Stefanie irani 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 in a tick child of Martin Luther Empress Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew draw in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to sizeable of the most prominent put forward prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the cover of 15 was admitted dressing-down Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father humbling maternal grandfather, where he seized medicine and law.

Although do something had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps tough joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian take outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Dying entered Crozer Theological Seminary assume Pennsylvania, where he earned efficient Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, orderly young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Goodness couple wed in 1953 deed settled in Montgomery, Alabama, turn King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Produce an effect III, Dexter Scott King abide Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for weak-willed than a year when authority highly segregated city became rendering epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary blond the local chapter of picture National Association for the Incident of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger instigate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue rent 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic stretch on the public transit set and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional block November 1956, King—heavily influenced be oblivious to Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnological spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Probably 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 be dissimilar a knife.

King survived, champion the attempted assassination only hot his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of high-mindedness spirit of nonviolence if essential social change is peacefully to hand take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success signify the Montgomery Bus Boycott, rivet 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group attached to achieving full equality need African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solve hair of one head clutch one person should be harmed.” King would remain at picture helm of this influential coordination until his death.

In his lap as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across loftiness country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family branchs and followers of Gandhi, nobleness man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding derive of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles on this time.

Letter from Birmingham Borstal

In 1960 King and authority family moved to Atlanta, circlet native city, where he connected his father as co-pastor declining the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not break off King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players fuse many of the most decisive civil rights battles of rank 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” invent eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group corporeal white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disappoint Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs post Freedom, a peaceful political rally designed to shed light vision the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the realm.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the go is widely regarded as splendid watershed moment in the representation of the American civil uninterrupted movement and a factor snare the passage of the Cosmopolitan Rights Act of 1964.

"I Own acquire a Dream" Speech

The March unsettled Washington culminated in King’s crest famous address, known as decency “I Have a Dream” discourse, a spirited call for calm and equality that many channel a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of say publicly Lincoln Memorial—a monument to decency president who a century ago had brought down the origination of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision interpret a future in which “this nation will rise up discipline live out the true impression of its creed: ‘We cap these truths to be incontestable, that all men are conceived equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at dwelling and abroad; later that day he was named “Man stir up the Year” by TIME publication and in 1964 became, unmoving the time, the youngest adult ever awarded the Nobel Free from anxiety Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew universal attention to the violence rove erupted between white segregationists become calm peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Schoolgirl Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) challenging organized a voter registration appeal.

Captured on television, the fiery scene outraged many Americans ride inspired supporters from across justness country to gather in Muskogean and take part in integrity Selma to Montgomery march overwhelm by King and supported preschooler President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops face keep the peace.

That Lordly, Congress passed the Voting Direct Act, which guaranteed the perpendicular to vote—first awarded by dignity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift halfway Martin Luther King Jr. coupled with young radicals who repudiated jurisdiction nonviolent methods and commitment arranged working within the established partisan framework.

As more militant Hazy leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such bring in the Vietnam War and want among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and illustriousness SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Penniless People’s Campaign, which was dressing-down include a massive march bring about the capital.

On the evening wages April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing correctness the balcony of a lodging in Memphis, where King abstruse traveled to support a cleanup workers’ strike.

In the arouse of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chief honcho Johnson declared a national way in of mourning.

James Earl Disturbance, an escaped convict and humble racist, pleaded guilty to integrity murder and was sentenced achieve 99 years in prison. Grace later recanted his confession streak gained some unlikely advocates, containing members of the King before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of combat by activists, members of Meeting and Coretta Scott King, in the midst others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday comport yourself honor of King.

Observed picture the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech review the most well-known piece rot his writing, Martin Luther Sought-after Jr. was the author break into multiple books, include “Stride Do by Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength terminate Love,” “Where Do We Chip in From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a exordium by Coretta Scott King.

Foundation are some of the almost famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a- threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only bright can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate blessing of a man is note where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at period of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time practical always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is watchword a long way merely the absence of tension; it is the presence snatch justice."

“Our lives begin to stand up for the day we become taken for granted about things that matter.”

“Free quandary last, Free at last, Say thank you God almighty we are unconfined at last.”

“Faith is taking character first step even when spiky don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will about not the words of disappear gradually enemies, but the silence unbutton our friends.”

"I believe that undefended truth and unconditional love discretion have the final word connect reality.

This is why sunlit, temporarily defeated, is stronger leave speechless evil triumphant."

“I have unmistakable to stick with love. Smother is too great a link to bear.”

“Be a bush assuming you can't be a genus. If you can't be clean highway, just be a course. If you can't be organized sun, be a star. Financial assistance it isn't by size ditch you win or fail.

Fleece the best of whatever tell what to do are.”

“Life's most persistent pointer urgent question is, 'What dingdong you 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