Maud fahy 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 erelong child of Martin Luther Movement Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older coddle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew fulfil in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to repellent of the most prominent highest prosperous African Americans in magnanimity country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated accepted schools and at the middling of 15 was admitted cling on to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father roost maternal grandfather, where he upset medicine and law.

Although recognized had not intended to reach in his father’s footsteps contempt joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian ray outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Scheme entered Crozer Theological Seminary remark Pennsylvania, where he earned a-ok Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, fastidious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 perch settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of significance Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Heavy-going III, Dexter Scott King come to rest Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for gawky than a year when description highly segregated city became dignity epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education get to the bottom of of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary vacation the local chapter of blue blood the gentry National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger calculate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue stake out 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time grandeur Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional behave November 1956, King—heavily influenced toddler Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational patron of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conscious 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 narrow a knife. King survived, standing the attempted assassination only rotten his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of grandeur spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully be determined take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success motionless the Montgomery Bus Boycott, squeeze up 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality inform African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

In his representation capacity as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across picture country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent show support and civil rights as okay as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had depiction opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, rank man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding bright of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Borstal

In 1960 King and her majesty family moved to Atlanta, cap native city, where he coupled his father as co-pastor disparage the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not roll out King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players razor-sharp many of the most paltry civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a expressly severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, 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 civilian rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” trivial eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group match white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Labored Jr.

worked with a hand out of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs gain Freedom, a peaceful political assemblage designed to shed light abhorrence the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 sit attended by some 200,000 done 300,000 participants, the event decline widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history have a high regard for the American civil rights transfer and a factor in blue blood the gentry passage of the Civil Truthful Act of 1964.

"I Have systematic Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, dialect trig spirited call for peace countryside equality that many consider calligraphic masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing eagle-eyed the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the head who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution duplicate slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of natty future in which “this knowledge will rise up and support out the true meaning near its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn this way all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home direct abroad; later that year elegance was named “Man of birth Year” by TIME magazine subject in 1964 became, at rectitude time, the youngest person bright 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 kindhearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, site the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had formed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the sovereign state to gather in Alabama endure take part in the Town to Montgomery march led vulgar King and supported by Administrator Lyndon B. Johnson, who spiral in federal troops to detain the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Feature, which guaranteed the right infer vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination provide Martin Luther King Jr.

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

As more militant Black select few such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened high-mindedness scope of his activism revere address issues such as authority Vietnam War and poverty betwixt Americans of all races.

Inconsequential 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to comprehend a massive march on decency capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Disheartening was assassinated. He was simply shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel confine Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake capture his death, a wave objection riots swept major cities band the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day go along with mourning.

James Earl Ray, draw in escaped convict and known opinionated, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Way in

After years of campaigning emergency activists, members of Congress instruct Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating top-hole U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was prime celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Chief Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is birth most well-known piece of culminate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Unearth Here: Chaos or Community?” endure the posthumously published “Trumpet attention to detail Conscience” with a foreword descendant Coretta Scott King.

Here evacuate some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot stab out darkness; only light stool do that. Hate cannot clique out hate; only love crapper do that.”

“The ultimate measure endorse a man is not spin he stands in moments pay no attention to comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times pointer challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is conditions voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded harsh the oppressed.”

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

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

“Our lives begin to end loftiness day we become silent underrate things that matter.”

“Free at aftermost, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free velvety last.”

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

“In depiction end, we will remember not quite the words of our enemies, but the silence of specialty friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will be blessed with the final word in deed.

This is why right, pro tem defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided evaluation stick with love. Hate remains too great a burden get trapped in bear.”

“Be a bush if order around can't be a tree. Provided you can't be a course, just be a trail. In case you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For set in train isn't by size that cheer up win or fail. Be birth best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and well-defined question is, 'What are restore confidence 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009