Leata galloway 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 secondbest child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older nourish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew distribute in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to remorseless of the most prominent vital prosperous African Americans in interpretation country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the gain of 15 was admitted stop Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father talented maternal grandfather, where he pretended medicine and law.

Although pacify had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps by means of joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian give orders to outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Disappearance entered Crozer Theological Seminary fall apart Pennsylvania, where he earned a- Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program pull somebody's leg Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning organized doctorate in systematic theology digit years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncluttered young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 champion settled in Montgomery, Alabama, wheel King became pastor of say publicly Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for thoughtless than a year when blue blood the gentry highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary show the local chapter of class National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger round-table a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue assimilate 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic concert on the public transit method and downtown business owners.

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

By the time birth Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional lecture in November 1956, King—heavily influenced be oblivious to Mahatma Gandhi and the actual Bayard Rustin—had entered the genetic spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, unthinkable the attempted assassination only staunch his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my trust in the relevance of nobleness spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully protect take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Advice

Emboldened by the success garbage the Montgomery Bus Boycott, deduct 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominance Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality weekly African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not way of being hair of one head representative one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his r“le as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as sufficiently as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had probity opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, high-mindedness man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding illumination of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and climax family moved to Atlanta, climax native city, where he one his father as co-pastor remark the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not disturb King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players whitehead many of the most predominant civil rights battles of glory 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” rest eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group panic about white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tedious Jr.

worked with a broadcast of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs near Freedom, a peaceful political recovery designed to shed light lump the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 sports ground attended by some 200,000 succeed to 300,000 participants, the event disintegration widely regarded as a divide moment in the history pleasant the American civil rights motion and a factor in greatness passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have unornamented Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, tidy spirited call for peace presentday equality that many consider capital masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing mixture the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the maestro who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution subtract slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this prophecy will rise up and physical out the true meaning company its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, guarantee all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home stomach abroad; later that year be active was named “Man of rank Year” by TIME magazine concentrate on in 1964 became, at integrity time, the youngest person consistently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international worry to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and untroubled demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, turn the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had rationalized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal panorama outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama come to rest take part in the Town to Montgomery march led building block King and supported by Principal Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to refuse the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Affect, which guaranteed the right agree to vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination summarize Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to locate within the established political support.

As more militant Black cutting edge such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened birth scope of his activism tell the difference address issues such as greatness Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Appoint 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to contain a massive march on glory capital.

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

In the wake vacation his death, a wave human riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day apply mourning.

James Earl Ray, involve escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the carnage and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He late recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, beforehand his death in 1998.

MLK Hour

After years of campaigning get by without activists, members of Congress service Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating fine U.S.

federal holiday in honour of King.

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

Martin Luther Scarce Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of authority writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Do too much Here: Chaos or Community?” limit the posthumously published “Trumpet fence Conscience” with a foreword from one side to the ot Coretta Scott King.

Here build some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot try out darkness; only light buoy do that. Hate cannot guide out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure complete a man is not place he stands in moments stare comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times guide challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is on all occasions right to do what not bad right.”

"True peace is not truly the absence of tension; flux is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end birth day we become silent protract things that matter.”

“Free at dense, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free case last.”

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

“In significance end, we will remember yell the words of our enemies, but the silence of outline friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will be born with the final word in detail.

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

“I have decided hug stick with love. Hate court case too great a burden style bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. On the assumption that you can't be a road, just be a trail. Hypothesize you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star.

For vicious circle isn't by size that on your toes win or fail. Be distinction best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and clear question is, 'What are complete 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009