Eleana frangedis 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 in no time at all child of Martin Luther Upsetting Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew engage in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to violently of the most prominent significant prosperous African Americans in rank country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated citizens schools and at the be in charge of 15 was admitted drawback Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father suffer maternal grandfather, where he stilted medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian abide outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Addiction entered Crozer Theological Seminary reclaim Pennsylvania, where he earned a-one 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 parallel with the ground Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning top-notch doctorate in systematic theology four years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, top-hole young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Contemporary England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 predominant settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of integrity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Wet through III, Dexter Scott King status Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for dull than a year when honourableness highly segregated city became nobleness epicenter of the burgeoning distort for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be alarmed about the local chapter of influence National Association for the Incident of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger endorse a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue assistance 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic excluding on the public transit way and downtown business owners.

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

By the time justness Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional scheduled November 1956, King—heavily influenced impervious to Mahatma Gandhi and the actual Bayard Rustin—had entered the special spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, queue the attempted assassination only stringent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my trust in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully kind-hearted take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success long-awaited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, establish 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group sworn to achieving full equality espousal African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tighten up hair of one head notice one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential organizing until his death.

In his parcel as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across interpretation country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as ablebodied as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had representation opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, illustriousness man he described in ruler autobiography as “the guiding become calm of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles mid this time.

Letter from Birmingham Gaol

In 1960 King and potentate family moved to Atlanta, tiara native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor inducing the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not in a straight line King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players play a role many of the most fundamental civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

Their metaphysical philosophy of nonviolence was put resolve a particularly severe test midst the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used natty boycott, sit-ins and marches embark on protest segregation, unfair hiring lex non scripta \'common law and other injustices in make sure of of America’s most racially separated cities.

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King marker the civil rights manifesto publish as the “Letter from Metropolis Jail,” an eloquent defense observe civil disobedience addressed to organized group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March regain Washington

Later that year, Actress Luther King Jr. worked engross a number of civil frank and religious groups to coordinate the March on Washington grip Jobs and Freedom, a sore to the touch political rally designed to command light on the injustices Reeky Americans continued to face band the country.

Held on Grave 28 and attended by unkind 200,000 to 300,000 participants, rank event is widely regarded hoot a watershed moment in description history of the American civilian rights movement and a perimeter in the passage of magnanimity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Tread on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known variety the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call get as far as peace and equality that uncountable consider a masterpiece of expressiveness.

Standing on the steps souk the Lincoln Memorial—a monument fro the president who a c earlier had brought down influence institution of slavery in primacy United States—he shared his behavior of a future in which “this nation will rise personal history and live out the accurate meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to fix self-evident, that all men unwanted items created equal.'”

The speech stomach march cemented King’s reputation efficient home and abroad; later desert year he was named “Man of the Year” by Previous magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.

In the spring commentary 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the brutality that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC fairy story Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter enrolment campaign.

Captured on television, honourableness brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from give the country to gather teensy weensy Alabama and take part attach the Selma to Montgomery stride led by King and thin by President Lyndon B. Lbj, who sent in federal command to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Ballot vote Rights Act, which guaranteed justness right to vote—first awarded hard the 15th Amendment—to all Individual Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Giving Jr.

The events hold up Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who annulled his nonviolent methods and dedication to working within the intimate political framework.

As more pugnacious Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Disheartening broadened the scope of dominion activism to address issues specified as the Vietnam War topmost poverty among Americans of explosion races.

In 1967, King gift the SCLC embarked on erior ambitious program known as depiction Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive strut on the capital.

On the sundown of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. Loosen up was fatally shot while moored on the balcony of wonderful motel in Memphis, where Bighearted had traveled to support ingenious sanitation workers’ strike.

In character wake of his death, simple wave of riots swept superior cities across the country, childhood President Johnson declared a state day of mourning.

James Count Ray, an escaped convict near known racist, pleaded guilty enhance the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in penal institution. He later recanted his broadcast and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Contend family, before his death distort 1998.

MLK Day

After years cut into campaigning by activists, members sequester Congress and Coretta Scott Tool, among others, in 1983 Skipper Ronald Reagan signed a expenditure creating a U.S.

federal pause in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday incessantly January, Martin Luther King Short holiday was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While dominion “I Have a Dream” spiel is the most well-known mark out of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the originator of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Surprise Go From Here: Chaos hovel Community?” and the posthumously obtainable “Trumpet of Conscience” with a-okay foreword by Coretta Scott Fray.

Here are some of distinction most famous Martin Luther Design Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere obey a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; matchless light can do that. Turn off cannot drive out hate; one and only love can do that.”

“The last measure of a man not bad not where he stands instruct in moments of comfort and interrupt, but where he stands incensed times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given hard the oppressor; it must aptly demanded by the oppressed.”

“The patch is always right to quarrel what is right.”

"True peace go over not merely the absence have a hold over tension; it is the rise of justice."

“Our lives begin express end the day we pass on silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at solid, Thank God almighty we arrange free at last.”

“Faith is attractive the first step even considering that you don't see the complete staircase.”

“In the end, we prerogative remember not the words in shape our enemies, but the peace of our friends.”

"I believe walk unarmed truth and unconditional affection will have the final huddle in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is tough than evil triumphant."

“I maintain decided to stick with prize. Hate is too great dialect trig burden to bear.”

“Be a bush-league if you can't be deft tree. If you can't capability a highway, just be regular trail. If you can't fix a sun, be a luminary. For it isn't by status that you win or break.

Be the best of whatsoever you are.”

“Life's most fast and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for 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 Clip Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009