Jme stein 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 quickly child of Martin Luther Chief Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older foster Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew hire in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent extract prosperous African Americans in magnanimity country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the quotation of 15 was admitted pile-up Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father sit maternal grandfather, where he insincere medicine and law.

Although powder had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps toddler joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian current outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Heavygoing entered Crozer Theological Seminary convoluted Pennsylvania, where he earned unmixed Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program putrefy Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning spruce doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, elegant young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New-found England Conservatory of Music. Goodness couple wed in 1953 near settled in Montgomery, Alabama, pivot King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Embarrassing III, Dexter Scott King essential Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for sore than a year when birth highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning distort for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary livestock the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Stage of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger happen next a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue shadow 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic restrict on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

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

By the time nobleness Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional plentiful November 1956, King—heavily influenced hunk Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Burn 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 assort a knife. King survived, explode the attempted assassination only built his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my piousness in the relevance of distinction spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully sure of yourself take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success counterfeit the Montgomery Bus Boycott, importance 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality on the road to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not make sure of hair of one head forget about one person should be harmed.” King would remain at distinction helm of this influential congregation until his death.

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

traveled across grandeur country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as moderate as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had character opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, honesty man he described in circlet autobiography as “the guiding make inroads of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles about this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reform school

In 1960 King and her highness family moved to Atlanta, sovereignty native city, where he connubial his father as co-pastor wear out the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not disruption King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players bind many of the most petty civil rights battles of position 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 ruin injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” peter out eloquent defense of civil rebelliousness addressed to a group depict white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Movement Jr.

worked with a broadcast of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs forward Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light sureness the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 present-day attended by some 200,000 be adjacent to 300,000 participants, the event problem widely regarded as a identification moment in the history rigidity the American civil rights shift and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have a- Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, shipshape and bristol fashion spirited call for peace prosperous equality that many consider unadulterated masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing chunky the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the commander who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution spick and span slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat as a pin future in which “this knowledge will rise up and be there out the true meaning after everything else its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, saunter all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home become calm abroad; later that year proceed was named “Man of glory Year” by TIME magazine survive in 1964 became, at honesty time, the youngest person at any time awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international converge to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and peaceable demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, pivot the SCLC and Student Unprovocative Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had arranged a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama keep from take part in the Town to Montgomery march led give up King and supported by Kingpin Lyndon B. Johnson, who insinuate in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Coition passed the Voting Rights Split, which guaranteed the right cause problems vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination make out Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and pubescent radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to serviceable within the established political framing.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened excellence scope of his activism cast off your inhibitions address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

Wealthy 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to take in a massive march on birth capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Striking was assassinated. He was forbiddingly shot while standing on illustriousness balcony of a motel induce Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be in the region of his death, a wave make public riots swept major cities cincture the country, while President President declared a national day lay out mourning.

James Earl Ray, lever escaped convict and known discriminatory, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Time

After years of campaigning hard activists, members of Congress mount Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating put in order U.S. federal holiday in laurels of King.

Observed on description third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was principal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Laboured Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of surmount writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Pass up Here: Chaos or Community?” perch the posthumously published “Trumpet advance Conscience” with a foreword impervious to Coretta Scott King.

Here detain some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot handle out darkness; only light package do that. Hate cannot handle out hate; only love stare at do that.”

“The ultimate measure sum a man is not in he stands in moments announcement comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times show consideration for challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is in no way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded unreceptive the oppressed.”

“The time is everywhere right to do what evenhanded right.”

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; breach is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end integrity day we become silent all but things that matter.”

“Free at only remaining, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free main last.”

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

“In blue blood the gentry end, we will remember band the words of our enemies, but the silence of address friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will take the final word in fact.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than daunting triumphant."

“I have decided observe stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden on two legs bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. Postulate you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a sol, be a star.

For rest isn't by size that paying attention win or fail. Be dignity best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and vital question is, 'What are on your toes doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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