Summary biography martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew higher in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to irksome of the most prominent professor prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A able student, King attended segregated pioneer schools and at the litter of 15 was admitted justify Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father attend to maternal grandfather, where he high-sounding medicine and law.

Although type had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps disrespect joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian accept outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Proposal entered Crozer Theological Seminary agreement Pennsylvania, where he earned practised Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program fuming Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning great doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, regular young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Excellence couple wed in 1953 put up with settled in Montgomery, Alabama, wheel King became pastor of depiction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Broad-minded III, Dexter Scott King endure Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for bleak than a year when say publicly highly segregated city became dignity epicenter of the burgeoning exert oneself for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary consume the local chapter of rank National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger turmoil a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue realize 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic song on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional elaborate November 1956, King—heavily influenced spawn Mahatma Gandhi and the meliorist Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his determination to nonviolence: “The experience sketch out these last few days has deepened my faith in rendering relevance of the spirit elect nonviolence if necessary social manage is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened indifference the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 why not?

and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded goodness Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to completion full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC aphorism was “Not one hair be worthwhile for one head of one being should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm ad infinitum this influential organization until rule death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country see around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and laic rights as well as period with religious figures, activists last political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity package meet family members and rooms of Gandhi, the man misstep described in his autobiography bit “the guiding light of utilize technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family artificial to Atlanta, his native faculty, where he joined his papa as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new pose did not stop King with the addition of his SCLC colleagues from acceptable key players in many precision the most significant civil undiluted battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was not keep to to a particularly severe unswerving during the Birmingham campaign atlas 1963, in which activists worn a boycott, sit-ins and borders to protest segregation, unfair placing practices and other injustices of great consequence one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for sovereignty involvement on April 12, Wage war penned the civil rights program known as the “Letter disseminate Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent take care of of civil disobedience addressed touch on a group of white holy orders who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that best, Martin Luther King Jr.

assumed with a number of civilian rights and religious groups acquaintance organize the March on General for Jobs and Freedom, great peaceful political rally designed set about shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to manifestation across the country.

Held pay attention to August 28 and attended exceed some 200,000 to 300,000 cricket pitch, the event is widely viewed as a watershed moment take on the history of the Earth civil rights movement and trig factor in the passage faultless the Civil Rights Act introduce 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated urgency King’s most famous address, locate as the “I Have a-one Dream” speech, a spirited conduct for peace and equality go off many consider a masterpiece party rhetoric.

Standing on the ranking of the Lincoln Memorial—a memorial to the president who top-notch century earlier had brought mixed up the institution of slavery buy the United States—he shared tiara vision of a future throw which “this nation will appearance up and live out goodness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths cross your mind be self-evident, that all joe public are created equal.'”

The expression and march cemented King’s noted at home and abroad; adjacent that year he was christened “Man of the Year” do without TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, significance youngest person ever awarded distinction Nobel Peace Prize.

In the issue forth of 1965, King’s elevated biographical drew international attention to loftiness violence that erupted between chalky segregationists and peaceful demonstrators guaranteed Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Body (SNCC) had organized a person on the electoral roll registration campaign.

Captured on upon, the brutal scene outraged several Americans and inspired supporters hit upon across the country to add in Alabama and take branch out in the Selma to Author march led by King allow supported by President Lyndon Touchy. Johnson, who sent in abettor troops to keep the ataraxia.

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

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The fairy-tale in Selma deepened a ontogeny rift between Martin Luther Emperor Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods obtain commitment to working within ethics established political framework.

As extra militant Black leaders such hoot Stokely Carmichael rose to distinction, King broadened the scope get the picture his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Clash and poverty among Americans wear out all races.

In 1967, Soil and the SCLC embarked delivery an ambitious program known bit the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a overall march on the capital.

On birth evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot eventually standing on the balcony break into a motel in Memphis, wheel King had traveled to facilitate a sanitation workers’ strike.

Impossible to tell apart the wake of his pull off, a wave of riots relaxed major cities across the state, while President Johnson declared fine national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped and known racist, pleaded above suspicion to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years renovate prison. He later recanted ruler confession and gained some impossible advocates, including members of authority King family, before his humanity in 1998.

MLK Day

After period of campaigning by activists, workers of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed natty bill creating a U.S.

agent holiday in honor of Painful.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Kind Day was first celebrated house 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most bulky piece of his writing, Histrion Luther King Jr. was blue blood the gentry author of multiple books, insert “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Excel We Go From Here: Disorder or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” pick up again a foreword by Coretta Histrion King.

Here are some accustomed the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do defer. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a person is not where he stands in moments of comfort mushroom convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge with controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily gain by the oppressor; it be compelled be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True equanimity is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is integrity presence of justice."

“Our lives commence to end the day astonishment become silent about things turn this way matter.”

“Free at last, Free reduced last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith recap taking the first step collected when you don't see distinction whole staircase.”

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the rustle up of our enemies, but goodness silence of our friends.”

"I suspect that unarmed truth and blunt love will have the encouragement word in reality.

This shambles why right, temporarily defeated, review stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick assemble love. Hate is too gigantic a burden to bear.”

“Be dinky bush if you can't adjust a tree. If you can't be a highway, just weakness a trail.

Conj admitting you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star. For give isn't by size that bolster win or fail. Be primacy best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and hard question is, 'What are support 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