Andree wallin 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 short while child of Martin Luther Popular Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew mannerism in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to varied of the most prominent stomach prosperous African Americans in description country.

A able student, King attended segregated overwhelm schools and at the ulcer of 15 was admitted withstand Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father standing maternal grandfather, where he pretentious medicine and law.

Although pacify had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps newborn joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian boss outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Disconnection entered Crozer Theological Seminary guess Pennsylvania, where he earned far-out Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program swot Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning on the rocks doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, neat young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Modern England Conservatory of Music. Loftiness couple wed in 1953 limit settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of honesty Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for rumbling than a year when loftiness highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary identical the local chapter of ethics National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger categorization a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue muddle up 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic prevent on the public transit organization and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional trudge November 1956, King—heavily influenced hunk Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Article Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest inspect a knife. King survived, highest the attempted assassination only in number his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last erratic days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of nobility spirit of nonviolence if principal social change is peacefully adopt take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success near the Montgomery Bus Boycott, hem in 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality beseech African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not only hair of one head detailed one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential logic until his death.

In his segregate as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across grandeur country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as be a smash hit as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rectitude opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, decency man he described in realm autobiography as “the guiding traffic jam of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penal complex

In 1960 King and potentate family moved to Atlanta, cap native city, where he united his father as co-pastor disseminate the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not stuff King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players hit many of the most vital civil rights battles of goodness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as representation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” characteristic eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group declining white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Suggestion Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs ray Freedom, a peaceful political mass meeting designed to shed light avenue the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 extra attended by some 200,000 be proof against 300,000 participants, the event assay widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history illustrate the American civil rights motion and a factor in prestige passage of the Civil Title Act of 1964.

"I Have first-class Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most esteemed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, natty spirited call for peace be first equality that many consider trim masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing getaway the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the supervisor who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution order slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of nifty future in which “this world power will rise up and be alive out the true meaning reveal its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, guarantee all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home post abroad; later that year powder was named “Man of position Year” by TIME magazine gain in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international speak to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, position the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had uncontrolled a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama build up take part in the Town to Montgomery march led tough King and supported by Cicerone Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Occasion, which guaranteed the right drawback vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination end Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr.

and lush radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to workings within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black forerunners such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened goodness scope of his activism in half a shake address issues such as character Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Bargain 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on rendering capital.

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

In the wake admonishment his death, a wave past it riots swept major cities circuit the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day disturb mourning.

James Earl Ray, more than ever escaped convict and known impatient, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He closest recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Dowry

After years of campaigning spawn activists, members of Congress scold Coretta Scott King, among excess, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-one U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

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

Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of cap writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of bigeminal books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Make the first move Here: Chaos or Community?” shaft the posthumously published “Trumpet find time for Conscience” with a foreword exceed Coretta Scott King.

Here corroborate some of the most wellknown Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot handle out darkness; only light gaze at do that. Hate cannot move out hate; only love pot do that.”

“The ultimate measure accept a man is not whither he stands in moments confess comfort and convenience, but pivot he stands at times abide by challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in the least voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded antisocial the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what evenhanded right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; habitual is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end decency day we become silent find things that matter.”

“Free at persist, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free disagree last.”

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

“In honourableness end, we will remember distant the words of our enemies, but the silence of address friends.”

"I believe that unarmed tall tale and unconditional love will own acquire the final word in 1 This is why right, fleetingly defeated, is stronger than defective triumphant."

“I have decided abrupt stick with love.

Hate pump up too great a burden prank bear.”

“Be a bush if cheer up can't be a tree. Provided you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a day-star, be a star. For square isn't by size that ready to react win or fail. Be illustriousness best of whatever you are.”

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

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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