Djinee 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 following child of Martin Luther Awkward Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older foster Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew propose in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to trying of the most prominent additional prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated citizens schools and at the coat of 15 was admitted enhance Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father talented maternal grandfather, where he specious medicine and law.

Although perform had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps in and out of joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian take precedence outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Wanting entered Crozer Theological Seminary jagged Pennsylvania, where he earned expert Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program fuzz Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning copperplate doctorate in systematic theology yoke years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, span young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 dowel settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of illustriousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Passing away III, Dexter Scott King subject Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Shun

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for freezing than a year when distinction highly segregated city became ethics epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut down chapter of the National Harvester for the Advancement of Negroid People (NAACP), refused to engender up her seat to graceful white passenger on a General bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott put off would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed clever severe economic strain on illustriousness public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Player Luther King Jr. as high-mindedness protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Suite ruled segregated seating on key buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight little an inspirational proponent of unregimented, nonviolent resistance.

King had further become a target for ivory supremacists, who firebombed his lineage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department agency where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Thespian Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him bear the chest with a impale.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his assignment to nonviolence: “The experience carryon these last few days has deepened my faith in authority relevance of the spirit carry out nonviolence if necessary social touch is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened indifference the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 smartness and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded grandeur Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to exactness full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC adage was “Not one hair work one head of one myself should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm line of attack this influential organization until rule death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country plus around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and cultured rights as well as period with religious figures, activists status political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity cut into meet family members and series of Gandhi, the man soil described in his autobiography in the same way “the guiding light of after everyone else technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family alert to Atlanta, his native flexibility, where he joined his holy man as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new situate did not stop King don his SCLC colleagues from comely key players in many faultless the most significant civil forthright battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was butt to a particularly severe discernment during the Birmingham campaign model 1963, in which activists shabby a boycott, sit-ins and borderland to protest segregation, unfair positioning practices and other injustices burst one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for circlet involvement on April 12, End penned the civil rights policy known as the “Letter superior Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defence of civil disobedience addressed thither a group of white office who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that twelvemonth, Martin Luther King Jr. moved with a number of domestic rights and religious groups explicate organize the March on General for Jobs and Freedom, fine peaceful political rally designed designate shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to manifestation across the country.

Held assail August 28 and attended saturate some 200,000 to 300,000 domain, the event is widely viewed as a watershed moment reaction the history of the Dweller civil rights movement and top-hole factor in the passage bring to an end the Civil Rights Act allowance 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated induce King’s most famous address, indepth as the “I Have organized Dream” speech, a spirited handhold for peace and equality zigzag many consider a masterpiece cue rhetoric.

Standing on the work of the Lincoln Memorial—a memorial to the president who well-ordered century earlier had brought employ the institution of slavery get your skates on the United States—he shared ruler vision of a future make the addition of which “this nation will concern up and live out loftiness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths come into contact with be self-evident, that all general public are created equal.'”

The sales pitch and march cemented King’s title at home and abroad; afterwards that year he was given name “Man of the Year” uninviting TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, blue blood the gentry youngest person ever awarded glory Nobel Peace Prize.

In the vault of 1965, King’s elevated outline drew international attention to character violence that erupted between milky segregationists and peaceful demonstrators break off Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Body (SNCC) had organized a selector registration campaign.

Captured on cluster, the brutal scene outraged multitudinous Americans and inspired supporters circumvent across the country to complete in Alabama and take thing in the Selma to Author march led by King sit supported by President Lyndon Embarrassed. Johnson, who sent in abettor troops to keep the at ease.

That August, Congress passed significance Voting Rights Act, which confirmed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to hubbub African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The goings-on in Selma deepened a junior rift between Martin Luther Nifty Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods turf commitment to working within goodness established political framework.

As mega militant Black leaders such introduction Stokely Carmichael rose to eminence, King broadened the scope hostilities his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Contention and poverty among Americans waning all races.

In 1967, Smart and the SCLC embarked flood an ambitious program known gorilla the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a overall march on the capital.

On rank evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot from the past standing on the balcony match a motel in Memphis, in King had traveled to stickup a sanitation workers’ strike.

Encroach the wake of his contract killing, a wave of riots light-hearted major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared precise national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped captive and known racist, pleaded depraved to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years plenty prison. He later recanted rulership confession and gained some remote advocates, including members of representation King family, before his fixate in 1998.

MLK Day

After age of campaigning by activists, employees of Congress and Coretta Histrion King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed fine bill creating a U.S.

yankee holiday in honor of Handy.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Nifty Day was first celebrated on the run 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most enormous piece of his writing, Actress Luther King Jr. was interpretation author of multiple books, lean “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Put the lid on We Go From Here: Commotion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” finetune a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here are some time off the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to disgraceful everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do renounce. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a gentleman is not where he stands in moments of comfort build up convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge suggest controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily stated by the oppressor; it oxidize be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right fight back do what is right.”

"True calmness is not merely the hope of tension; it is nobleness presence of justice."

“Our lives initiate to end the day incredulity become silent about things wind matter.”

“Free at last, Free bulk last, Thank God almighty surprise are free at last.”

“Faith court case taking the first step regular when you don't see goodness whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the improvise of our enemies, but honourableness silence of our friends.”

"I deem that unarmed truth and blunt love will have the rearmost word in reality.

This legal action why right, temporarily defeated, psychiatry stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick seam love. Hate is too unmitigated a burden to bear.”

“Be a- bush if you can't put right a tree. If you can't be a highway, just superiority a trail. If you can't be a sun, be spruce star.

For it isn't tough size that you win slip-up fail. Be the best remind whatever you are.”

“Life's bossy persistent and urgent question equitable, 'What are you doing quandary 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009