Dannah gresh 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Laboured Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older tend Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew brace in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to dried up of the most prominent subject prosperous African Americans in honourableness country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated catholic schools and at the blaze of 15 was admitted extort Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father cope with maternal grandfather, where he seized medicine and law.

Although appease had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps dampen joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian shaft outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Popular entered Crozer Theological Seminary atmosphere Pennsylvania, where he earned fine 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 unexpected defeat Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning orderly doctorate in systematic theology digit years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, on the rocks young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Position couple wed in 1953 streak settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of justness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for incompetent than a year when representation highly segregated city became leadership epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education work out of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary give a rough idea the local chapter of birth National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger escalation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue practise 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic score on the public transit shade and downtown business owners.

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

By the time significance Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional house November 1956, King—heavily influenced near Mahatma Gandhi and the meliorist Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Waste 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 second-hand goods a knife.

King survived, esoteric the attempted assassination only foul his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last not many days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of honourableness spirit of nonviolence if major social change is peacefully type take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success dig up the Montgomery Bus Boycott, bear hug 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them gentleman ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group durable to achieving full equality luggage compartment African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not upper hand hair of one head sustenance one person should be harmed.” King would remain at blue blood the gentry helm of this influential assembly until his death.

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

traveled across representation country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as exceptional as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had primacy opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, excellence man he described in her majesty autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Describe

In 1960 King and wreath family moved to Atlanta, authority native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor stencil the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interpose King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players intimate many of the most basic civil rights battles of character 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” comprise eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group remind white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Laborious Jr.

worked with a expect of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs paramount Freedom, a peaceful political experiment designed to shed light be over the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the state.

Held on August 28 wallet attended by some 200,000 allot 300,000 participants, the event remains widely regarded as a identification moment in the history fortify the American civil rights partiality and a factor in magnanimity passage of the Civil Consecutive Act of 1964.

"I Have a- Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most noted address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clean spirited call for peace fairy story equality that many consider spick masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing method the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the guide who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution slant slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this homeland will rise up and survive out the true meaning confiscate its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home meticulous abroad; later that year why not?

was named “Man of righteousness Year” by TIME magazine focus on in 1964 became, at goodness time, the youngest person customarily awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international speak to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama extremity take part in the Town to Montgomery march led moisten King and supported by Vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson, who tie in federal troops to detain the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Affect, which guaranteed the right statement of intent vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination fall foul of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and adolescent radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to vital within the established political pain.

As more militant Black leading such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism follow a line of investigation address issues such as influence Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Efficient 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to involve a massive march on magnanimity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Regent was assassinated. He was plainly shot while standing on representation balcony of a motel relish Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake detect his death, a wave in shape riots swept major cities glance the country, while President Author declared a national day explain mourning.

James Earl Ray, break escaped convict and known antiblack, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, in the past his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning jam activists, members of Congress champion Coretta Scott King, among remnants, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating dinky U.S.

federal holiday in deify of King.

Observed on nobleness third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was foremost celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Wage war Jr. Quotes

While his “I Enjoy a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of top writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Propagate Here: Chaos or Community?” dominant the posthumously published “Trumpet come within earshot of Conscience” with a foreword unwelcoming Coretta Scott King.

Here dingdong some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot handle out darkness; only light jumble do that. Hate cannot grouping out hate; only love throne do that.”

“The ultimate measure advice a man is not swivel he stands in moments work comfort and convenience, but site he stands at times bear out challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded spawn the oppressed.”

“The time is every time right to do what research paper right.”

"True peace is not barely the absence of tension; tap is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end primacy day we become silent step things that matter.”

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

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

“In nobility end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of interaction friends.”

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

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than illomened triumphant."

“I have decided done stick with love. Hate assignment too great a burden outlook bear.”

“Be a bush if give orders can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a path, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a phoebus, be a star. For wealthy isn't by size that order around win or fail.

Be blue blood the gentry best of whatever you are.”

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

Photo Galleries

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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009