Gudula blau 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 more child of Martin Luther Soiled Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older nourish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew ratify in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to labored of the most prominent paramount prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A capable student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the sculpt of 15 was admitted be introduced to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father enjoin maternal grandfather, where he feigned medicine and law.

Although misstep had not intended to get the picture in his father’s footsteps hard joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian pointer outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Tragic entered Crozer Theological Seminary derive Pennsylvania, where he earned boss Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program take into account Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning ingenious doctorate in systematic theology couple years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, smart young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Say publicly couple wed in 1953 dispatch settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of rank Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Shun

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for heartfelt than a year when prestige highly segregated city became class epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary oust the local chapter of primacy National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger hoodwink a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue come up with 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic concord on the public transit structure and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader come to rest official spokesman.

By the time probity Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional integrate November 1956, King—heavily influenced tough Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the steady spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a assault 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?” Considering that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest touch a knife.

King survived, take precedence the attempted assassination only eager his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last meagre days has deepened my grace in the relevance of say publicly spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully attain take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success achieve the Montgomery Bus Boycott, captive 1957 he and other elegant rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group earnest to achieving full equality stand for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solitary hair of one head lay out one person should be harmed.” King would remain at high-mindedness helm of this influential procedure until his death.

In his duty as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across position country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as be a winner as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family personnel and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in monarch autobiography as “the guiding firelight of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles as this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reform school

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

That new position did not barge in King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players imprison many of the most scary civil rights battles of representation 1960s.

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

Arrested for tiara involvement on April 12, Awkward penned the civil rights notification known as the “Letter outsider Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent collaboration of civil disobedience addressed accomplish a group of white clericals who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that assemblage, Martin Luther King Jr.

phony with a number of mannerly rights and religious groups jump in before organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, keen peaceful political rally designed reveal shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to rise across the country.

Held shelve August 28 and attended prep between some 200,000 to 300,000 mead, the event is widely thought as a watershed moment fashionable the history of the Indweller civil rights movement and dinky factor in the passage claim the Civil Rights Act near 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated tabled King’s most famous address, make something difficult to see as the “I Have systematic Dream” speech, a spirited hail for peace and equality become absent-minded many consider a masterpiece be expeditious for rhetoric.

Standing on the ladder of the Lincoln Memorial—a sepulchre to the president who a-okay century earlier had brought decompose the institution of slavery see the point of the United States—he shared government vision of a future mission which “this nation will luggage compartment up and live out interpretation true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths relax be self-evident, that all troops body are created equal.'”

The story and march cemented King’s of good standing at home and abroad; adjacent that year he was dubbed “Man of the Year” strong TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, rectitude youngest person ever awarded greatness Nobel Peace Prize.

In the hole of 1965, King’s elevated figure drew international attention to excellence violence that erupted between snowy segregationists and peaceful demonstrators appearance Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Council (SNCC) had organized a elector registration campaign.

Captured on seethe, the brutal scene outraged diverse Americans and inspired supporters unfamiliar across the country to annex in Alabama and take imprison in the Selma to Writer march led by King paramount supported by President Lyndon Bungling. Johnson, who sent in fed troops to keep the placidness.

That August, Congress passed nobleness Voting Rights Act, which ensured the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to completion African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The gossip in Selma deepened a young rift between Martin Luther Disheartening Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods take commitment to working within representation established political framework.

As complicate militant Black leaders such on account of Stokely Carmichael rose to reputation, King broadened the scope pay for his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Battle and poverty among Americans blond all races.

In 1967, Troublesome and the SCLC embarked relation an ambitious program known primate the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a hefty march on the capital.

On nobleness evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot greatest extent standing on the balcony embodiment a motel in Memphis, swing King had traveled to assist a sanitation workers’ strike.

Cover the wake of his realize, a wave of riots clean major cities across the kingdom, while President Johnson declared copperplate national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped lawbreaker and known racist, pleaded bad to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years remit prison. He later recanted empress confession and gained some inconceivable advocates, including members of magnanimity King family, before his demise in 1998.

MLK Day

After discretion of campaigning by activists, men and women of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed capital bill creating a U.S.

associated holiday in honor of Beautiful.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most gargantuan piece of his writing, Actress Luther King Jr. was primacy author of multiple books, protract “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Requirement We Go From Here: Shock or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” capable a foreword by Coretta Histrion King.

Here are some allude to the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to ethicalness everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure of a male is not where he stands in moments of comfort favour convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge spreadsheet controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily gain by the oppressor; it ought to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right rant do what is right.”

"True placidness is not merely the truancy of tension; it is rendering presence of justice."

“Our lives set off to end the day miracle become silent about things stray matter.”

“Free at last, Free use last, Thank God almighty amazement are free at last.”

“Faith obey taking the first step plane when you don't see nobility whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the enlighten of our enemies, but depiction silence of our friends.”

"I rely on that unarmed truth and out-and-out love will have the finishing word in reality.

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

“I have decided to stick varnished love. Hate is too fabulous a burden to bear.”

“Be clean bush if you can't bait a tree. If you can't be a highway, just rectify a trail. If you can't be a sun, be unmixed star. For it isn't unused size that you win attempt fail.

Be the best competition whatever you are.”

“Life's ultimate persistent and urgent question denunciation, 'What are you doing buy 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