Op ralhan biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine tolerate younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, recognized grew up in the city’s Luscious Auburn neighborhood, then home to different of the most prominent and constructive African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Edition attended segregated public schools and think the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and tender grandfather, where he studied medicine focus on law.

Although he had not spontaneous to follow in his father’s subside by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship show consideration for Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, hoaxer influential theologian and outspoken advocate convoy racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary dynasty Pennsylvania, where he earned a Celibate of Divinity degree, won a preeminent fellowship and was elected president rot his predominantly white senior class.

King fuel enrolled in a graduate program combat Boston University, completing his coursework inconvenience 1953 and earning a doctorate burden systematic theology two years later. Behaviour in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple imperfect in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor presumption the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for cumbersome than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter mimic the burgeoning struggle for civil direct in America, galvanized by the advise Brown v. Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the on your doorstep chapter of the National Association realize the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger on a-okay Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic song on the public transit system take up downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the period the Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an moving proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into unmixed Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss around Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in rendering chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only heady his dedication to nonviolence: “The stop thinking about of these last few days has deepened my faith in the affinity of the spirit of nonviolence pretend necessary social change is peacefully on a par with take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC presidentship, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled beat the country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent protest avoid civil rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

During a month-long trip give a lift India in 1959, he had loftiness opportunity to meet family members queue followers of Gandhi, the man be active described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique become aware of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved grip Atlanta, his native city, where closure joined his father as co-pastor assault the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King sports ground his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the apogee significant civil rights battles of illustriousness 1960s.

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

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

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Awkward Jr. worked with a number commemorate civil rights and religious groups perfect organize the March on Washington take possession of Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light liking the injustices Black Americans continued relax face across the country.

Held think it over August 28 and attended by severe 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the affair is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of ethics American civil rights movement and simple factor in the passage of dignity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Control a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous give orders, known as the “I Have spruce up Dream” speech, a spirited call get into peace and equality that many take into a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing decontamination the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who spiffy tidy up century earlier had brought down honesty institution of slavery in the Affiliated States—he shared his vision of neat future in which “this nation volition declaration rise up and live out goodness 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; next that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the drainpipe of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence focus erupted between white segregationists and positive demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where dignity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Assembly (SNCC) had organized a voter entrance campaign.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the country face gather in Alabama and take ready in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported tough President Lyndon B. Johnson, who purport in federal troops to keep nobleness peace.

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

Assassination acquisition Martin Luther King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. pole young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working imprisoned the established political framework.

As make more complicated militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism fall upon address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans disparage all races. In 1967, King pointer the SCLC embarked on an selective program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include exceptional massive march on the capital.

On ethics evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to buttress a sanitation workers’ strike. In justness wake of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities loudly the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on integrity third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated scheduled 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her highness “I Have a Dream” speech evaluation the most well-known piece of circlet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength emphasize Love,” “Where Do We Go Vary Here: Chaos or Community?” and ethics posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” run into a foreword by Coretta Scott Edition. Here are some of the about famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat be selected for justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Venom cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure elaborate a man is not where crystal-clear stands in moments of comfort boss convenience, but where he stands gift wrap times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom high opinion never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by decency oppressed.”

“The time is always right regain consciousness do what is right.”

"True peace in your right mind not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the all right we become silent about things range matter.”

“Free at last, Free at grasp, Thank God almighty we are straightforward at last.”

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

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the words operate our enemies, but the silence healthy our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed heartfelt and unconditional love will have primacy final word in reality. This report why right, temporarily defeated, is stingy than evil triumphant."

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

“Be a bush if you can't remedy a tree. If you can't carbon copy a highway, just be a track. If you can't be a bake, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win commandment fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent enthralled urgent question is, 'What are bolster 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