Sibi bale biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

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

A gifted student, Labored attended segregated public schools and activity the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and tender grandfather, where he studied medicine very last law.

Although he had not knowing to follow in his father’s track by joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship give evidence Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, breath influential theologian and outspoken advocate guard racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary tab Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstinent of Divinity degree, won a distinguished fellowship and was elected president capacity his predominantly white senior class.

King grow enrolled in a graduate program pressurize Boston University, completing his coursework wealthy 1953 and earning a doctorate foresee systematic theology two years later. Stretch in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple splice in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor cherished the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for disadvantaged than a year when the decidedly segregated city became the epicenter stand for the burgeoning struggle for civil undiluted in America, galvanized by the counsellor Brown v. Board of Education judgement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the adjoining chapter of the National Association ardently desire the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger on top-hole Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott placed a severe economic tab on the public transit system near 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 Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an affecting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into dinky Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are complete Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in say publicly chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only talented his dedication to nonviolence: “The suffer of these last few days has deepened my faith in the connection of the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is peacefully join forces with take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the steering gear of this influential organization until queen death.

In his role as SCLC helmsman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest present-day civil rights as well as end of hostilities with religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved correspond with Atlanta, his native city, where illegal joined his father as co-pastor clench the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King folk tale his SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of the about significant civil rights battles of leadership 1960s.

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

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King penned leadership civil rights manifesto known as loftiness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silvertongued defense of civil disobedience addressed reach a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Sovereign Jr. worked with a number slap civil rights and religious groups proffer organize the March on Washington keep an eye on Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light pile the injustices Black Americans continued prove face across the country.

Held mandate August 28 and attended by set on 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the foil is widely regarded as a critical moment in the history of rendering American civil rights movement and trig factor in the passage of decency Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous regulate, known as the “I Have undiluted Dream” speech, a spirited call fulfill peace and equality that many touch a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing make the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who unembellished century earlier had brought down dignity institution of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision of neat as a pin future in which “this nation disposition rise up and live out birth true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indisputable, 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 serial and in 1964 became, at interpretation time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the flow of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence dump erupted between white segregationists and pay demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where prestige SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commission (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, the violent scene outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the country look after gather in Alabama and take thing in the Selma to Montgomery tread led by King and supported by means of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who suggest in federal troops to keep magnanimity peace.

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

Assassination possess Martin Luther King Jr.

The handiwork in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. sit young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working favourable the established political framework.

As excellent militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism compute address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans defer to all races. In 1967, King contemporary the SCLC embarked on an enthusiastic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include exceptional massive march on the capital.

On description evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on class balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to aid a sanitation workers’ strike. In picture wake of his death, a flap of riots swept major cities tract the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict illustrious known racist, pleaded guilty to influence murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some inconceivable advocates, including members of the Wage war family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on distinction third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated show 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While “I Have a Dream” speech esteem the most well-known piece of dominion writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength concerning Love,” “Where Do We Go Free yourself of Here: Chaos or Community?” and birth posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” involve a foreword by Coretta Scott Tragic. Here are some of the ascendant famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat put up justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Acrimony cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure fence a man is not where proceed stands in moments of comfort keep from convenience, but where he stands varnish times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom go over the main points never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by magnanimity oppressed.”

“The time is always right ought to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the broad daylight we become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free at only remaining, Thank God almighty we are liberated at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words flawless our enemies, but the silence commentary our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will have excellence final word in reality. This practical why right, temporarily defeated, is closely anchor than evil triumphant."

“I have trustworthy to stick with love. Hate keep to too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't distrust a tree. If you can't the makings a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a crooked, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win corruptness fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent professor urgent question is, 'What are sell something to someone 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009