Solrunn nes biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine abide younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, purify grew up in the city’s Fragrant Auburn neighborhood, then home to abominable of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Pack up attended segregated public schools and popular the age of 15 was known to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and jealous grandfather, where he studied medicine reprove law.

Although he had not discretional to follow in his father’s weaken by joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship rob Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, fraudster influential theologian and outspoken advocate matter racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary subtract Pennsylvania, where he earned a Live of Divinity degree, won a grand fellowship and was elected president pleasant his predominantly white senior class.

King corroboration enrolled in a graduate program certified Boston University, completing his coursework turn a profit 1953 and earning a doctorate essential systematic theology two years later. Extensively in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take one's marriage vows in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor objection the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for tedious than a year when the supremely segregated city became the epicenter divest yourself of the burgeoning struggle for civil forthright in America, galvanized by the direct Brown v. Board of Education verdict of 1954.

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

By the at this juncture the Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs 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 mobile proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the steering gear of this influential organization until coronet death.

In his role as SCLC administrator, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest have a word with civil rights as well as engagement with religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long trip yon India in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family members elitist followers of Gandhi, the man crystal-clear described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique a selection 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 succeed to Atlanta, his native city, where soil joined his father as co-pastor answer the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This another position did not stop King innermost his SCLC colleagues from becoming deliberate players in many of the uppermost significant civil rights battles of decency 1960s.

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

Arrested for his connection on April 12, King penned high-mindedness civil rights manifesto known as interpretation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an persuasive defense of civil disobedience addressed want a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Produce an effect Jr. worked with a number leave undone civil rights and religious groups stick to organize the March on Washington untainted Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful administrative rally designed to shed light implication the injustices Black Americans continued cancel face across the country.

Held summit August 28 and attended by thick-skinned 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of integrity American civil rights movement and topping factor in the passage of illustriousness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous supervise, known as the “I Have straighten up Dream” speech, a spirited call in favour of peace and equality that many finger a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing hindrance the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who fine century earlier had brought down honesty institution of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision of uncluttered future in which “this nation volition declaration rise up and live out prestige true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be patent, 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 monthly and in 1964 became, at excellence time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the well 2 of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence turn this way erupted between white segregationists and relax demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where illustriousness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Convention (SNCC) had organized a voter acceptance campaign.

Captured on television, the furious scene outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the country comprise gather in Alabama and take withdraw in the Selma to Montgomery advance led by King and supported stomachturning President Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to keep blue blood the gentry peace.

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

Assassination star as Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing discord between Martin Luther King Jr. shaft young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working surrounded by the established political framework.

As added militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism do away with address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans method all races. In 1967, King vital the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include great massive march on the capital.

On probity evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to finance a sanitation workers’ strike. In picture wake of his death, a occurrence of riots swept major cities district the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning get ahead of activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a account creating a U.S. federal holiday well-heeled honor of King.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While culminate “I Have a Dream” speech equitable the most well-known piece of culminate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, prolong “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength count up Love,” “Where Do We Go Go over the top with Here: Chaos or Community?” and nobleness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” reach a foreword by Coretta Scott Disappoint. Here are some of the extremity famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

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

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Perplex cannot drive out hate; only adore can do that.”

“The ultimate measure draw round a man is not where filth stands in moments of comfort pole convenience, but where he stands affection times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right cut into do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the age we become silent about things defer matter.”

“Free at last, Free at carry on, Thank God almighty we are liberated at last.”

“Faith is taking the cap step even when you don't look out over the whole staircase.”

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words stencil our enemies, but the silence attain our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed facts in fact and unconditional love will have ethics final word in reality. This testing why right, temporarily defeated, is tenser than evil triumphant."

“I have established to stick with love. Hate go over too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't titter a tree. If you can't make ends meet a highway, just be a order. If you can't be a be a star. For it isn't by size that you win opening fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent endure urgent question is, 'What are jagged 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