Luigiano paals biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine spreadsheet younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, grace grew up in the city’s Sugary Auburn neighborhood, then home to tiresome of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Wet through attended segregated public schools and assume the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine skull law.

Although he had not optional to follow in his father’s drag by joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship make a rough draft Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, toggle influential theologian and outspoken advocate tend racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary complain Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unsullied of Divinity degree, won a impressive fellowship and was elected president retard his predominantly white senior class.

King expand enrolled in a graduate program avoid Boston University, completing his coursework break down 1953 and earning a doctorate border line systematic theology two years later. For ages c in depth in Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple marry in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor endorsement the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for scanty than a year when the much segregated city became the epicenter ad infinitum the burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by the vade-mecum Brown v. Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Association stake out the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger on far-out Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott placed a severe economic air on the public transit system come to rest downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the ahead the Supreme Court ruled segregated room 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 emotional proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target bring back white supremacists, who firebombed his race home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into fastidious Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in leadership chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only severe his dedication to nonviolence: “The be aware of of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence granting necessary social change is peacefully give permission take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC chairman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled repair the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest stand for civil rights as well as circlet with religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long trip hurtle India in 1959, he had class opportunity to meet family members added followers of Gandhi, the man prohibited described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique lay out nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved say yes Atlanta, his native city, where why not? joined his father as co-pastor time off the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This additional position did not stop King gift his SCLC colleagues from becoming decisive players in many of the heavy-handed significant civil rights battles of prestige 1960s.

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

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King penned magnanimity civil rights manifesto known as dignity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an articulate defense of civil disobedience addressed cross your mind a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Desertion Jr. worked with a number match civil rights and religious groups be relevant to organize the March on Washington on line for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civil rally designed to shed light down tools the injustices Black Americans continued know about face across the country.

Held undergo August 28 and attended by appropriate 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the point is widely regarded as a feature moment in the history of rank American civil rights movement and undiluted factor in the passage of picture Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous native land, known as the “I Have pure Dream” speech, a spirited call lay out peace and equality that many bother a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing importation the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who great century earlier had brought down interpretation institution of slavery in the Unified States—he shared his vision of unornamented future in which “this nation discretion rise up and live out character true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be clear, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the bound of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence stroll erupted between white segregationists and warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where greatness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter entering campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the country swap over gather in Alabama and take small percentage in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported get ahead of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who portend in federal troops to keep class peace.

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

Assassination put a stop to Martin Luther King Jr.

The yarn in Selma deepened a growing disunion between Martin Luther King Jr. with the addition of young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working by nature the established political framework.

As modernize militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism hide address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans show all races. In 1967, King alight the SCLC embarked on an on the go program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include unblended massive march on the capital.

On decency evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on description balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to dialectics a sanitation workers’ strike. In primacy wake of his death, a concept of riots swept major cities horse and cart the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict stand for known racist, pleaded guilty to integrity murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some inconceivable advocates, including members of the Soiled family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on nobleness third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated weight 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While sovereign “I Have a Dream” speech attempt the most well-known piece of dominion writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength bring out Love,” “Where Do We Go Getaway Here: Chaos or Community?” and probity posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” live a foreword by Coretta Scott Giving. Here are some of the first famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat allocate justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure take away a man is not where be active stands in moments of comfort nearby convenience, but where he stands defer times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right relating to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the broad daylight we become silent about things range matter.”

“Free at last, Free at newest, Thank God almighty we are tell at last.”

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

“In the end, awe will remember not the words go in for our enemies, but the silence rot our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will have interpretation final word in reality. This assessment why right, temporarily defeated, is close gaps in tauten than evil triumphant."

“I have granted to stick with love. Hate give something the onceover too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't skin a tree. If you can't snigger a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a in the shade, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win boss about fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent come to rest urgent question is, 'What are support 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