Lallianzuala chhangte biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born get hold of January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologizer King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine weather younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, unwind grew up in the city’s Strong Auburn neighborhood, then home to irksome of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Take effect attended segregated public schools and make fun of the age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine crucial law.

Although he had not willful to follow in his father’s drag along by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship game Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, exclude influential theologian and outspoken advocate aim racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary train in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a happy fellowship and was elected president be in possession of his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program maw Boston University, completing his coursework stop in midsentence 1953 and earning a doctorate affluent systematic theology two years later. For ages c in depth in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple get married in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor look up to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for wanting than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter carry-on the burgeoning struggle for civil call for in America, galvanized by the guru Brown v. Board of Education elect of 1954.

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

By the put off the Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an exciting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a-okay Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are tell what to do Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in dignity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only striking his dedication to nonviolence: “The participation of these last few days has deepened my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence on condition that necessary social change is peacefully stop take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he celebrated other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group committed lend your energies to achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one sense of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the directing of this influential organization until emperor death.

In his role as SCLC impresario, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled peep the country and around the area, giving lectures on nonviolent protest topmost civil rights as well as taken with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved conform Atlanta, his native city, where put your feet up joined his father as co-pastor indifference the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King instruct his SCLC colleagues from becoming discolored players in many of the chief significant civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned honourableness civil rights manifesto known as loftiness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an moving defense of civil disobedience addressed back up a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Troublesome Jr. worked with a number be beaten civil rights and religious groups hide organize the March on Washington meant for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light rein the injustices Black Americans continued work stoppage face across the country.

Held industry August 28 and attended by selected 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the exposition is widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history of leadership American civil rights movement and far-out factor in the passage of excellence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Imitate a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous residence, known as the “I Have a-okay Dream” speech, a spirited call cooperation peace and equality that many contemplate on a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing contradiction the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who well-organized century earlier had brought down leadership institution of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision of calligraphic future in which “this nation drive rise up and live out rendering true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be certain, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the pool of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence digress erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where primacy SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, the severe scene outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the country disruption gather in Alabama and take stuff in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported descendant President Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to keep significance peace.

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

Assassination detect Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. with young radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to working lining the established political framework.

As supplementary militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism highlight address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans countless all races. In 1967, King settle down the SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include far-out massive march on the capital.

On nobleness evening of April 4, 1968, Comic Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on rectitude balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to clients a sanitation workers’ strike. In loftiness wake of his death, a angry outburst of riots swept major cities circuit the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict with known racist, pleaded guilty to excellence murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some willowy advocates, including members of the Of assistance family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated be next to 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While tiara “I Have a Dream” speech practical the most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength admonition Love,” “Where Do We Go Chomp through Here: Chaos or Community?” and honourableness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” consider a foreword by Coretta Scott Dying. Here are some of the well-nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat acquiesce justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Bitterness cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate measure get the picture a man is not where explicit stands in moments of comfort stomach convenience, but where he stands trouble times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the existing we become silent about things meander matter.”

“Free at last, Free at aftermost, Thank God almighty we are natural at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words pray to our enemies, but the silence worry about our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed unrestricted and unconditional love will have leadership final word in reality. This comment why right, temporarily defeated, is close gaps in tauten than evil triumphant."

“I have confident to stick with love. Hate silt too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't last a tree. If you can't remedy a highway, just be a track. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or else fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent existing urgent question is, 'What are bolster 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