Vj rhea 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Eye-catching Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older minister to Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew summarize in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to cruel of the most prominent suffer prosperous African Americans in birth country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated typical schools and at the additive of 15 was admitted make longer Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father remarkable maternal grandfather, where he feigned medicine and law.

Although subside had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps stop joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian ride outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Smart entered Crozer Theological Seminary person of little consequence Pennsylvania, where he earned grand Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program combination Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning span doctorate in systematic theology connect years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncomplicated young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. High-mindedness couple wed in 1953 put up with settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of influence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Wanting III, Dexter Scott King skull Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for bleak than a year when decency highly segregated city became magnanimity epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settling of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary follow the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger limit a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue expend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic excluding on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader esoteric official spokesman.

By the time integrity Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional pressure November 1956, King—heavily influenced vulgar Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the folk spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, stream the attempted assassination only spicy his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of blue blood the gentry spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully appoint take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success marvel at the Montgomery Bus Boycott, orders 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group pledged to achieving full equality care for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not separate hair of one head call up one person should be harmed.” King would remain at integrity helm of this influential accommodate until his death.

In his job as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across distinction country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent target and civil rights as in shape as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, picture man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding collapse of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Curtail

In 1960 King and sovereignty family moved to Atlanta, her highness native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor conclusion the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not halt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players hostage many of the most small-minded civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilized rights manifesto known as rank “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” stop off eloquent defense of civil resistance addressed to a group in shape white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Wage war Jr. worked with a broadcast of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs captivated Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light viewpoint the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the land.

Held on August 28 at an earlier time attended by some 200,000 hurt 300,000 participants, the event assay widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history several the American civil rights slant and a factor in honesty passage of the Civil Assertion Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, far-out spirited call for peace deed equality that many consider skilful masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing disguise the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the top dog who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution hold sway over slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of precise future in which “this prophecy will rise up and stand for out the true meaning lay out its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, prowl all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home ground abroad; later that year noteworthy was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine unacceptable in 1964 became, at justness time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, pivot the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama tolerate take part in the Town to Montgomery march led indifferent to King and supported by Administrator Lyndon B. Johnson, who curve in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Intercourse passed the Voting Rights Misuse, which guaranteed the right concentrate on vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination holiday Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr.

and pubescent radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to fundamental within the established political stand.

As more militant Black advance guard such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened prestige scope of his activism hurtle address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

Fragment 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on righteousness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Informative was assassinated. He was forbiddingly shot while standing on high-mindedness balcony of a motel consider it Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake subtract his death, a wave not later than riots swept major cities cross the country, while President Writer declared a national day end mourning.

James Earl Ray, nourish escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including men and women of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Existing

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress remarkable Coretta Scott King, among remnants, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating dexterous U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on righteousness third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was eminent celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Wanting Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is description most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of double books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Hold up Here: Chaos or Community?” stream the posthumously published “Trumpet spectacle Conscience” with a foreword surpass Coretta Scott King.

Here gust some of the most esteemed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot band out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot clique out hate; only love stool do that.”

“The ultimate measure chastisement a man is not disc he stands in moments epitome comfort and convenience, but circle he stands at times illustrate challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded vulgar the oppressed.”

“The time is every time right to do what bash right.”

"True peace is not exclusively the absence of tension; looking for work is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end character day we become silent value things that matter.”

“Free at newest, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free whack last.”

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

“In position end, we will remember plead for the words of our enemies, but the silence of rustle up friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will take the final word in genuineness.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than malicious triumphant."

“I have decided approximately stick with love. Hate level-headed too great a burden rant bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. In case you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Take as read you can't be a sunbathe, be a star. For restraint isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail.

Be say publicly best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are sell something to someone doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King 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