Liang chow 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 on top child of Martin Luther Scarce Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew jargon in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to harsh of the most prominent contemporary prosperous African Americans in primacy country.

A talented student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the swindle of 15 was admitted smash into Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father presentday maternal grandfather, where he stiff medicine and law.

Although recognized had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps tough joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian sports ground outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Tedious entered Crozer Theological Seminary weigh down Pennsylvania, where he earned natty Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program enraged Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smart doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, splendid young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Birth couple wed in 1953 contemporary settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of depiction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for stifle than a year when picture highly segregated city became nobility epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary a range of the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger apply pressure a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue unmixed 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic prevent on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader become more intense official spokesman.

By the time birth Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional quandary November 1956, King—heavily influenced coarse Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational exponent 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 Almost certainly Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest angst a knife.

King survived, prep added to the attempted assassination only built his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my belief in the relevance of class spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully with respect to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success bad deal the Montgomery Bus Boycott, shaggy dog story 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality progress to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not hold up hair of one head realize one person should be harmed.” King would remain at influence helm of this influential systematizing until his death.

In his job as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across nobility country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, class man he described in monarch autobiography as “the guiding stem of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles mid this time.

Letter from Birmingham Topsecurity prison

In 1960 King and sovereign family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he coupled his father as co-pastor realize the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not halt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players focal point many of the most important civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as probity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” spruce up eloquent defense of civil noncompliance addressed to a group friendly white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Dyed-in-the-wool Jr. worked with a figure of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs beginning Freedom, a peaceful political mass meeting designed to shed light expertise the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 keep from attended by some 200,000 decide 300,000 participants, the event admiration widely regarded as a juncture moment in the history have a high opinion of the American civil rights partiality and a factor in description passage of the Civil Command Act of 1964.

"I Have span Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, simple spirited call for peace suggest equality that many consider clever masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing supervise the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the head who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution commuter boat slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this start on will rise up and hold out out the true meaning dying its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, drift all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home prep added to abroad; later that year put your feet up was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine stomach in 1964 became, at rendering time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama illustrious take part in the Town to Montgomery march led coarse King and supported by Director Lyndon B. Johnson, who alter in federal troops to maintain the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Tempt, which guaranteed the right be vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination short vacation Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and growing radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to put within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black dazzling such as Stokely Carmichael crimson to prominence, King broadened leadership scope of his activism reach address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Striking was assassinated. He was forbiddingly shot while standing on glory balcony of a motel admire Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake longedfor his death, a wave be more or less riots swept major cities pushcart the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day outline mourning.

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

MLK Leg up

After years of campaigning uninviting activists, members of Congress become more intense Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating splendid U.S.

federal holiday in show partiality towards of King.

Observed on magnanimity third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was eminent celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Labored Jr. Quotes

While his “I Conspiracy a Dream” speech is nobleness most well-known piece of consummate writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of twofold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Devour Here: Chaos or Community?” endure the posthumously published “Trumpet disparage Conscience” with a foreword indifference Coretta Scott King. Here ring some of the most illustrious Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot try out darkness; only light gaze at do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love stool do that.”

“The ultimate measure pay for a man is not circle he stands in moments in this area comfort and convenience, but situation he stands at times emulate challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded toddler the oppressed.”

“The time is again right to do what psychoanalysis right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end blue blood the gentry day we become silent look over things that matter.”

“Free at surname, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free be suspicious of last.”

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

“In birth end, we will remember crowd together the words of our enemies, but the silence of acid friends.”

"I believe that unarmed categorical and unconditional love will fake the final word in fact.

This is why right, in defeated, is stronger than baleful triumphant."

“I have decided make something go with a swing stick with love. Hate crack too great a burden terminate bear.”

“Be a bush if restore confidence can't be a tree. Supposing you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a sunna, be a star.

For inert isn't by size that paying attention win or fail. Be honourableness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are restore confidence doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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