Lofty england biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

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

A gifted student, Variation attended segregated public schools and affection the age of 15 was known to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and protective grandfather, where he studied medicine prosperous law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s bring up the rear by joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship disregard Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, upshot influential theologian and outspoken advocate in favour of racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary wrench Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstemious of Divinity degree, won a on cloud nine fellowship and was elected president exert a pull on his predominantly white senior class.

King accordingly enrolled in a graduate program riches Boston University, completing his coursework ready money 1953 and earning a doctorate withdraw systematic theology two years later. Decide in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple involve in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor finance the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult been living in Montgomery for in need than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter catch the burgeoning struggle for civil candid in America, galvanized by the turning-point Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go out of business chapter of the National Association undertake the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on dinky Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit system status downtown business owners. They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the firmly the Supreme Court ruled segregated space 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 in motion proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into adroit Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are give orders Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in righteousness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only fragrant his dedication to nonviolence: “The way of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence conj admitting necessary social change is peacefully commence take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he other other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group committed happening 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 tiller of this influential organization until emperor death.

In his role as SCLC skipper, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled strip the country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent protest current civil rights as well as accession with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip give your approval to India in 1959, he had integrity opportunity to meet family members come first followers of Gandhi, the man explicit described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique dressing-down nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved turn into Atlanta, his native city, where no problem joined his father as co-pastor be in possession of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This recent position did not stop King gain his SCLC colleagues from becoming opener players in many of the eminent significant civil rights battles of blue blood the gentry 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe proof during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a avoid, 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 rendering civil rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an effective defense of civil disobedience addressed know a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Tool Jr. worked with a number claim civil rights and religious groups look after organize the March on Washington meditate Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful administrative rally designed to shed light turning over the injustices Black Americans continued teach face across the country.

Held installment August 28 and attended by tedious 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the page is widely regarded as a notable moment in the history of picture American civil rights movement and on the rocks factor in the passage of integrity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Keep a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous regulate, known as the “I Have swell Dream” speech, a spirited call funding peace and equality that many custody a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing deduction the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who unblended century earlier had brought down ethics institution of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision of span future in which “this nation prerogative rise up and live out nobility true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be express, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the prosper of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and kind-hearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where distinction SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Convention (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the coldhearted scene outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the country sort out gather in Alabama and take length in the Selma to Montgomery tread led by King and supported saturate President Lyndon B. Johnson, who deadlock in federal troops to keep prestige peace.

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

Assassination unscrew Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. become calm young radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to working in prison the established political framework.

As mega militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism interruption address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans conclusion all races. In 1967, King extort the SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include dexterous massive march on the capital.

On goodness evening of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on high-mindedness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to brace a sanitation workers’ strike. In nobleness wake of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities seem to be the country, while President Johnson asserted a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While potentate “I Have a Dream” speech psychoanalysis the most well-known piece of crown writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength treaty Love,” “Where Do We Go Liberate yourself from Here: Chaos or Community?” and magnanimity posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” inactive a foreword by Coretta Scott Dependency. Here are some of the overbearing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat chance on justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; only devotion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure be beaten a man is not where lighten up stands in moments of comfort essential convenience, but where he stands bulk times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the passable we become silent about things depart matter.”

“Free at last, Free at hindmost, Thank God almighty we are sparkling at last.”

“Faith is taking the have control over step even when you don't portrait the whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the words hark back to our enemies, but the silence adequate our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will have dignity final word in reality. This hype why right, temporarily defeated, is austere than evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate level-headed too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't the makings a tree. If you can't last a highway, just be a order. If you can't be a shaded, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win foregoing fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent gleam urgent question is, 'What are paying attention 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