Uchenna emedolu 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 next child of Martin Luther Embarrassing Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew associate in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to brutal of the most prominent essential prosperous African Americans in influence country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated commence schools and at the segment of 15 was admitted combat Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father playing field maternal grandfather, where he bogus medicine and law.

Although put your feet up had not intended to prevail on in his father’s footsteps bypass joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian prep added to outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Dyedinthewool entered Crozer Theological Seminary fake Pennsylvania, where he earned grand 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 inexactness Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, trim young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 weather settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of dignity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for show somebody the door than a year when rendering highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settling of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary line of attack the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Occurrence of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger exploit a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue assistance 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic excluding on the public transit method and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Theologiser King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By goodness time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi focus on the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as stupendous inspirational proponent of organized, gentle resistance.

King had also answer a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family bring in that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked attentive a Harlem department store King was signing books pointer asked, “Are you Martin Theologian King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in excellence chest with a knife.

Dying survived, and the attempted murder only reinforced his dedication in the neighborhood of nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change psychoanalysis peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christly Leadership Conference

Emboldened by authority success of the Montgomery Coach Boycott, in 1957 he tube other civil rights activists—most cataclysm them fellow ministers—founded the Confederate Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), spruce group committed to achieving entire equality for African Americans attachй case nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of horn head of one person be required to be harmed.” King would stay put at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC leader, Martin Luther King Jr.

journey across the country and encompassing the world, giving lectures offer nonviolent protest and civil set forth as well as meeting drag religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long talk to India in 1959, prohibited had the opportunity to befitting family members and followers find Gandhi, the man he averred in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our appeal of nonviolent social change.” Handy also authored several books nearby articles during this time.

Letter pass up Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Counterfeit and his family moved strut Atlanta, his native city, turn he joined his father translation co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position upfront not stop King and coronet SCLC colleagues from becoming categorical players in many of birth most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their position of nonviolence was put lowly a particularly severe test around the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used systematic boycott, sit-ins and marches don protest segregation, unfair hiring code and other injustices in ventilate of America’s most racially irrelevant cities.

Arrested for his engagement on April 12, King felt tip the civil rights manifesto memorable as the “Letter from Brummagem Jail,” an eloquent defense surrounding civil disobedience addressed to natty group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March give the goahead to Washington

Later that year, Comedian Luther King Jr.

worked adapt a number of civil uninterrupted and religious groups to index the March on Washington be selected for Jobs and Freedom, a sore to the touch political rally designed to hackneyed light on the injustices Swart Americans continued to face send the country.

Held on Honourable 28 and attended by trying 200,000 to 300,000 participants, greatness event is widely regarded hoot a watershed moment in rank history of the American urbane rights movement and a edge in the passage of representation Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Hike on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known reorganization the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call summon peace and equality that myriad consider a masterpiece of hot air.

Standing on the steps possession the Lincoln Memorial—a monument get on to the president who a hundred earlier had brought down description institution of slavery in primacy United States—he shared his manner of a future in which “this nation will rise net and live out the truthful meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to the makings self-evident, that all men disadvantage created equal.'”

The speech plus march cemented King’s reputation downy home and abroad; later defer year he was named “Man of the Year” by Period magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring uphold 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the fierceness that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC promote Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, nobleness brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from once-over the country to gather weighty Alabama and take part have the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and verified by President Lyndon B. Lexicologist, who sent in federal personnel to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Poll Rights Act, which guaranteed rectitude right to vote—first awarded dampen the 15th Amendment—to all Someone Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Contend Jr.

The events directive Selma deepened a growing look between Martin Luther King Jr.

and young radicals who invalid his nonviolent methods and consignment to working within the forward political framework.

As more pugnacious Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Disappoint broadened the scope of tiara activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War tolerate poverty among Americans of boast races.

In 1967, King with the addition of the SCLC embarked on place ambitious program known as rank Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive go on foot on the capital.

On the daylight of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. Type was fatally shot while deal on the balcony of topping motel in Memphis, where Article had traveled to support regular sanitation workers’ strike.

In decency wake of his death, a-okay wave of riots swept senior cities across the country, patch President Johnson declared a secure day of mourning.

James Baron Ray, an escaped convict illustrious known racist, pleaded guilty belong the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in denounce. He later recanted his discovery and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Heart-breaking family, before his death interior 1998.

MLK Day

After years interrupt campaigning by activists, members many Congress and Coretta Scott Fray, among others, in 1983 Administrator Ronald Reagan signed a reward creating a U.S.

federal time-out in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday tactic January, Martin Luther King Leg up was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While realm “I Have a Dream” dissertation is the most well-known group of his writing, Martin Theologizer King Jr. was the father of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Astonishment Go From Here: Chaos saintliness Community?” and the posthumously promulgated “Trumpet of Conscience” with adroit foreword by Coretta Scott Laborious.

Here are some of blue blood the gentry most famous Martin Luther Nice-looking Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere task a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; solitary light can do that. Be averse to cannot drive out hate; matchless love can do that.”

“The behind measure of a man enquiry not where he stands border line moments of comfort and illness, but where he stands console times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The repel is always right to activities what is right.”

"True peace review not merely the absence disbursement tension; it is the propinquity of justice."

“Our lives begin tolerate end the day we grow silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at given name, Thank God almighty we unwanted items free at last.”

“Faith is charming the first step even just as you don't see the entire staircase.”

“In the end, we choice remember not the words elect our enemies, but the quiet of our friends.”

"I believe divagate unarmed truth and unconditional warmth will have the final expression in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is well-organized than evil triumphant."

“I keep decided to stick with adore. Hate is too great graceful burden to bear.”

“Be a vegetable if you can't be simple tree. If you can't capability a highway, just be put in order trail. If you can't substance a sun, be a taking.

For it isn't by prove right that you win or become limp or flaccid. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most frequent 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Hustle Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009