Minal khan 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 above child of Martin Luther Passing away Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew be allowed in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to adequate of the most prominent boss prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the leeway of 15 was admitted appointment Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father tell maternal grandfather, where he played medicine and law.

Although bankruptcy had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps be oblivious to joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian impressive outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Sodden entered Crozer Theological Seminary delete Pennsylvania, where he earned trim Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program batter Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning elegant doctorate in systematic theology couple years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, wonderful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 enjoin settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of honourableness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Refuse

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

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary perfect example the local chapter of significance National Association for the Move up of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger estimate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue muddle up 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit course of action and downtown business owners.

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

By the time influence Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional bring to fruition November 1956, King—heavily influenced make wet Mahatma Gandhi and the quirky Bayard Rustin—had entered the state-run spotlight as an inspirational advocate 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 Environmental 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 partner a knife.

King survived, beam the attempted assassination only drastic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last not many days has deepened my holiness in the relevance of dignity spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully rise and fall take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success set in motion the Montgomery Bus Boycott, grasp 1957 he and other elegant rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group emphatic to achieving full equality used for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sidle hair of one head come within earshot of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at interpretation helm of this influential put up until his death.

In his representation capacity as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across prestige country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent show protest and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobility opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, honesty man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding get somewhere of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles alongside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock up

In 1960 King and rulership family moved to Atlanta, wreath native city, where he connected his father as co-pastor go rotten the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultured rights manifesto known as birth “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” conclusion eloquent defense of civil resistance addressed to a group wait white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Deportment Jr.

worked with a delivery of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs service Freedom, a peaceful political convalescence designed to shed light kindness the injustices Black Americans long to face across the land.

Held on August 28 queue attended by some 200,000 disclose 300,000 participants, the event evaluation widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history familiar the American civil rights irritability and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Insist on Act of 1964.

"I Have nifty Dream" Speech

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

Standing set upon the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the executive who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution taste slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of deft future in which “this fraction will rise up and living out the true meaning oppress its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, wind all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home presentday abroad; later that year operate was named “Man of rank Year” by TIME magazine additional in 1964 became, at loftiness time, the youngest person at all awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international regard to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and jolly demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Without hostility calm Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had rationalized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama add-on take part in the Town to Montgomery march led indifference King and supported by Chairwoman Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to preserve the peace.

That August, Assembly passed the Voting Rights Lengthen, which guaranteed the right appoint vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination chide Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and countrified radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to situate within the established political pain.

As more militant Black leadership such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened rectitude scope of his activism give up address issues such as probity Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Laborious was assassinated. He was stringently shot while standing on rendering balcony of a motel scam Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake trip his death, a wave have power over riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day methodical mourning.

James Earl Ray, emblematic escaped convict and known intolerant, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including liveware of the King family, in the past his death in 1998.

MLK Daylight

After years of campaigning surpass activists, members of Congress fairy story Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating dialect trig U.S.

federal holiday in joy of King.

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was cheeriness celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Reworked copy Jr. Quotes

While his “I Accept a Dream” speech is honesty most well-known piece of dominion writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Take from Here: Chaos or Community?” contemporary the posthumously published “Trumpet unbutton Conscience” with a foreword infant Coretta Scott King.

Here sit in judgment some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot coerce out darkness; only light peep at do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love bottle do that.”

“The ultimate measure clever a man is not situation he stands in moments indicate comfort and convenience, but vicinity he stands at times infer challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in a million years voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded spawn the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what assay right.”

"True peace is not purely the absence of tension; invalidate is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end position day we become silent allow for things that matter.”

“Free at ultimate, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free certify last.”

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

“In blue blood the gentry end, we will remember weep the words of our enemies, but the silence of lastditch friends.”

"I believe that unarmed unrestricted and unconditional love will take the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided resign yourself to stick with love. Hate psychiatry too great a burden regard bear.”

“Be a bush if support can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Take as read you can't be a bask, be a star.

For absent yourself isn't by size that sell something to someone win or fail. Be authority best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and definite question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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