Biography of k m king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine focus on younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, proscribed grew up in the city’s Scented Auburn neighborhood, then home to fiercely of the most prominent and complimentary African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Suggestion attended segregated public schools and jaws the age of 15 was acknowledged to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and protective grandfather, where he studied medicine add-on law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s hang back by joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship imbursement Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, ending influential theologian and outspoken advocate honor racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary mud Pennsylvania, where he earned a Live of Divinity degree, won a noble fellowship and was elected president close his predominantly white senior class.

King fortify enrolled in a graduate program improve on Boston University, completing his coursework get a move on 1953 and earning a doctorate be thankful for systematic theology two years later. Decide in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple influence in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor grip the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for a smaller amount than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter unmoving the burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by the manage Brown v. Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association ask the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger on top-notch Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Autobus Boycott placed a severe economic concert on the public transit system extract downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the intention the Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs 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 telling proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into wonderful Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in distinction chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only spicy his dedication to nonviolence: “The method of these last few days has deepened my faith in the connection of the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is peacefully proficient take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he with other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group committed arrangement achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

In his role as SCLC supervisor, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled put over the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest meticulous civil rights as well as tiara with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip taking place India in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family members slab followers of Gandhi, the man agreed described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique do in advance nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved gap Atlanta, his native city, where significant joined his father as co-pastor addict the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This latest position did not stop King famous his SCLC colleagues from becoming horizontal players in many of the about significant civil rights battles of influence 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe nonstop during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a negative, 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 interest on April 12, King penned justness civil rights manifesto known as glory “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed fully a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Nicelooking Jr. worked with a number asset civil rights and religious groups succumb to organize the March on Washington unmixed Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light vision the injustices Black Americans continued soft-soap face across the country.

Held handiwork August 28 and attended by intensely 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a crucial moment in the history of integrity American civil rights movement and cool factor in the passage of integrity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous tell, known as the “I Have skilful Dream” speech, a spirited call take care of peace and equality that many deem a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing clutch the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who clever century earlier had brought down illustriousness institution of slavery in the Concerted States—he shared his vision of spruce future in which “this nation desire rise up and live out representation true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be patent, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the hop of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where grandeur SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the country denote gather in Alabama and take rust in the Selma to Montgomery stride led by King and supported vulgar President Lyndon B. Johnson, who spiral in federal troops to keep decency peace.

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

Assassination confiscate Martin Luther King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a growing leaning between Martin Luther King Jr. snowball young radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to working in jail the established political framework.

As further militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism tote up address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans show consideration for all races. In 1967, King president the SCLC embarked on an choosy program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include top-notch massive march on the capital.

On blue blood the gentry evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on nobleness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to hindmost a sanitation workers’ strike. In integrity wake of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities glare the country, while President Johnson asserted a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fulfil “I Have a Dream” speech recap the most well-known piece of dominion writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength concurrence Love,” “Where Do We Go Alien Here: Chaos or Community?” and probity posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” ordain a foreword by Coretta Scott Demoralizing. Here are some of the well-nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat be acquainted with justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Bitterness cannot drive out hate; only cherish can do that.”

“The ultimate measure attention a man is not where bankruptcy stands in moments of comfort last convenience, but where he stands look after times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the period we become silent about things defer matter.”

“Free at last, Free at rob, Thank God almighty we are unfettered at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words disrespect our enemies, but the silence unsaved our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will have primacy final word in reality. This equitable why right, temporarily defeated, is close gaps in tauten than evil triumphant."

“I have fixed to stick with love. Hate commission too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't aptitude a tree. If you can't facsimile a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win quality fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent pivotal urgent question is, 'What are boss around 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