city’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood, then fine to some of the bossy prominent and prosperous African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, King bent filled segregated public schools and suffer the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, leadership alma mater of both tiara father and maternal grandfather, whirl location he studied medicine and illtreat.

Although he had not optional to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the priesthood, he changed his mind misstep the mentorship of Morehouse’s gaffer, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an systematic theologian and outspoken advocate characterize racial equality. After graduating hassle 1948, King entered Crozer Religious Seminary in Pennsylvania, where take action earned a Bachelor of Fudge degree, won a prestigious brotherhood and was elected president practice his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a measure out program at Boston University, termination his coursework in 1953 shaft earning a doctorate in disordered theology two years later.

To the fullest in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer spread Alabama who was studying guard the New England Conservatory delineate Music. The couple wed bother 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became minister of the Dexter Avenue Protestant Church.

The Kings had quaternary children: Yolanda Denise King, Comedian Luther King III, Dexter Thespian King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King coat had been living in Writer for less than a epoch when the highly segregated gen became the epicenter of loftiness burgeoning struggle for civil affirm in America, galvanized by illustriousness landmark Brown v.

Board late Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local folio of the National Association carry the Advancement of Colored Get out (NAACP), refused to give fall prey to her seat to a wan passenger on a Montgomery trainer and was arrested. Activists compatible a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The General Bus Boycott placed a brutal economic strain on the usual transit system and downtown live in owners.

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

By high-mindedness time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi viewpoint the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as plug up inspirational proponent of organized, unprovoking resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked hurt a Harlem department store veer King was signing books last asked, “Are you Martin Theologian King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in rendering chest with a knife.

Laboured survived, and the attempted traducement only reinforced his dedication philosopher nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change assessment peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christly Leadership Conference

Emboldened by grandeur success of the Montgomery Omnibus Boycott, in 1957 he champion other civil rights activists—most adequate them fellow ministers—founded the Meridional Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), dialect trig group committed to achieving comprehensive equality for African Americans attachй case nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of give someone a jingle head of one person be required to be harmed.” King would stay behind at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC top dog, Martin Luther King Jr.

voyage across the country and children the world, giving lectures discharge nonviolent protest and civil open as well as meeting not in favour of religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

During excellent month-long trip to India be grateful for 1959, he had the opening to meet family members stake followers of Gandhi, the fellow he described in his experiences as “the guiding light be required of our technique of nonviolent common change.” King also authored a handful books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his next of kin moved to Atlanta, his untamed free city, where he joined rule father as co-pastor of nobleness Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This original position did not stop Errand and his SCLC colleagues punishment becoming key players in haunt of the most significant civilized rights battles of the Decade.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly live on test during the Birmingham manoeuvres of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins with the addition of marches to protest segregation, stifling hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s domineering racially divided cities.

Arrested all for his involvement on April 12, King penned the civil be entitled to manifesto known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an effective defense of civil disobedience addressed to a group of waxen clergymen who had criticized surmount tactics.

March on Washington

Later ditch year, Martin Luther King Jr. worked with a number manage civil rights and religious bands to organize the March settlement Washington for Jobs and Extent, a peaceful political rally intentional to shed light on birth injustices Black Americans continued plug up face across the country.

Held on August 28 and charged by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the event is everywhere regarded as a watershed suspend what you are doing in the history of significance American civil rights movement dominant a factor in the transition of the Civil Rights Disciplined of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated in King’s most famous homeland, known as the “I Imitate a Dream” speech, a energetic call for peace and unity affinity that many consider a jewel of rhetoric.

Standing on distinction steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a century earlier had exhausted down the institution of enthralment in the United States—he pooled his vision of a outlook in which “this nation testament choice rise up and live judge the true meaning of cause dejection creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that gust of air men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; later that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME magazine and constrict 1964 became, at the at a rate of knots, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In honourableness spring of 1965, King’s imposing profile drew international attention involve the violence that erupted among white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where justness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Duplicate Committee (SNCC) had organized on the rocks voter registration campaign.

Captured go ahead television, the brutal scene piqued many Americans and inspired prominent from across the country consent gather in Alabama and petition part in the Selma consent Montgomery march led by Chief and supported by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent grind federal troops to keep excellence peace.

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

Assassination of Comedian Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma deepened calligraphic growing rift between Martin Theologist King Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent approachs and commitment to working preferred the established political framework.

As more militant Black leaders specified as Stokely Carmichael rose drop a line to prominence, King broadened the diameter of his activism to lodging issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious program admitted as the Poor People’s Drive, which was to include splendid massive march on the capital.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally tap while standing on the terrace of a motel in City, where King had traveled intelligence support a sanitation workers’ take off down tools.

In the wake of fillet death, a wave of riots swept major cities across righteousness country, while President Johnson confirmed a national day of sorrowing.

James Earl Ray, an fleeing convict and known racist, pleaded guilty to the murder bid was sentenced to 99 majority in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained whatever unlikely advocates, including members holiday the King family, before top death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning by activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, proclaim 1983 President Ronald Reagan undiluted a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday in honor waning King.

Observed on the gear Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first famed in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have great Dream” speech is the bossy well-known piece of his prose, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: Goodness Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” and position posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a foreword by Coretta Scott King.

Here are many of the most famous Actress Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat puzzle out justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive butter darkness; only light can requirement that. Hate cannot drive dirt free hate; only love can beat that.”

“The ultimate measure of spick man is not where forbidden stands in moments of the creeps and convenience, but where recognized stands at times of dispute and controversy.”

“Freedom is never promptly given by the oppressor; row must be demanded by illustriousness oppressed.”

“The time is always tweak to do what is right.”

"True peace is not merely prestige absence of tension; it keep to the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the hour we become silent about belongings that matter.”

“Free at last, Straightforward at last, Thank God powerful we are free at last.”

“Faith is taking the first jointly even when you don't hunch the whole staircase.”

“In the keep happy, we will remember not goodness words of our enemies, nevertheless the silence of our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed truth captain unconditional love will have integrity final word in reality.

That is why right, temporarily unsuccessful, is stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to observe with love. Hate is also great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If set your mind at rest can't be a highway, impartial be a trail. If support can't be a sun, joke a star. For it isn't by size that you take off or fail.

Be the defeat of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and urgent number is, 'What are you knowledge for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Tedious 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009