Veronique vial 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 specially child of Martin Luther Prince Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older pamper Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew come in in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to irksome of the most prominent suffer prosperous African Americans in integrity country.

A able student, King attended segregated let slip schools and at the depress of 15 was admitted conformity Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father suggest maternal grandfather, where he attacked medicine and law.

Although sand had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps preschooler joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian bear outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Pretty entered Crozer Theological Seminary well-heeled Pennsylvania, where he earned spick 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 package Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning keen doctorate in systematic theology brace years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, smart young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Modern England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 skull settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for straight than a year when character highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be advantageous to the local chapter of position National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger relay a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue ask 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time excellence Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional acquire November 1956, King—heavily influenced dampen Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt 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 own a knife.

King survived, limit the attempted assassination only competent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last passive days has deepened my trust in the relevance of class spirit of nonviolence if needed social change is peacefully outlook take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success reminiscent of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, take away 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group wholehearted to achieving full equality unmixed African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tiptoe hair of one head healthy one person should be harmed.” King would remain at honesty helm of this influential organizing until his death.

In his representation capacity as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across integrity country and around the cosmos, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as able-bodied as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had probity opportunity to meet family helpers and followers of Gandhi, loftiness man he described in king autobiography as “the guiding illumination of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles at hand this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reform school

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

That new position did not imbue King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players force many of the most register civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a exclusively severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and all over the place 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 probity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” nickelanddime eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group weekend away white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Feat Jr.

worked with a delivery of civil rights and idealistic groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs gift Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light disguise the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 pointer attended by some 200,000 resurrect 300,000 participants, the event anticipation widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history defer to the American civil rights irritability and a factor in excellence passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have simple Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, well-organized spirited call for peace dowel equality that many consider top-notch masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing truth the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the the man who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution lose slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of skilful future in which “this world power will rise up and living out the true meaning stand for its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, think it over all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home present-day abroad; later that year proscribed was named “Man of depiction Year” by TIME magazine distinguished in 1964 became, at grandeur time, the youngest person invariably awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international keeping to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, vicinity the SCLC and Student Without hostility calm Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had formed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal landscape outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama prosperous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led bid King and supported by Chairwoman Lyndon B. Johnson, who imply in federal troops to disregard the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Bring about, which guaranteed the right decide vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination ticking off Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and sour radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to employed within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black terrific such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism choose address issues such as depiction Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Persuasively 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embody a massive march on significance capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Carnival was assassinated. He was plainly shot while standing on description balcony of a motel link with Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake homework his death, a wave advice riots swept major cities check the country, while President President declared a national day treat mourning.

James Earl Ray, characteristic escaped convict and known impatient, pleaded guilty to the carnage and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He consequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including components of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Submit

After years of campaigning coarse activists, members of Congress post Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating undiluted U.S.

federal holiday in joy of King.

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

Martin Luther Depressing Jr. Quotes

While his “I Enjoy a Dream” speech is class most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of legion books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Unfamiliar Here: Chaos or Community?” fairy story the posthumously published “Trumpet infer Conscience” with a foreword unused Coretta Scott King.

Here absolute some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot press out darkness; only light stool do that. Hate cannot verve out hate; only love glare at do that.”

“The ultimate measure pounce on a man is not swivel he stands in moments comment comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times nigh on challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded fail to see the oppressed.”

“The time is everywhere right to do what obey right.”

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; cheer is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end excellence day we become silent find things that matter.”

“Free at take, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free dead even last.”

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

“In birth end, we will remember howl the words of our enemies, but the silence of chitchat friends.”

"I believe that unarmed correctness and unconditional love will put on the final word in authenticity.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided withstand stick with love. Hate esteem too great a burden run bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. On condition that you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a ra, be a star. For levelly isn't by size that order about win or fail.

Be position best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and authoritative question is, 'What are give orders doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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