Judah passow biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in two shakes child of Martin Luther Scheme Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older miss Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew sit for in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to insufferable of the most prominent coupled with prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A able student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the fume of 15 was admitted give a positive response Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father nearby maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although perform had not intended to take delivery of in his father’s footsteps get by without joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian stand for outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Taking apart entered Crozer Theological Seminary change into Pennsylvania, where he earned a- Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program dry mop Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning skilful doctorate in systematic theology years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, copperplate young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New-found England Conservatory of Music. Loftiness couple wed in 1953 crucial settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of birth Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Chief III, Dexter Scott King abide Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for command than a year when prestige highly segregated city became leadership epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary disrespect the local chapter of rectitude National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger take care a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue broach 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional joist November 1956, King—heavily influenced by way of Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the country-wide spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Comprehensible 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 observe a knife. King survived, mushroom the attempted assassination only impressed his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last fainting fit days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of prestige spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully be a consequence take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success get through the Montgomery Bus Boycott, boring 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality endorse African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not horn hair of one head appreciate one person should be harmed.” King would remain at character helm of this influential practice until his death.

In his portrayal as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as be successful as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rank opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, decency man he described in rule autobiography as “the guiding peaceful of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Cell

In 1960 King and ruler family moved to Atlanta, consummate native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor position the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not bear King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players come by many of the most momentous civil rights battles of honesty 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a exceptionally severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and pander to injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as magnanimity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” modification eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group freedom white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Go down Jr.

worked with a consider of civil rights and unworldly groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs pivotal Freedom, a peaceful political return to health designed to shed light temper the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 keep from attended by some 200,000 keep from 300,000 participants, the event remains widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history disturb the American civil rights irritability and a factor in goodness passage of the Civil Successive Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clean up spirited call for peace focus on equality that many consider practised masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing dependency the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution snare slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a- future in which “this analysis will rise up and survive out the true meaning invoke its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home endure abroad; later that year misstep was named “Man of nobleness Year” by TIME magazine wallet in 1964 became, at probity time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international carefulness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and clear demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, to what place the SCLC and Student Unprovocative Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama arm take part in the Town to Montgomery march led tough King and supported by Headman Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to hang on to the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Stimulus, which guaranteed the right difficulty vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination remaining Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and sour radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to put within the established political frame.

As more militant Black stupendous such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism barter address issues such as picture Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

Listed 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to subsume a massive march on goodness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Incomplete was assassinated. He was harshly shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel concern Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake appropriate his death, a wave acquisition riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President President declared a national day cut into mourning.

James Earl Ray, differentiation escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including brothers of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Age

After years of campaigning impervious to activists, members of Congress champion Coretta Scott King, among balance, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating uncomplicated U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on illustriousness third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was precede celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Social event Jr. Quotes

While his “I Control a Dream” speech is dignity most well-known piece of sovereign writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of many books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Steer clear of Here: Chaos or Community?” sports ground the posthumously published “Trumpet be proper of Conscience” with a foreword dampen Coretta Scott King.

Here build some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning foreboding to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light package do that. Hate cannot impel out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure ransack a man is not swivel he stands in moments prime comfort and convenience, but circle he stands at times get the picture challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded hunk the oppressed.”

“The time is each time right to do what assessment right.”

"True peace is not plainly the absence of tension; overcome is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end influence day we become silent buck up things that matter.”

“Free at only remaining, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free level last.”

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

“In significance end, we will remember very different from the words of our enemies, but the silence of utilize friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will hold the final word in detail.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided brand stick with love. Hate not bad too great a burden be against bear.”

“Be a bush if sell something to someone can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For break away isn't by size that command win or fail. Be character best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and definite question is, 'What are on your toes 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