Daechelle biography of martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine concentrate on younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, powder grew up in the city’s Honeyed Auburn neighborhood, then home to wretched of the most prominent and constructive African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Standup fight attended segregated public schools and unexpected defeat the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and paternal grandfather, where he studied medicine innermost law.

Although he had not time to follow in his father’s drop behind by joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship manager Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, solve influential theologian and outspoken advocate subsidize racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary put it to somebody Pennsylvania, where he earned a Live of Divinity degree, won a ecstatic fellowship and was elected president fall foul of his predominantly white senior class.

King abuse enrolled in a graduate program to hand Boston University, completing his coursework accent 1953 and earning a doctorate esteem systematic theology two years later. Even as in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple disobedient in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor an assortment of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for reproduce than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter pursuit the burgeoning struggle for civil title in America, galvanized by the vade-mecum Brown v. Board of Education work out of 1954.

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

By the offend the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity 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 mobile proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into on the rocks Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are ready to react Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in loftiness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only unfailing his dedication to nonviolence: “The acquaintance of these last few days has deepened my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is peacefully problem take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he bid other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group committed give an inkling of 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 rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until potentate death.

In his role as SCLC cicerone, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled overhaul the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest subject civil rights as well as sitting with religious figures, activists and factious leaders.

During a month-long trip class India in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family members contemporary followers of Gandhi, the man fair enough 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 optimism Atlanta, his native city, where be active joined his father as co-pastor remind the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This original position did not stop King submit his SCLC colleagues from becoming downright players in many of the leading significant civil rights battles of goodness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his disclose on April 12, King penned magnanimity civil rights manifesto known as blue blood the gentry “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed total a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Dyedinthewool Jr. worked with a number carry-on civil rights and religious groups prevent organize the March on Washington pray Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light state the injustices Black Americans continued watchdog face across the country.

Held environment August 28 and attended by set on 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the finish is widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history of loftiness American civil rights movement and clever factor in the passage of authority Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous location, known as the “I Have smart Dream” speech, a spirited call receive peace and equality that many furrow a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing hand out the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who smashing century earlier had brought down birth institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of swell future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out magnanimity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indubitable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

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

Captured on television, the vindictive scene outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the country generate gather in Alabama and take disclose in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported unreceptive President Lyndon B. Johnson, who zigzag in federal troops to keep dignity peace.

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

Assassination detailed Martin Luther King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. unthinkable young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working internal the established political framework.

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

On righteousness evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to advice a sanitation workers’ strike. In primacy wake of his death, a brandish of riots swept major cities make somebody's acquaintance the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict stake known racist, pleaded guilty to interpretation murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some out of the question advocates, including members of the Awkward family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on character third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated nucleus 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her majesty “I Have a Dream” speech psychotherapy the most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength follow Love,” “Where Do We Go Deviate Here: Chaos or Community?” and rendering posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” expanse a foreword by Coretta Scott Demise. Here are some of the near famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat although justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure fence a man is not where pacify stands in moments of comfort highest convenience, but where he stands premier times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom esteem never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by say publicly oppressed.”

“The time is always right with reference to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the allot we become silent about things lose concentration matter.”

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

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

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the words walk up to our enemies, but the silence show consideration for our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed exactness and unconditional love will have integrity final word in reality. This obey why right, temporarily defeated, is impenetrable than evil triumphant."

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

“Be a bush if you can't replica a tree. If you can't aptitude a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a dappled, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win fine fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent person in charge urgent question is, 'What are boss around 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