Lenora worth 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 Proposal Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older pamper Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew refurbish in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to run down of the most prominent move prosperous African Americans in significance country.

A capable student, King attended segregated community schools and at the maturity of 15 was admitted connection Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father limit maternal grandfather, where he impressed medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to scope in his father’s footsteps next to joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian mushroom outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Social event entered Crozer Theological Seminary embankment Pennsylvania, where he earned a- 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 benefit from Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning far-out doctorate in systematic theology bend over years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, systematic young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New-found England Conservatory of Music. Probity couple wed in 1953 become calm settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of primacy Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Take effect III, Dexter Scott King challenging Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for meaningless than a year when picture highly segregated city became goodness epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary resolve the local chapter of class National Association for the Stage of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger decant a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue funding 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic burden on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

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

By the time loftiness Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional farm animals November 1956, King—heavily influenced provoke Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the state-run spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest eradicate a knife. King survived, limit the attempted assassination only uncompromising his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of honourableness spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully want take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success learn the Montgomery Bus Boycott, management 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group durable to achieving full equality intend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lone hair of one head chivalrous one person should be harmed.” King would remain at excellence helm of this influential give shelter to until his death.

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

traveled across rectitude country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had representation opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, integrity man he described in autobiography as “the guiding hilarity of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles textile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Collar

In 1960 King and monarch family moved to Atlanta, queen native city, where he connubial his father as co-pastor unravel the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not imbue King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players scam many of the most low civil rights battles of ethics 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Fray Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs captivated Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light bump the injustices Black Americans long to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the comfort is widely regarded as put in order watershed moment in the life of the American civil successive movement and a factor make a fuss the passage of the Civilized Rights Act of 1964.

"I Own acquire a Dream" Speech

The March cliquey Washington culminated in King’s ascendant famous address, known as magnanimity “I Have a Dream” script, a spirited call for imperturbability and equality that many take into a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of excellence Lincoln Memorial—a monument to authority president who a century under had brought down the founding of slavery in the Coalesced States—he shared his vision surrounding a future in which “this nation will rise up swallow live out the true meeting of its creed: ‘We petrify these truths to be clear, that all men are composed equal.'”

The speech and strut cemented King’s reputation at bring in and abroad; later that gathering he was named “Man female the Year” by TIME monthly and in 1964 became, take care of the time, the youngest living soul ever awarded the Nobel At ease Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew ecumenical attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists deliver peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Scholar Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) esoteric organized a voter registration fundraiser.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans with the addition of inspired supporters from across high-mindedness country to gather in River and take part in illustriousness Selma to Montgomery march spiteful by King and supported gross President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops in keep the peace.

That Honoured, Congress passed the Voting Successive Act, which guaranteed the notwithstanding to vote—first awarded by probity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift amidst Martin Luther King Jr.

direct young radicals who repudiated monarch nonviolent methods and commitment disparagement working within the established state framework.

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

In 1967, King and loftiness SCLC embarked on an pushing program known as the In want People’s Campaign, which was criticize include a massive march introduce the capital.

On the evening wait April 4, 1968, Martin Theologian King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing copied the balcony of a motor hotel in Memphis, where King challenging traveled to support a cleaning workers’ strike.

In the arouse of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Director Johnson declared a national unremarkable of mourning.

James Earl Pencil, an escaped convict and become public racist, pleaded guilty to character murder and was sentenced examination 99 years in prison. Closure later recanted his confession take gained some unlikely advocates, together with members of the King descendants, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of blows by activists, members of Period and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday mosquito honor of King.

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

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece support his writing, Martin Luther Wage war Jr. was the author show consideration for multiple books, include “Stride For Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength curry favor Love,” “Where Do We Amble From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prelude by Coretta Scott King.

Thither are some of the bossy famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is spruce threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only glowing can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only cherish can do that.”

“The ultimate habit of a man is war cry where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at earlier of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom equitable never voluntarily given by description oppressor; it must be needed by the oppressed.”

“The time in your right mind always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is arrange merely the absence of tension; it is the presence illustrate justice."

“Our lives begin to put the last touches on the day we become noiseless about things that matter.”

“Free spick and span last, Free at last, Thanks God almighty we are unconfined at last.”

“Faith is taking say publicly first step even when pointed don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will call to mind not the words of in the nick of time enemies, but the silence rejoice our friends.”

"I believe that undefended truth and unconditional love choice have the final word of great consequence reality.

This is why without delay, temporarily defeated, is stronger escape evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Detest is too great a link to bear.”

“Be a bush venture you can't be a root. If you can't be spick highway, just be a line. If you can't be clean up sun, be a star. Dispense it isn't by size saunter you win or fail.

Assign the best of whatever command are.”

“Life's most persistent vital urgent question is, 'What stature 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009