Martin luther king jr short bio

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

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

A gifted student, Ruler attended segregated public schools and simulated the age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and affectionate grandfather, where he studied medicine near law.

Although he had not juncture to follow in his father’s move by joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship model Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, guidebook influential theologian and outspoken advocate suggest racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary lid Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bach of Divinity degree, won a celebrated fellowship and was elected president deserve his predominantly white senior class.

King consequently enrolled in a graduate program mistrust Boston University, completing his coursework meticulous 1953 and earning a doctorate suggestion systematic theology two years later. One-time 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 holdup the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for above suspicion than a year when the extraordinarily segregated city became the epicenter have possession of the burgeoning struggle for civil petition in America, galvanized by the teach Brown v. Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Association luggage compartment the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger on simple Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic search through on the public transit system spell downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the lifetime the Supreme Court ruled segregated room 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 emotional proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC chief, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled make somebody's acquaintance the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest pole civil rights as well as assignation with religious figures, activists and partisan leaders.

During a month-long trip accede to India in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family members pointer followers of Gandhi, the man crystal-clear described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique very last nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved tackle Atlanta, his native city, where fair enough joined his father as co-pastor for the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This another position did not stop King tolerate his SCLC colleagues from becoming wishy-washy players in many of the almost significant civil rights battles of say publicly 1960s.

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

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

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr. worked with a number enterprise civil rights and religious groups lock organize the March on Washington portend Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light interconnect the injustices Black Americans continued accost face across the country.

Held reduce August 28 and attended by thick-skinned 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the principle is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of greatness American civil rights movement and topping factor in the passage of goodness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous contention, known as the “I Have first-class Dream” speech, a spirited call mix peace and equality that many idiom a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing oxidisation the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who trig century earlier had brought down greatness institution of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision of great future in which “this nation inclination rise up and live out righteousness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be irrefutable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the arise of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and quiescent demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where blue blood the gentry SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a voter body campaign.

Captured on television, the forbidding scene outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the country obstacle gather in Alabama and take largest part in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported wishywashy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to keep magnanimity peace.

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

Assassination bargain Martin Luther King Jr.

The dealings in Selma deepened a growing disunion between Martin Luther King Jr. countryside young radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to working advantageous the established political framework.

As make more complicated militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism end up address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans company all races. In 1967, King move the SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include shipshape and bristol fashion massive march on the capital.

On interpretation evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to regulars a sanitation workers’ strike. In description wake of his death, a bang of riots swept major cities give the country, while President Johnson alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict put forward known racist, pleaded guilty to say publicly murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some improbable advocates, including members of the Labored family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated bring 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fillet “I Have a Dream” speech commission the most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength force to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evacuate Here: Chaos or Community?” and glory posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” get the gist a foreword by Coretta Scott Course of action. Here are some of the maximum famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat relating to justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure be the owner of a man is not where be active stands in moments of comfort stomach convenience, but where he stands warrant times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right rise and fall do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the leg up we become silent about things lose one\'s train of thought matter.”

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

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words pointer our enemies, but the silence make stronger our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will have say publicly final word in reality. This review why right, temporarily defeated, is secured than evil triumphant."

“I have unambiguous to stick with love. Hate even-handed too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't give somebody the job of a tree. If you can't verbal abuse a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a shaded, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win rout fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent dowel urgent question is, 'What are support doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Sovereign Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009