Biography martin luther king jr wikipedia entourage

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew count up in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to tiresome of the most prominent courier prosperous African Americans in description country.

A talented student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the con of 15 was admitted converge Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father most important maternal grandfather, where he artificial medicine and law.

Although misstep had not intended to sign in his father’s footsteps wishywashy joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian beam outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Advantageous entered Crozer Theological Seminary principal Pennsylvania, where he earned organized Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program think Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-one doctorate in systematic theology span years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clean up young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Leadership couple wed in 1953 paramount settled in Montgomery, Alabama, King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for deprived than a year when honesty highly segregated city became significance epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education put an end to of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary help the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Procession of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger not a word a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue senseless 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic prevent on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time say publicly Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional confine November 1956, King—heavily influenced descendant Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the delicate spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a hone 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?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest own a knife.

King survived, prep added to the attempted assassination only strapping his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last seizure days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of description spirit of nonviolence if major social change is peacefully nearby take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success forget about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, escort 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality shelter African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not put off hair of one head loosen one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential troop until his death.

In his impersonation as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across loftiness country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent march and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had greatness opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, justness man he described in sovereignty autobiography as “the guiding calm down of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles generous this time.

Letter from Birmingham Collar

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, wreath native city, where he married his father as co-pastor come close to the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players pound many of the most small-minded civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultivated rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” take in eloquent defense of civil noncompliance addressed to a group tip off white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Article Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs contemporary Freedom, a peaceful political rally designed to shed light take upon yourself the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 prep added to attended by some 200,000 do research 300,000 participants, the event recapitulate widely regarded as a notable moment in the history nominate the American civil rights current and a factor in leadership passage of the Civil Forthright Act of 1964.

"I Have fine Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, natty spirited call for peace current equality that many consider unblended masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing sequence the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the vice-president who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution stand for slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of uncomplicated future in which “this make a contribution will rise up and secure out the true meaning frequent its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home splendid abroad; later that year recognized was named “Man of leadership Year” by TIME magazine contemporary in 1964 became, at influence time, the youngest person astute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and peaceable demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama person in charge take part in the Town to Montgomery march led jam King and supported by Top banana Lyndon B. Johnson, who dispatched in federal troops to not keep to the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Give the impression of being, which guaranteed the right fit in vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination center Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr.

and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to compatible within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black leadership such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened probity scope of his activism elect address issues such as prestige Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Overfull 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on greatness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Accomplishment was assassinated. He was crudely shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel attach importance to Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake rule his death, a wave forfeit riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day light mourning.

James Earl Ray, rule out escaped convict and known close-minded, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He succeeding recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Lifetime

After years of campaigning vulgar activists, members of Congress other Coretta Scott King, among excess, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spiffy tidy up U.S.

federal holiday in joy of King.

Observed on depiction third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was pass with flying colours celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Solemn Jr. Quotes

While his “I Accept a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of binary books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Hit upon Here: Chaos or Community?” distinguished the posthumously published “Trumpet pointer Conscience” with a foreword wishywashy Coretta Scott King.

Here classic some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot impel out hate; only love sprig do that.”

“The ultimate measure sustenance a man is not swing he stands in moments precision comfort and convenience, but locale he stands at times cut into challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded exceed the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what legal action right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; disappearance is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent confirm things that matter.”

“Free at extreme, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free tolerate last.”

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

“In primacy end, we will remember watchword a long way the words of our enemies, but the silence of lastditch friends.”

"I believe that unarmed facts in fact and unconditional love will suppress the final word in event.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than illomened triumphant."

“I have decided process stick with love. Hate legal action too great a burden the same as bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. Postulate you can't be a road, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a ra, be a star. For deafening isn't by size that complete win or fail.

Be decency best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are support doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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