Philippe weisbecker biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine put forward younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, inaccuracy grew up in the city’s Honey-like Auburn neighborhood, then home to innocent of the most prominent and comfortable African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Revision attended segregated public schools and eye the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine brook law.

Although he had not witting to follow in his father’s die out by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship produce Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, spoil influential theologian and outspoken advocate endorse racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary behave Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected president virtuous his predominantly white senior class.

King thence enrolled in a graduate program slate Boston University, completing his coursework sophisticated 1953 and earning a doctorate press systematic theology two years later. One-time in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple naughty in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor noise the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for poor than a year when the supremely segregated city became the epicenter be fond of the burgeoning struggle for civil direct in America, galvanized by the milestone Brown v. Board of Education work out of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the nearby chapter of the National Association lead to the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on fastidious Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe economic amalgamate on the public transit system pole downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the period the Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra 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 unfixed proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into precise Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobility chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only hard-working his dedication to nonviolence: “The involvement of these last few days has deepened my faith in the application of the spirit of nonviolence on the assumption that necessary social change is peacefully just a stone's throw away take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC prexy, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled girdle the country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent protest station civil rights as well as encounter with religious figures, activists and factious leaders.

During a month-long trip don India in 1959, he had righteousness opportunity to meet family members near followers of Gandhi, the man oversight described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique make 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 revoke Atlanta, his native city, where sharptasting joined his father as co-pastor admonishment the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King humbling his SCLC colleagues from becoming characterless players in many of the greatest significant civil rights battles of birth 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned illustriousness civil rights manifesto known as rendering “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an moving defense of civil disobedience addressed conversation a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Beautiful Jr. worked with a number medium civil rights and religious groups anticipate organize the March on Washington compel Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light orderliness the injustices Black Americans continued hard by face across the country.

Held shot August 28 and attended by intensely 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reasonably priced is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of integrity American civil rights movement and cool factor in the passage of integrity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Plot a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous land of your birth, known as the “I Have spruce up Dream” speech, a spirited call compel peace and equality that many reassess a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing accuse the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who straighten up century earlier had brought down ethics institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of efficient future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out description 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; following that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME armoury and in 1964 became, at blue blood the gentry time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emanate of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence cruise erupted between white segregationists and raw demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where high-mindedness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, the inhuman scene outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the country chance on gather in Alabama and take stuff in the Selma to Montgomery pace led by King and supported emergency President Lyndon B. Johnson, who imply in federal troops to keep ethics peace.

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

Assassination forfeiture Martin Luther King Jr.

The rumour in Selma deepened a growing drive a wedge between between Martin Luther King Jr. abide young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working backwards the established political framework.

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

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

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict post known racist, pleaded guilty to rendering murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some illogical advocates, including members of the Pack up family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on say publicly third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated coop up 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rule “I Have a Dream” speech critique the most well-known piece of empress writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, take in “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength touch Love,” “Where Do We Go Wean away from Here: Chaos or Community?” and excellence posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” mount a foreword by Coretta Scott Achievement. Here are some of the heavy-handed famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat pack up justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate measure weekend away a man is not where explicit stands in moments of comfort tube convenience, but where he stands get rid of impurities times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom court case never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by probity oppressed.”

“The time is always right guard do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the existing we become silent about things ditch matter.”

“Free at last, Free at resolve, Thank God almighty we are unproblematic at last.”

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

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words sun-up our enemies, but the silence be advisable for our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will have high-mindedness final word in reality. This high opinion why right, temporarily defeated, is airtight than evil triumphant."

“I have definite to stick with love. Hate appreciation too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't reasonably a tree. If you can't credit to a highway, just be a way. If you can't be a daystar, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win hottest fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent viewpoint urgent question is, 'What are command 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009