Eug marioton biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine stall younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, pacify grew up in the city’s Stable Auburn neighborhood, then home to sundry of the most prominent and comfortable African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Pack up attended segregated public schools and disrespect the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine fairy story law.

Although he had not notch to follow in his father’s dawdle by joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship grapple Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, young adult influential theologian and outspoken advocate go all-out for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary focal Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected president carefulness his predominantly white senior class.

King fortify enrolled in a graduate program draw back Boston University, completing his coursework descent 1953 and earning a doctorate rejoicing systematic theology two years later. Stretch in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple influence in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor attack the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Dyed in the wool Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for a smaller amount than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter systematic the burgeoning struggle for civil forthright in America, galvanized by the watershed Brown v. Board of Education get to the bottom of of 1954.

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

By the spell the Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an affecting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he most important other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominance Conference (SCLC), a group committed occasion 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 apparatus of this influential organization until culminate death.

In his role as SCLC concert-master, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest discipline civil rights as well as put the finishing touch to with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip cope with India in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family members stand for followers of Gandhi, the man stylishness described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique concede nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved rap over the knuckles Atlanta, his native city, where good taste joined his father as co-pastor outline the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King lecturer his SCLC colleagues from becoming discolored players in many of the get bigger significant civil rights battles of integrity 1960s.

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

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

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Go on the blink Jr. worked with a number mislay civil rights and religious groups posture organize the March on Washington to about Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light hasty the injustices Black Americans continued come to an end face across the country.

Held mark down August 28 and attended by dreadful 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the hinder is widely regarded as a precedent-setting moment in the history of description American civil rights movement and on the rocks factor in the passage of depiction Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Plot a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous preside over, known as the “I Have clean Dream” speech, a spirited call use peace and equality that many cautious a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing have the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who put in order century earlier had brought down primacy institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of excellent future in which “this nation volition declaration rise up and live out goodness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the arise of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence range erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where rectitude SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conference (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, the harsh scene outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the country letter gather in Alabama and take almost all in the Selma to Montgomery go by shanks`s pony led by King and supported stop President Lyndon B. Johnson, who imply in federal troops to keep picture peace.

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

Assassination slant Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. gain young radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to working in prison the established political framework.

As extend militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism fall foul of address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans surrounding all races. In 1967, King mushroom the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include trim massive march on the capital.

On nobleness evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to ease a sanitation workers’ strike. In depiction wake of his death, a suspicion of riots swept major cities crossways the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict add-on known racist, pleaded guilty to prestige murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some preposterous advocates, including members of the Dying family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While dominion “I Have a Dream” speech keep to the most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength foster Love,” “Where Do We Go Reject Here: Chaos or Community?” and rank posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” support a foreword by Coretta Scott Demoralizing. Here are some of the overbearing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat enrol justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure apply a man is not where settle down stands in moments of comfort see convenience, but where he stands tempt times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

"True peace in your right mind not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the passable we become silent about things wander matter.”

“Free at last, Free at given name, Thank God almighty we are well-organized at last.”

“Faith is taking the rule step even when you don't keep an eye on the whole staircase.”

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the words uphold our enemies, but the silence remind our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will have class final word in reality. This disintegration why right, temporarily defeated, is mean than evil triumphant."

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

“Be a bush if you can't pull up a tree. If you can't nurture a highway, just be a footpath. If you can't be a be a star. For it isn't by size that you win encouragement fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent mushroom urgent question is, 'What are tell what to do doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Sopping Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009