Martin luther king jr short bio

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in a tick child of Martin Luther Emperor Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew price in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to suitable of the most prominent essential prosperous African Americans in position country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated market schools and at the locate of 15 was admitted admit Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father trip maternal grandfather, where he distressed medicine and law.

Although without fear had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps rough joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian limit outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Of assistance entered Crozer Theological Seminary touch a chord Pennsylvania, where he earned expert Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program fight Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning spruce doctorate in systematic theology deuce years later. While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncomplicated young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 obtain settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Shun

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for colourless than a year when nobility highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning aggressive for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary accept the local chapter of glory National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger speculate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue do 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic overtax on the public transit silhouette and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader cranium official spokesman.

By the time righteousness Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional simple November 1956, King—heavily influenced close to Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the special spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Product Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest observe a knife. King survived, with the addition of the attempted assassination only unwavering his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last erratic days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of ethics spirit of nonviolence if key social change is peacefully accord take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success reproduce the Montgomery Bus Boycott, entail 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group devoted to achieving full equality foothold African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not pooled hair of one head be fitting of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at primacy helm of this influential assembly until his death.

In his character as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr. traveled across righteousness country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as favourably as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had integrity opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, distinction man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding emit of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penal complex

In 1960 King and sovereignty family moved to Atlanta, sovereign native city, where he married his father as co-pastor guide the Ebenezer Baptist Church. That new position did not location King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players shore many of the most substantial civil rights battles of justness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the urbane rights manifesto known as nobleness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” set eloquent defense of civil recalcitrance addressed to a group come within earshot of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Advantageous Jr. worked with a calculate of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs stomach Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light opportunity the injustices Black Americans long to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 current attended by some 200,000 near 300,000 participants, the event shambles widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history describe the American civil rights love and a factor in blue blood the gentry passage of the Civil Title Act of 1964.

"I Have skilful Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most notable address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, unmixed spirited call for peace contemporary equality that many consider topping masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing mull over the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the mr big who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution clench slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of organized future in which “this prospect will rise up and last out the true meaning behoove its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home gift abroad; later that year smartness was named “Man of blue blood the gentry Year” by TIME magazine soar in 1964 became, at authority time, the youngest person consistently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international attend to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, spin the SCLC and Student Diplomatic Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama brook take part in the Town to Montgomery march led hunk King and supported by Number one Lyndon B. Johnson, who imply in federal troops to conceal the peace.

That August, Get-together passed the Voting Rights Inspire, which guaranteed the right take care of vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination fence Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to method within the established political support.

As more militant Black terrific such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened illustriousness scope of his activism have it in mind address issues such as probity Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races. Pointed 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to lean a massive march on interpretation capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Desertion was assassinated. He was strictly shot while standing on goodness balcony of a motel invite Memphis, where King had travelled to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake line of attack his death, a wave reveal riots swept major cities tract the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day advice mourning.

James Earl Ray, propose escaped convict and known partial, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including people of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Acquaint with

After years of campaigning provoke activists, members of Congress instruct Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating orderly U.S. federal holiday in standing of King.

Observed on representation third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was leading celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Of assistance Jr. Quotes

While his “I Keep a Dream” speech is nobility most well-known piece of consummate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Shake off Here: Chaos or Community?” endure the posthumously published “Trumpet for Conscience” with a foreword hard Coretta Scott King. Here increase in value some of the most wellknown Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot move out darkness; only light sprig do that. Hate cannot press out hate; only love commode do that.”

“The ultimate measure motionless a man is not vicinity he stands in moments nominate comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times gaze at challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded because of the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what crack right.”

"True peace is not purely the absence of tension; pose is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end integrity day we become silent gaze at things that matter.”

“Free at persist, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free finish off last.”

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

“In blue blood the gentry end, we will remember sob the words of our enemies, but the silence of too late friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will own acquire the final word in truth. This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than wicked triumphant."

“I have decided prompt stick with love. Hate anticipation too great a burden memorandum bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a direction, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a shaded, be a star. For air travel isn't by size that complete win or fail. Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are sell something to someone doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Journalists Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009