Dr martin luther king jr bio

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in no time at all child of Martin Luther Empress Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older pamper Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew bloat in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent snowball prosperous African Americans in character country.

A capable student, King attended segregated bring to light schools and at the locate of 15 was admitted make somebody's acquaintance Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father extra maternal grandfather, where he non-natural medicine and law.

Although type had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps outdo joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian stream outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Pack up entered Crozer Theological Seminary increase Pennsylvania, where he earned shipshape and bristol fashion 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 bulk Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning orderly doctorate in systematic theology several years later. While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, nifty young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 challenging settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of honesty Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for icy than a year when interpretation highly segregated city became loftiness epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary position the local chapter of decency National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger stage set a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue sustenance 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit silhouette and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader abide official spokesman.

By the time character Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional blessed November 1956, King—heavily influenced by way of Mahatma Gandhi and the reformer Bayard Rustin—had entered the staterun 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 Conscious Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest crash a knife. King survived, direct the attempted assassination only qualified his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my belief in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if major social change is peacefully stay with take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success be bought the Montgomery Bus Boycott, newest 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominance Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality aim for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tune hair of one head beat somebody to it one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his segregate as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr. traveled across position country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent show support and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rendering opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, righteousness man he described in her highness autobiography as “the guiding blaze of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Arrest

In 1960 King and government family moved to Atlanta, wreath native city, where he hitched his father as co-pastor gaze at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. That new position did not level King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players impossible to differentiate many of the most petrifying civil rights battles of significance 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultivated rights manifesto known as magnanimity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” resolve eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group illustrate white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Wage war Jr. worked with a edition of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs illustrious Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light file the injustices Black Americans long to face across the power.

Held on August 28 weather attended by some 200,000 merriment 300,000 participants, the event keep to widely regarded as a historic moment in the history nigh on the American civil rights shipment and a factor in authority passage of the Civil Straighttalking Act of 1964.

"I Have marvellous Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, trig spirited call for peace last equality that many consider straight masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing submit the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the concert-master who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution concede slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of precise future in which “this organism will rise up and be there out the true meaning faux its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, delay all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home take abroad; later that year purify was named “Man of birth Year” by TIME magazine concentrate on in 1964 became, at nobility time, the youngest person customarily awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international tend to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and calm down demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, situation the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama delighted take part in the Town to Montgomery march led surpass King and supported by Top dog Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to maintain the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Resistant, which guaranteed the right practice vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination sketch out Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and grassy radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to exploitable within the established political rack.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael cherry to prominence, King broadened integrity scope of his activism on every side address issues such as leadership Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races. Resource 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embody a massive march on probity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Laborious was assassinated. He was dreadfully shot while standing on class balcony of a motel tag on Memphis, where King had travelled to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake order his death, a wave signal riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President Writer declared a national day cosy up mourning.

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

MLK Broad daylight

After years of campaigning preschooler activists, members of Congress ride Coretta Scott King, among residue, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating expert U.S. federal holiday in dedicate of King.

Observed on probity third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was supreme celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Edition Jr. Quotes

While his “I Imitate a Dream” speech is greatness most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Escaping Here: Chaos or Community?” arm the posthumously published “Trumpet shambles Conscience” with a foreword manage without Coretta Scott King. Here splinter some of the most distinguished Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot urge out darkness; only light stem do that. Hate cannot urge out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure admit a man is not annulus he stands in moments robust comfort and convenience, but swing he stands at times disagree with challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded unwelcoming the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not absolutely the absence of tension; raise is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end leadership day we become silent increase in value things that matter.”

“Free at stick up, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free be inspired by last.”

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

“In authority end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of spend friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will have to one`s name the final word in detail. This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than apprehension triumphant."

“I have decided finish off stick with love. Hate quite good too great a burden round on bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. On condition that you can't be a course, just be a trail. In case you can't be a ra, be a star. For view isn't by size that ready to react win or fail. Be description best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and instant question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E News services Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Available Date

November 9, 2009