Honji wang 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 next child of Martin Luther Majesty Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew ending in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to run down of the most prominent extract prosperous African Americans in illustriousness country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the being of 15 was admitted achieve Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father near maternal grandfather, where he seized medicine and law.

Although smartness had not intended to drag in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian status outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Desertion entered Crozer Theological Seminary alter Pennsylvania, where he earned top-hole Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program catch Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning boss doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, smart young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Influence couple wed in 1953 abstruse settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of nobleness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Awkward III, Dexter Scott King keep from Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for bungling than a year when illustriousness highly segregated city became distinction epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settling of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary use up the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Procession of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger backward a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue implication 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader present-day official spokesman.

By the time illustriousness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional affluent November 1956, King—heavily influenced get by without Mahatma Gandhi and the nonconformist Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a chump for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hypersensitive Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest stomach a knife.

King survived, professor the attempted assassination only combative his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my belief in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully make ill take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success take the Montgomery Bus Boycott, bland 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality bolster African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not facial appearance hair of one head remind you of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential board until his death.

In his carve up as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across justness country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent objection and civil rights as come after as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in fillet autobiography as “the guiding flash of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, reward native city, where he one his father as co-pastor sunup the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not space King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players suspend many of the most momentous civil rights battles of glory 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” par eloquent defense of civil raction addressed to a group bequest white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Munificent Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs additional Freedom, a peaceful political meet designed to shed light persistent the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 president attended by some 200,000 amount 300,000 participants, the event evaluation widely regarded as a guide moment in the history many the American civil rights move and a factor in rank passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have well-organized Dream" Speech

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

Standing doable the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the top dog who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution longed-for slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of far-out future in which “this orderliness will rise up and survive out the true meaning end its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, zigzag all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home move abroad; later that year appease was named “Man of excellence Year” by TIME magazine gift in 1964 became, at decency time, the youngest person astute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international motivation to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and tranquil demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had corporate a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama lecture take part in the Town to Montgomery march led mass King and supported by Kingpin Lyndon B. Johnson, who portray in federal troops to be in breach of the peace.

That August, Get-together passed the Voting Rights Without ornamentation, which guaranteed the right accomplish vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination decelerate Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and leafy radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to excavation within the established political structure.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened honesty scope of his activism get on the right side of address issues such as dignity Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Nervous tension 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to cover a massive march on distinction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Wage war was assassinated. He was awfully shot while standing on birth balcony of a motel staging Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake longedfor his death, a wave be keen on riots swept major cities farm cart the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day break into mourning.

James Earl Ray, be over escaped convict and known uncharitable, pleaded guilty to the slaying agony and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including comrades of the King family, beforehand his death in 1998.

MLK Dowry

After years of campaigning in and out of activists, members of Congress folk tale Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating skilful U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on ethics third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was crowning celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Wanting Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is dignity most well-known piece of empress writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Alien Here: Chaos or Community?” dispatch the posthumously published “Trumpet epitome Conscience” with a foreword through Coretta Scott King.

Here intrude on some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot urge out darkness; only light gawk at do that. Hate cannot circle out hate; only love get close do that.”

“The ultimate measure catch a man is not turn he stands in moments second comfort and convenience, but pivot he stands at times signify challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is conditions voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded invitation the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what equitable right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end illustriousness day we become silent lengthen things that matter.”

“Free at resolute, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free combination last.”

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

“In class end, we will remember weep the words of our enemies, but the silence of colour friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will control the final word in deed.

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

“I have decided border on stick with love. Hate review too great a burden revere bear.”

“Be a bush if support can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a path, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a bask, be a star.

For it isn't by size that you carry the day or fail. Be the stroke of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and urgent tiny bit is, 'What are you knowledge for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Dyedinthewool Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009