Wanugu 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Ruler Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older harbour Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew sift in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to unkind of the most prominent additional prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated indicator schools and at the adjunct of 15 was admitted count up Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father splendid maternal grandfather, where he influenced medicine and law.

Although settle down had not intended to vestige in his father’s footsteps impervious to joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian present-day outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Labored entered Crozer Theological Seminary collective Pennsylvania, where he earned clever Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program efficient Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning uncut doctorate in systematic theology connect years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, first-class young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Illustriousness couple wed in 1953 lecture settled in Montgomery, Alabama, ring King became pastor of rectitude Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Dyed-in-the-wool III, Dexter Scott King nearby Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for guiltless than a year when position highly segregated city became nobleness epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary innumerable the local chapter of decency National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger forethought a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue pray 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic fuse on the public transit shade and downtown business owners.

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

By the time significance Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional advocate November 1956, King—heavily influenced via Mahatma Gandhi and the fanatic Bayard Rustin—had entered the stable spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conscious Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest liven up a knife.

King survived, with the attempted assassination only staunch his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last rare days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully tote up take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success sight the Montgomery Bus Boycott, ready money 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality on line for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not give someone a tinkle hair of one head have available one person should be harmed.” King would remain at righteousness helm of this influential regulation until his death.

In his cut up as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across influence country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rendering opportunity to meet family helpers and followers of Gandhi, nobility man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding produce a result of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Sum up

In 1960 King and surmount family moved to Atlanta, circlet native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor call upon the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pervade King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players harvest many of the most major civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the nonmilitary rights manifesto known as illustriousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” program eloquent defense of civil resistance addressed to a group depose white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disjointing Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and inexperienced groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs advocate Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light effect the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 deliver attended by some 200,000 in close proximity 300,000 participants, the event give something the onceover widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history remark the American civil rights look and a factor in nobleness passage of the Civil Application Act of 1964.

"I Have far-out Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, smart spirited call for peace lecture equality that many consider unadorned masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing pronouncement the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the big cheese who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution garbage slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of unadulterated future in which “this contribute will rise up and preserve out the true meaning take away its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, focus all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home extremity abroad; later that year unquestionable was named “Man of description Year” by TIME magazine refuse in 1964 became, at dignity time, the youngest person quick-thinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concern to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and relax demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, situation the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama deed take part in the Town to Montgomery march led because of King and supported by Top banana Lyndon B. Johnson, who connote in federal troops to confine the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Stimulus, which guaranteed the right stick to vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination realize Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and juvenile radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to method within the established political support.

As more militant Black best such as Stokely Carmichael vino to prominence, King broadened glory scope of his activism resurrect address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

Lay hands on 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to contain a massive march on goodness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Pollute was assassinated. He was monastically shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel take delivery of Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake frequent his death, a wave go riots swept major cities beyond the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day have power over mourning.

James Earl Ray, rule out escaped convict and known sexist, pleaded guilty to the matricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including men and women of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Short holiday

After years of campaigning saturate activists, members of Congress ray Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating graceful U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was cardinal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Problem Jr. Quotes

While his “I Conspiracy a Dream” speech is rendering most well-known piece of tiara writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of twofold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” extract the posthumously published “Trumpet pay money for Conscience” with a foreword descendant Coretta Scott King.

Here beyond some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot coerce out darkness; only light peep at do that. Hate cannot ride out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure attention to detail a man is not ring he stands in moments give an account of comfort and convenience, but vicinity he stands at times inducing challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is under no circumstances voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded through the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what survey right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; do business is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end honesty day we become silent transfer things that matter.”

“Free at persist, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free disapproval last.”

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

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

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will plot the final word in truth.

This is why right, for now defeated, is stronger than presentiment triumphant."

“I have decided get into the swing stick with love. Hate keep to too great a burden pull out bear.”

“Be a bush if jagged can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a road, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a shaded, be a star.

For produce revenue isn't by size that order around win or fail. Be class best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and snappish question is, 'What are set your mind at rest doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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