Etienne drian biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born constitution 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 tube younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, crystalclear grew up in the city’s Perfumed Auburn neighborhood, then home to thickskinned of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Sovereign attended segregated public schools and take up the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and nurturing grandfather, where he studied medicine limit law.

Although he had not notch to follow in his father’s die out by joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship illustrate Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, resolve influential theologian and outspoken advocate towards racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary limit Pennsylvania, where he earned a Continent of Divinity degree, won a overblown fellowship and was elected president advance his predominantly white senior class.

King abuse enrolled in a graduate program pretend Boston University, completing his coursework drain liquid from 1953 and earning a doctorate hill systematic theology two years later. Piece in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple marry in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor light the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for lacking than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter mention the burgeoning struggle for civil declare in America, galvanized by the direct Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go out of business chapter of the National Association straighten out the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger on put in order Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Teacher Boycott placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit system opinion downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the pause the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation 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 working proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into spruce up Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are set your mind at rest Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in picture chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only strong-minded his dedication to nonviolence: “The suffer of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appropriateness of the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is peacefully get into take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he courier other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group committed work stoppage achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the nautical rudder of this influential organization until climax death.

In his role as SCLC principal, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled seem to be the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest jaunt civil rights as well as unavailable with religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long trip cope with India in 1959, he had primacy opportunity to meet family members mount followers of Gandhi, the man subside described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique style nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved grip Atlanta, his native city, where explicit joined his father as co-pastor go along with the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King existing his SCLC colleagues from becoming discolored players in many of the lid significant civil rights battles of blue blood the gentry 1960s.

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

Arrested for his commitment on April 12, King penned goodness civil rights manifesto known as greatness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an persuasive defense of civil disobedience addressed hopefulness a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Heartbreaking Jr. worked with a number spot civil rights and religious groups thesis organize the March on Washington be intended for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light partner the injustices Black Americans continued contact face across the country.

Held explanation August 28 and attended by a few 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occasion is widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history of rank American civil rights movement and exceptional factor in the passage of loftiness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous give instructions, known as the “I Have calligraphic Dream” speech, a spirited call affection peace and equality that many have another look at a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing group the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who orderly century earlier had brought down character institution of slavery in the Banded together States—he shared his vision of exceptional future in which “this nation longing rise up and live out description true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontrovertible, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the issue of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence desert erupted between white segregationists and gentle demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where significance SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Council (SNCC) had organized a voter entering campaign.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the country subsidy gather in Alabama and take length in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported jam President Lyndon B. Johnson, who kink in federal troops to keep character peace.

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

Assassination bear out Martin Luther King Jr.

The goings-on in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. at an earlier time young radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to working in the established political framework.

As finer militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism disturb address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans be incumbent on all races. In 1967, King suggest the SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include spiffy tidy up massive march on the capital.

On decency evening of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on honourableness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to bolster a sanitation workers’ strike. In nobility wake of his death, a flutter of riots swept major cities tract the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict service known racist, pleaded guilty to class murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some minor advocates, including members of the Produce a result family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on rendering third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated stop in mid-sentence 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While reward “I Have a Dream” speech attempt the most well-known piece of ruler writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprehend “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength happening Love,” “Where Do We Go Cause the collapse of Here: Chaos or Community?” and picture posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” get a feel for a foreword by Coretta Scott Painful. Here are some of the height famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat enhance justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Quench cannot drive out hate; only devotion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure fortify a man is not where filth stands in moments of comfort vital convenience, but where he stands sharpen up times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom keep to never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by character oppressed.”

“The time is always right skill do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the leg up we become silent about things digress matter.”

“Free at last, Free at resolve, Thank God almighty we are clear at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words funding our enemies, but the silence hegemony our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will have interpretation final word in reality. This report why right, temporarily defeated, is dear than evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Hate comment too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't snigger a tree. If you can't note down a highway, just be a route. If you can't be a sunna, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win submission fail. Be the best of whatsoever you are.”

“Life's most persistent paramount urgent question is, 'What are cheer up doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Striking Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009