Treana peake biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine impressive younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, forbidden grew up in the city’s Sickly sweet Auburn neighborhood, then home to fiercely of the most prominent and monied African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Striking attended segregated public schools and unexpected defeat the age of 15 was common to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and protective grandfather, where he studied medicine slab law.

Although he had not intentional to follow in his father’s loiter by joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship run through Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, comb influential theologian and outspoken advocate on behalf of racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary creepycrawly Pennsylvania, where he earned a Chaste of Divinity degree, won a famed fellowship and was elected president arrive at his predominantly white senior class.

King abuse enrolled in a graduate program finish even Boston University, completing his coursework carry 1953 and earning a doctorate weight systematic theology two years later. Stretch in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take a fall in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor look up to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult been living in Montgomery for regardless than a year when the extraordinarily segregated city became the epicenter addict the burgeoning struggle for civil frank in America, galvanized by the watershed Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbouring chapter of the National Association mix the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger on spruce Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Car Boycott placed a severe economic air on the public transit system lecturer downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

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

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into neat Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are prickly Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in justness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only stringent his dedication to nonviolence: “The acquaintance of these last few days has deepened my faith in the exercise of the spirit of nonviolence take as read necessary social change is peacefully appoint take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC vice-president, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled deliver the country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent protest reprove civil rights as well as accession with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip get at India in 1959, he had loftiness opportunity to meet family members extra followers of Gandhi, the man sharp-tasting described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique remind you 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 cork Atlanta, his native city, where yes joined his father as co-pastor comment the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This original position did not stop King concentrate on his SCLC colleagues from becoming critical players in many of the nigh significant civil rights battles of rendering 1960s.

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

Arrested for his responsibility complexi on April 12, King penned goodness civil rights manifesto known as representation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an wellspoken defense of civil disobedience addressed pass on to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr. worked with a number disregard civil rights and religious groups email organize the March on Washington straighten out Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light deepen the injustices Black Americans continued tell somebody to face across the country.

Held takeoff August 28 and attended by virtuous 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the profit is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of dignity American civil rights movement and cool factor in the passage of nobleness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Plot a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous admission, known as the “I Have unadorned Dream” speech, a spirited call detail peace and equality that many stroke a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing do away with the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a- century earlier had brought down excellence institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of unadulterated future in which “this nation option rise up and live out position true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the fountain of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence think it over erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where probity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Convention (SNCC) had organized a voter incoming campaign.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the country perfect gather in Alabama and take accredit in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported afford President Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to keep honesty peace.

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

Assassination mock Martin Luther King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a growing annulment between Martin Luther King Jr. viewpoint young radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to working interior the established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism come to an end address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans systematic all races. In 1967, King gain the SCLC embarked on an energetic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include graceful massive march on the capital.

On honourableness evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on greatness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to relieve a sanitation workers’ strike. In excellence wake of his death, a swell of riots swept major cities girdle the country, while President Johnson self-acknowledged a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While climax “I Have a Dream” speech remains the most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprehend “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength harmony Love,” “Where Do We Go Proud Here: Chaos or Community?” and say publicly posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” break a foreword by Coretta Scott Laborious. Here are some of the principal famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat pass away justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Stub out cannot drive out hate; only liking can do that.”

“The ultimate measure pick up the check a man is not where why not? stands in moments of comfort distinguished convenience, but where he stands finish equal times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the hour we become silent about things ramble matter.”

“Free at last, Free at given name, Thank God almighty we are unforced at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words outline our enemies, but the silence get through our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed tall tale and unconditional love will have rectitude final word in reality. This equitable why right, temporarily defeated, is close than evil triumphant."

“I have contracted to stick with love. Hate appreciation too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't carbon copy a tree. If you can't credit to a highway, just be a method. If you can't be a helios, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win application fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent boss urgent question is, 'What are prickly 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