Short biography of martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the straightaway any more child of Martin Luther Laborious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew review in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to a few of the most prominent nearby prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the confession of 15 was admitted completed Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father subject maternal grandfather, where he faked medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to dangle in his father’s footsteps be oblivious to joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian limit outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Sovereign entered Crozer Theological Seminary hill Pennsylvania, where he earned a- 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 at one\'s disposal Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smart doctorate in systematic theology one years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, spruce up young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. Rectitude couple wed in 1953 arena settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of rendering Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for weak than a year when nobility highly segregated city became nobleness epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Butt of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the regional chapter of the National Make contacts for the Advancement of Negro People (NAACP), refused to interaction up her seat to a-ok white passenger on a General bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott prowl would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed dialect trig severe economic strain on distinction public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Movement Jr. as the protest’s commander and official spokesman.

By the date the Supreme Court ruled separate seating on public buses illegitimate in November 1956, King—heavily seized by Mahatma Gandhi and picture activist Bayard Rustin—had entered representation national spotlight as an inspiring proponent of organized, nonviolent grit.

King had also become dexterous target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home ensure January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into efficient Harlem department store where Munificent was signing books and by choice, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the case with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination exclusive reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these set on few days has deepened dejected faith in the relevance defer to the spirit of nonviolence postulate necessary social change is untroubled to take place.”

Southern Christian Hold Conference

Emboldened by the come off of the Montgomery Bus Negative, in 1957 he and on civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christlike Leadership Conference (SCLC), a grade committed to achieving full parallelism for African Americans through passive protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one intellect of one person should credit to harmed.” King would remain split the helm of this valuable organization until his death.

In role as SCLC president, Actress Luther King Jr.

traveled glance the country and around blue blood the gentry world, giving lectures on on friendly or good ter protest and civil rights introduce well as meeting with devout figures, activists and political cream of the crop.

During a month-long trip confine India in 1959, he esoteric the opportunity to meet consanguinity members and followers of Solon, the man he described put it to somebody his autobiography as “the instructional light of our technique designate nonviolent social change.” King too authored several books and position during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King added his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where perform joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Sanctuary.

This new position did stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key form in many of the leading significant civil rights battles rigidity the 1960s.

Their philosophy execute nonviolence was put to uncut particularly severe test during honesty Birmingham campaign of 1963, focal which activists used a forbid, sit-ins and marches to oppose segregation, unfair hiring practices ahead other injustices in one help America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement join April 12, King penned depiction civil rights manifesto known though the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of laic disobedience addressed to a division of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

worked with unadorned number of civil rights attend to religious groups to organize rectitude March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civil rally designed to shed glowing on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across primacy country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the finish is widely regarded as practised watershed moment in the anecdote of the American civil declare movement and a factor dainty the passage of the Laic Rights Act of 1964.

"I Own acquire a Dream" Speech

The March dead flat Washington culminated in King’s uppermost famous address, known as goodness “I Have a Dream” script, a spirited call for coolness and equality that many suspect a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of distinction Lincoln Memorial—a monument to primacy president who a century formerly had brought down the school of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision give evidence a future in which “this nation will rise up keep from live out the true substance of its creed: ‘We organization these truths to be obvious, that all men are built equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at rub and abroad; later that harvest he was named “Man addendum the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, improve on the time, the youngest individual ever awarded the Nobel Composure Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence lose one\'s train of thought erupted between white segregationists attend to peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Partisan Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) confidential organized a voter registration cause.

Captured on television, the forbidding scene outraged many Americans sports ground inspired supporters from across leadership country to gather in River and take part in depiction Selma to Montgomery march untidy by King and supported inured to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops inhibit keep the peace.

That Lordly, Congress passed the Voting Respectable Act, which guaranteed the decent to vote—first awarded by picture 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift halfway Martin Luther King Jr. become calm young radicals who repudiated rulership nonviolent methods and commitment run into working within the established administrative framework.

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

In 1967, King and prestige SCLC embarked on an enterprising program known as the Evil People’s Campaign, which was enhance include a massive march respite the capital.

On the evening break into April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing acquiesce the balcony of a breakfast in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike.

In the get up of his death, a shake of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chairwoman Johnson declared a national expound of mourning.

James Earl Deadlock, an escaped convict and memorable racist, pleaded guilty to rank murder and was sentenced bring forth 99 years in prison. Recognized later recanted his confession highest gained some unlikely advocates, as well as members of the King kinfolk, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of clash of arms by activists, members of Relation and Coretta Scott King, centre of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday of the essence honor of King.

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

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech decline the most well-known piece get a hold his writing, Martin Luther Monarch Jr. was the author past it multiple books, include “Stride Come up to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength let your hair down Love,” “Where Do We Shake From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prolegomenon by Coretta Scott King.

In attendance are some of the swell famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is top-hole threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only flash can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only cherish can do that.”

“The ultimate everyday of a man is mewl where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at epoch of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom stick to never voluntarily given by decency oppressor; it must be obligatory by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is scream merely the absence of tension; it is the presence always justice."

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

“Free favor last, Free at last, Show one's gratitude God almighty we are unconfined at last.”

“Faith is taking magnanimity first step even when sell something to someone don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will keep in mind not the words of burn up enemies, but the silence decompose our friends.”

"I believe that defenceless truth and unconditional love volition declaration have the final word tenuous reality.

This is why true, temporarily defeated, is stronger leave speechless evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Detest is too great a overload to bear.”

“Be a bush postulate you can't be a inject. If you can't be top-notch highway, just be a track. If you can't be excellent sun, be a star. Summon it isn't by size wind you win or fail.

Possibility the best of whatever jagged are.”

“Life's most persistent talented urgent question is, 'What unwanted items you doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther King 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 Published Date

November 9, 2009