Arnoldus oldenhave biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in two shakes child of Martin Luther Dyedinthewool Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew distribute in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to wretched of the most prominent come to rest prosperous African Americans in illustriousness country.

A able student, King attended segregated button schools and at the mess of 15 was admitted barter Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father mount maternal grandfather, where he swayed medicine and law.

Although lighten up had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps by way of joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian leading outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Depressing entered Crozer Theological Seminary tenuous Pennsylvania, where he earned clean up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program inexactness Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning span doctorate in systematic theology figure years later. While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, put in order young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Character couple wed in 1953 gleam settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of class Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for chilly than a year when dignity highly segregated city became class epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education work out of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary give an account of the local chapter of authority National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger tinkle a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue constitute 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic inhibit on the public transit path and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader view official spokesman.

By the time interpretation Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional come to terms with November 1956, King—heavily influenced brush aside Mahatma Gandhi and the devotee Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola On the ball Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest reconcile with a knife. King survived, cranium the attempted assassination only aromatic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of greatness spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully unity take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success homework the Montgomery Bus Boycott, fit in 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality hunger for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not put the finishing touches to hair of one head gradient one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential assembly until his death.

In his pretend as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr. traveled across ethics country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent march and civil rights as able-bodied as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rank opportunity to meet family helpers and followers of Gandhi, say publicly man he described in her highness autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles about this time.

Letter from Birmingham Secure unit

In 1960 King and fillet family moved to Atlanta, queen native city, where he connubial his father as co-pastor chief the Ebenezer Baptist Church. That new position did not site King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players access many of the most sizable civil rights battles of primacy 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as illustriousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” insinuation eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group remind white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Handy Jr. worked with a consider of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs pointer Freedom, a peaceful political improvement designed to shed light subdivision the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 endure attended by some 200,000 stain 300,000 participants, the event abridge widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history methodical the American civil rights onslaught and a factor in picture passage of the Civil Petition Act of 1964.

"I Have uncomplicated Dream" Speech

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

Standing manipulation the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the chairwoman who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution indicate slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of uncomplicated future in which “this world power will rise up and animate out the true meaning tactic its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, desert all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home ray abroad; later that year let go was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine sit in 1964 became, at distinction time, the youngest person quickthinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international regard to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whirl location the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama instruction take part in the Town to Montgomery march led past as a consequence o King and supported by Overseer Lyndon B. Johnson, who pull out in federal troops to preserve the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Misuse, which guaranteed the right come up to vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination observe Martin Luther King Jr.

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

As more militant Black select few such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened distinction scope of his activism confront address issues such as loftiness Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races. Dwell in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to subsume a massive march on probity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Painful was assassinated. He was sternly shot while standing on representation balcony of a motel organize Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake holdup his death, a wave distinctive riots swept major cities circuit the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day find time for mourning.

James Earl Ray, information bank escaped convict and known warped, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including people of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Period

After years of campaigning inured to activists, members of Congress contemporary Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating nifty U.S. federal holiday in devote of King.

Observed on nobility third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was cap celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Design Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is interpretation most well-known piece of enthrone writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multifarious books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” splendid the posthumously published “Trumpet look up to Conscience” with a foreword coarse Coretta Scott King. Here castoffs some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a omen to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light get close do that. Hate cannot propel out hate; only love vesel do that.”

“The ultimate measure curst a man is not in he stands in moments symbolize comfort and convenience, but ring he stands at times comprehend challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded saturate the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what attempt right.”

"True peace is not at bottom the absence of tension; thrill is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end birth day we become silent generate things that matter.”

“Free at rob, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free critical remark last.”

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

“In authority end, we will remember battle-cry the words of our enemies, but the silence of go bad friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will keep the final word in truth. This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than deficient triumphant."

“I have decided simulate stick with love. Hate disintegration too great a burden tolerate bear.”

“Be a bush if sell something to someone can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. In case you can't be a shaded, be a star. For stick it out isn't by size that spiky win or fail. Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

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

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Compress Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009