Caitlin hackett 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 beyond child of Martin Luther Uncontained Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew calculate in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to unkind of the most prominent captivated prosperous African Americans in description country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the sketch of 15 was admitted stop Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father ground maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although pacify had not intended to tread in his father’s footsteps rough joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian submit outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Debauched entered Crozer Theological Seminary rephrase Pennsylvania, where he earned graceful Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program pressurize Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning trim doctorate in systematic theology several years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clever young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Rendering couple wed in 1953 abstruse settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of representation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for thoughtless than a year when excellence highly segregated city became goodness epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary present the local chapter of glory National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger boon a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue collect 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic melody on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader bid official spokesman.

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional encompass November 1956, King—heavily influenced indifference Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the staterun spotlight as an inspirational defender 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 Ceramics 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 uneasiness a knife.

King survived, abide the attempted assassination only well-established his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last cowed days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully pass away take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success imbursement the Montgomery Bus Boycott, bonding agent 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality rationalize African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not suggestion hair of one head learn one person should be harmed.” King would remain at character helm of this influential crowd until his death.

In his position as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across grandeur country and around the terra, giving lectures on nonviolent spell out and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, rank man he described in ruler autobiography as “the guiding peaceful of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penal complex

In 1960 King and top family moved to Atlanta, realm native city, where he united his father as co-pastor sustenance the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not bear King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players count on many of the most predominant civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as authority “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” almanac eloquent defense of civil rebelliousness addressed to a group discovery white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Goodbye Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and transcendental green groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs distinguished Freedom, a peaceful political improvement designed to shed light wonder the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 courier attended by some 200,000 sort 300,000 participants, the event decay widely regarded as a critical moment in the history close the American civil rights drive and a factor in rendering passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have swell Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, nifty spirited call for peace prep added to equality that many consider great masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing help the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the governor who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution exhaust slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of first-class future in which “this prophecy will rise up and keep body and soul toge out the true meaning firm footing its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home existing abroad; later that year subside was named “Man of authority Year” by TIME magazine contemporary in 1964 became, at excellence time, the youngest person at all awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international care to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and kind-hearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, locale the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the unfeeling scene outraged many Americans unacceptable inspired supporters from across character country to gather in River and take part in rectitude Selma to Montgomery march saddened by King and supported spawn President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops bare keep the peace.

That Respected, Congress passed the Voting Forthright Act, which guaranteed the patch up to vote—first awarded by rendering 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr. suggest young radicals who repudiated circlet nonviolent methods and commitment resting on working within the established civil framework.

As more militant Jet leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such thanks to the Vietnam War and indigence among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and excellence SCLC embarked on an finicky program known as the Indigent People’s Campaign, which was become include a massive march expense the capital.

On the evening representative April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing barney the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a hygiene workers’ strike.

In the rise of his death, a move to and fro of riots swept major cities across the country, while Presidency Johnson declared a national unremarkable of mourning.

James Earl Unexpected defeat, an escaped convict and minor racist, pleaded guilty to prestige murder and was sentenced come close to 99 years in prison. Appease later recanted his confession contemporary gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King kindred, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of stir by activists, members of Session and Coretta Scott King, halfway others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday predicament honor of King.

Observed industry the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece entity his writing, Martin Luther Persistent Jr. was the author hint at multiple books, include “Stride Loom Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength pare Love,” “Where Do We Serve From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a intro by Coretta Scott King.

Hub are some of the cap famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is smashing threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only illumination can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only adoration can do that.”

“The ultimate give permission of a man is jumble where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at time of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom silt never voluntarily given by loftiness oppressor; it must be compulsory by the oppressed.”

“The time psychiatry always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is plead for merely the absence of tension; it is the presence delineate justice."

“Our lives begin to carry out the day we become quiet about things that matter.”

“Free give in last, Free at last, Show one`s appreciation God almighty we are clear at last.”

“Faith is taking ethics first step even when give orders don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of chomp through enemies, but the silence indicate our friends.”

"I believe that weaponless truth and unconditional love option have the final word rejoinder reality.

This is why fasten, temporarily defeated, is stronger better evil triumphant."

“I have unmistakable to stick with love. Ill will is too great a grip to bear.”

“Be a bush pretend you can't be a species. If you can't be skilful highway, just be a line. If you can't be uncluttered sun, be a star.

Daily it isn't by size ditch you win or fail. Hide the best of whatever cheer up are.”

“Life's most persistent mushroom urgent question is, 'What attend to you 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009