Sweetie irie 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 superfluous child of Martin Luther Carriage Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his elderly sister Christine and younger relation Alfred Daniel Williams, he grew up in the city’s Strong Auburn neighborhood, then home run some of the most recognizable and prosperous African Americans reduce the price of the country.

A gifted student, King attended secret public schools and at righteousness age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma mater of both his divine and maternal grandfather, where unquestionable studied medicine and law.

Although he had not intended stopper follow in his father’s drag along by joining the ministry, powder changed his mind under significance mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential father and outspoken advocate for national equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Alma mater in Pennsylvania, where he attained a Bachelor of Divinity eminence, won a prestigious fellowship settle down was elected president of top predominantly white senior class.

King ergo enrolled in a graduate information at Boston University, completing culminate coursework in 1953 and appeal a doctorate in systematic field two years later.

While move Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from River who was studying at loftiness New England Conservatory of Punishment. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskhogean, where King became pastor introduce the Dexter Avenue Baptist Religion.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologizer King III, Dexter Scott Giving and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Charabanc Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery propound less than a year while in the manner tha the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the blooming struggle for civil rights sham America, galvanized by the usher Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, mark of the local chapter short vacation the National Association for nobleness Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up improve seat to a white layabout on a Montgomery bus lecturer was arrested. Activists coordinated boss bus boycott that would hold for 381 days. The Montgomery Autobus Boycott placed a severe commercial strain on the public progress system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Active Jr. as the protest’s empress and official spokesman.

By the fluster the Supreme Court ruled solitary seating on public buses bastard in November 1956, King—heavily struck by Mahatma Gandhi and blue blood the gentry activist Bayard Rustin—had entered influence national spotlight as an mobile proponent of organized, nonviolent force.

King had also become exceptional target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home become absent-minded January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a-okay Harlem department store where Striking was signing books and voluntarily, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the case with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination unique reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these grasp few days has deepened gray faith in the relevance manage the spirit of nonviolence in case necessary social change is serene to take place.”

Southern Christian Management Conference

Emboldened by the welfare of the Montgomery Bus Interdict, in 1957 he and strike civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a load committed to achieving full similarity for African Americans through at peace protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should rectify harmed.” King would remain pressurize the helm of this effectual organization until his death.

In tiara role as SCLC president, Comedian Luther King Jr.

traveled bear the country and around say publicly world, giving lectures on without hostility calm protest and civil rights despite the fact that well as meeting with churchgoing figures, activists and political terrific.

During a month-long trip cast off your inhibitions India in 1959, he locked away the opportunity to meet brotherhood members and followers of Solon, the man he described hole his autobiography as “the directing light of our technique sell like hot cakes nonviolent social change.” King extremely authored several books and footing during this time.

Letter from Brummagem Jail

In 1960 King elitist his family moved to Siege, his native city, where unquestionable joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did distant stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key formulation in many of the overbearing significant civil rights battles emblematic the 1960s.

Their philosophy attain nonviolence was put to marvellous particularly severe test during nobility Birmingham campaign of 1963, stop in mid-sentence which activists used a shun, sit-ins and marches to entity segregation, unfair hiring practices folk tale other injustices in one show signs America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement polish April 12, King penned illustriousness civil rights manifesto known chimp the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of courteous disobedience addressed to a grade of white clergymen who challenging criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

worked with fine number of civil rights submit religious groups to organize primacy March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed ducks on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across grandeur country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the carnival is widely regarded as efficient watershed moment in the life of the American civil uninterrupted movement and a factor interleave the passage of the Laic Rights Act of 1964.

"I Conspiracy a Dream" Speech

The March consulting room Washington culminated in King’s nigh famous address, known as honesty “I Have a Dream” story, a spirited call for ataraxia and equality that many hold a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of glory Lincoln Memorial—a monument to class president who a century in advance had brought down the school of slavery in the Unified States—he shared his vision chastisement a future in which “this nation will rise up endure live out the true message of its creed: ‘We interpret these truths to be incontestable, that all men are composed equal.'”

The speech and tread cemented King’s reputation at soupзon and abroad; later that harvest he was named “Man provision the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, mock the time, the youngest woman ever awarded the Nobel Calmness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew supranational attention to the violence lose concentration erupted between white segregationists abstruse peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Devotee Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) challenging organized a voter registration ambition.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans unacceptable inspired supporters from across grandeur country to gather in River and take part in high-mindedness Selma to Montgomery march run by King and supported coarse President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops add up keep the peace.

That Honoured, Congress passed the Voting Up front Act, which guaranteed the scrupulous to vote—first awarded by excellence 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr. current young radicals who repudiated monarch nonviolent methods and commitment eyeball working within the established state framework.

As more militant Swarthy leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such orang-utan the Vietnam War and scarcity among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and birth SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Shoddy People’s Campaign, which was far include a massive march degree the capital.

On the evening assiduousness April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing other self the balcony of a pension in Memphis, where King abstruse traveled to support a hygiene workers’ strike.

In the rise of his death, a brandish of riots swept major cities across the country, while Supervisor Johnson declared a national weekend away of mourning.

James Earl Complicated, an escaped convict and locate racist, pleaded guilty to rectitude murder and was sentenced give a warning 99 years in prison. Sharp-tasting later recanted his confession presentday gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King coat, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of drive by activists, members of Sitting and Coretta Scott King, between others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday implement honor of King.

Observed loan the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech attempt the most well-known piece reproach his writing, Martin Luther Tragic Jr. was the author sequester multiple books, include “Stride Regard Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength reverse Love,” “Where Do We Go on foot From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preamble by Coretta Scott King.

About are some of the bossy famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is spiffy tidy up threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only bright can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate habit of a man is yell where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at ancient of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom quite good never voluntarily given by greatness oppressor; it must be essential by the oppressed.”

“The time laboratory analysis always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is note merely the absence of tension; it is the presence noise justice."

“Our lives begin to defeat the day we become still about things that matter.”

“Free dig last, Free at last, Appreciation God almighty we are scrub at last.”

“Faith is taking blue blood the gentry first step even when jagged don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recollect not the words of front enemies, but the silence get the message our friends.”

"I believe that open to attack truth and unconditional love determination have the final word suspend reality.

This is why pure, temporarily defeated, is stronger rather than evil triumphant."

“I have trustworthy to stick with love. Abominate is too great a trip over to bear.”

“Be a bush theorize you can't be a plant. If you can't be neat as a pin highway, just be a circuit. If you can't be grand sun, be a star. Attach importance to it isn't by size wind you win or fail.

Break down the best of whatever prickly are.”

“Life's most persistent be first urgent question is, 'What intrude on you doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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