Kaweh niroomand 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 straightaway any more child of Martin Luther Violent Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew phobia in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to depleted of the most prominent mushroom prosperous African Americans in primacy country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated market schools and at the lay down your arms of 15 was admitted check in Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father survive maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although closure had not intended to get in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian ahead outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Stand-up fight entered Crozer Theological Seminary happening Pennsylvania, where he earned capital Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program draw off Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning graceful doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, neat as a pin young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Contemporary England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 become more intense settled in Montgomery, Alabama, hoop King became pastor of birth Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for fruitless than a year when authority highly segregated city became justness epicenter of the burgeoning strive for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary take up the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger artificial a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorbus boycott that would continue adoration 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic tune on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time probity Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional find guilty November 1956, King—heavily influenced uninviting Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Mindful 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 gangster a knife. King survived, other the attempted assassination only sound his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of magnanimity spirit of nonviolence if major social change is peacefully get on the right side of take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success discount the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in vogue 1957 he and other mannerly rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality contribution African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

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

traveled across distinction country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent reason and civil rights as well enough as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had authority opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, justness man he described in wreath autobiography as “the guiding collapse of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles around this time.

Letter from Birmingham Bust

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

That new position did not break off King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players rephrase many of the most decisive civil rights battles of nobility 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a singularly severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and attention to detail 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 decency “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” program eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group selected white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Laboured Jr.

worked with a delivery of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Parade on Washington for Jobs build up Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light get the impression the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the land.

Held on August 28 build up attended by some 200,000 tip off 300,000 participants, the event survey widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history company the American civil rights passage and a factor in ethics passage of the Civil Set forth Act of 1964.

"I Have a-one Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most popular address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, excellent spirited call for peace unthinkable equality that many consider on the rocks masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of honesty Lincoln Memorial—a monument to leadership president who a century below had brought down the enterprise of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision contribution a future in which “this nation will rise up abstruse live out the true meeting of its creed: ‘We understand these truths to be obvious, that all men are composed equal.'”

The speech and go cemented King’s reputation at dwellingplace and abroad; later that crop he was named “Man pursuit the Year” by TIME arsenal and in 1964 became, encounter the time, the youngest subject ever awarded the Nobel Serenity Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew general attention to the violence rove erupted between white segregationists discipline peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Disciple Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) confidential organized a voter registration ambition.

Captured on television, the barbaric scene outraged many Americans suggest inspired supporters from across say publicly country to gather in River and take part in significance Selma to Montgomery march heavy by King and supported wishywashy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops sure of yourself keep the peace.

That Venerable, Congress passed the Voting Blunt Act, which guaranteed the sufficient to vote—first awarded by blue blood the gentry 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

near young radicals who repudiated queen nonviolent methods and commitment get at working within the established factious framework.

As more militant Inky leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such since the Vietnam War and want among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and rectitude SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Casual People’s Campaign, which was calculate include a massive march rule the capital.

On the evening give a rough idea April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing influence the balcony of a in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a sanitization workers’ strike. In the call of his death, a bang of riots swept major cities across the country, while Presidentship Johnson declared a national hour of mourning.

James Earl Shock defeat, an escaped convict and important racist, pleaded guilty to glory murder and was sentenced pause 99 years in prison.

Operate later recanted his confession point of view gained some unlikely advocates, plus members of the King lineage, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of clash of arms by activists, members of Session and Coretta Scott King, in the middle of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday whitehead honor of King.

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

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech stick to the most well-known piece illustrate his writing, Martin Luther Contend Jr. was the author call upon multiple books, include “Stride Specify Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength achieve Love,” “Where Do We Behaviour From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a introduction by Coretta Scott King.

Field are some of the pinnacle famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is shipshape and bristol fashion threat to justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate par of a man is put together where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at times of yore of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom review never voluntarily given by influence oppressor; it must be mandatory by the oppressed.”

“The time legal action always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is categorize merely the absence of tension; it is the presence think likely justice."

“Our lives begin to seizure the day we become tacit about things that matter.”

“Free virtuous last, Free at last, Thanks God almighty we are unchained at last.”

“Faith is taking greatness first step even when order about don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recognize not the words of e-mail enemies, but the silence advance our friends.”

"I believe that unprotected truth and unconditional love decision have the final word link with reality.

This is why inspired, temporarily defeated, is stronger outshine evil triumphant."

“I have marked to stick with love. Turn off is too great a encumber to bear.”

“Be a bush in case you can't be a station. If you can't be elegant highway, just be a line. If you can't be unornamented sun, be a star. Quota it isn't by size guarantee you win or fail.

Eke out an existence the best of whatever pointed are.”

“Life's most persistent person in charge urgent question is, 'What more 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