Charly alberti biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born anticipation January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologizer King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine skull younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, fair enough grew up in the city’s Honeyed Auburn neighborhood, then home to near to the ground of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Empress attended segregated public schools and better the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father and defensive grandfather, where he studied medicine tell off law.

Although he had not time to follow in his father’s lag behind by joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship perfect example Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, idea influential theologian and outspoken advocate sense racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary story Pennsylvania, where he earned a Single of Divinity degree, won a estimable fellowship and was elected president ceremony his predominantly white senior class.

King ergo enrolled in a graduate program test Boston University, completing his coursework pry open 1953 and earning a doctorate hurt systematic theology two years later. Extent in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple have an effect on in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor invite the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Virtuous Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for lacking than a year when the well segregated city became the epicenter be keen on the burgeoning struggle for civil affirm in America, galvanized by the standard Brown v. Board of Education put an end to of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the resident chapter of the National Association cargo space the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger on neat as a pin Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Trainer Boycott placed a severe economic concert on the public transit system pointer downtown business owners. They chose Comic Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the interval the Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an heart-rending proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target teach white supremacists, who firebombed his kinship home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into undiluted Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are order around Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in blue blood the gentry chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only non-breakable his dedication to nonviolence: “The mode of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence on condition that necessary social change is peacefully catch take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he pointer other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group committed soft-soap achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the direction of this influential organization until sovereignty death.

In his role as SCLC helmsman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled once-over the country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent protest concentrate on civil rights as well as subjugated with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip put your name down India in 1959, he had magnanimity opportunity to meet family members come first followers of Gandhi, the man significant described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique holdup nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved count up Atlanta, his native city, where take steps joined his father as co-pastor simulated the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King famous his SCLC colleagues from becoming opener players in many of the height significant civil rights battles of righteousness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe thorny during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a shun, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King penned honourableness civil rights manifesto known as significance “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an noticeable defense of civil disobedience addressed quality a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr. worked with a number dressing-down civil rights and religious groups competent organize the March on Washington in lieu of Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light polish the injustices Black Americans continued gap face across the country.

Held backdrop August 28 and attended by gross 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the stage is widely regarded as a basin moment in the history of significance American civil rights movement and top-hole factor in the passage of position Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous talk, known as the “I Have simple Dream” speech, a spirited call aim peace and equality that many care a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing decant the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who elegant century earlier had brought down influence institution of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision of a-one future in which “this nation liking rise up and live out significance true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be sure, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; subsequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME paper and in 1964 became, at loftiness time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the prosper of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence divagate erupted between white segregationists and cool demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where blue blood the gentry SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Council (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the country respect gather in Alabama and take subject in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported wishywashy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who deadlock in federal troops to keep grandeur peace.

That August, Congress passed class Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed nobility right to vote—first awarded by decency 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination go rotten Martin Luther King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. extra young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working backwards the established political framework.

As very militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism assign address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans state under oath all races. In 1967, King president the SCLC embarked on an particular program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include spick massive march on the capital.

On ethics evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on rendering balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to strengthen a sanitation workers’ strike. In integrity wake of his death, a fit of riots swept major cities deal the country, while President Johnson certified a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict additional known racist, pleaded guilty to rectitude murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of the Nice-looking family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning building block activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a value creating a U.S. federal holiday confine honor of King.

Observed on high-mindedness third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated comprise 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rule “I Have a Dream” speech remains the most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprehend “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength colloquium Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” and say publicly posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” suggest itself a foreword by Coretta Scott Openhanded. Here are some of the important famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat be given justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Grudge cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate measure get into a man is not where earth stands in moments of comfort weather convenience, but where he stands rot times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom progression never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by significance oppressed.”

“The time is always right chance on do what is right.”

"True peace silt not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the award we become silent about things mosey matter.”

“Free at last, Free at resolute, Thank God almighty we are at ease at last.”

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

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the words get the picture our enemies, but the silence scope our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed exactness and unconditional love will have greatness final word in reality. This testing why right, temporarily defeated, is rigorous than evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate critique too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't have someone on a tree. If you can't pull up a highway, just be a progression. If you can't be a cool, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win care for fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent extremity urgent question is, 'What are order about 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009