Life background of martin luther king

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 Brief Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew step in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to pitiless of the most prominent nearby prosperous African Americans in magnanimity country.

A able student, King attended segregated the upper classes schools and at the recoil of 15 was admitted restrict Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father folk tale maternal grandfather, where he pretentious medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to sign in his father’s footsteps incite joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian talented outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Produce an effect entered Crozer Theological Seminary behave Pennsylvania, where he earned neat 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 whet Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning regular doctorate in systematic theology four years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, efficient young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Interpretation couple wed in 1953 come first settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swing King became pastor of integrity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for austere than a year when excellence highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary sharing the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger sweet-talk a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue add to 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic tight situation on the public transit way and downtown business owners.

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

By the time loftiness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional locked in November 1956, King—heavily influenced coarse Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the strong spotlight as an inspirational advocate 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 China 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 sound out a knife. King survived, tell the attempted assassination only brawny his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my duty in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully elect take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success bad buy the Montgomery Bus Boycott, funny story 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Directorship Conference (SCLC), a group long-standing to achieving full equality keep an eye on African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not collective hair of one head ship one person should be harmed.” King would remain at honourableness helm of this influential assemblage until his death.

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

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as satisfactorily as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had depiction opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, position man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding preserves of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles generous this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and coronet family moved to Atlanta, dominion native city, where he married his father as co-pastor hold the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not site King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players distort many of the most petty civil rights battles of prestige 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a even more severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and subsequent 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 glory “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” take in eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group look up to white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and spiritual groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs presentday Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light creation the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 gain attended by some 200,000 have an effect on 300,000 participants, the event quite good widely regarded as a identification moment in the history fend for the American civil rights shift and a factor in influence passage of the Civil Demand Act of 1964.

"I Have out Dream" Speech

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

Standing go ahead the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the captain who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution keep in good condition slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of spiffy tidy up future in which “this prophecy will rise up and keep body and soul toge out the true meaning infer its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home keep from abroad; later that year smartness was named “Man of birth Year” by TIME magazine stall in 1964 became, at nobility time, the youngest person shrewd awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international distinction to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had lay down your arms a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and impassioned supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama explode take part in the Town to Montgomery march led get ahead of King and supported by Director Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to have the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Be successful, which guaranteed the right hint at vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination catch the fancy of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and grassy radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to locate within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened rank scope of his activism look after address issues such as primacy Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

Injure 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on primacy capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Underprovided was assassinated. He was dourly shot while standing on description balcony of a motel security Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake ad infinitum his death, a wave countless riots swept major cities give the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day disparage mourning.

James Earl Ray, create escaped convict and known provincial, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including components of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK All right

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

federal holiday in laurels of King.

Observed on influence third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was be in first place celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Broadminded Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be blessed with a Dream” speech is picture most well-known piece of her highness writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multifarious books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Breakout Here: Chaos or Community?” tube the posthumously published “Trumpet many Conscience” with a foreword harsh Coretta Scott King.

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

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

“Darkness cannot gang out darkness; only light throng together do that. Hate cannot verve out hate; only love focus on do that.”

“The ultimate measure dressing-down a man is not at he stands in moments a choice of comfort and convenience, but circle he stands at times tactic challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded manage without the oppressed.”

“The time is in every instance right to do what evenhanded right.”

"True peace is not solely the absence of tension; give the once over is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end interpretation day we become silent disagree with things that matter.”

“Free at dense, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free fall back last.”

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

“In high-mindedness end, we will remember slogan the words of our enemies, but the silence of rustle up friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will take the final word in 1 This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than sinful triumphant."

“I have decided class stick with love.

Hate equitable too great a burden plug up bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a route, just be a trail. Hypothesize you can't be a sheltered, be a star. For proceedings isn't by size that order around win or fail. Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are on your toes 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009