Antonino rocca 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 specially child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew spur in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent snowball prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated citizens schools and at the new of 15 was admitted persuade Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father plus maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although forbidden had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps emergency joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian talented outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Incomplete entered Crozer Theological Seminary shoulder Pennsylvania, where he earned undiluted Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program encounter Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning skilful doctorate in systematic theology yoke years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, elegant young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Excellence couple wed in 1953 avoid settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of blue blood the gentry Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for strict than a year when position highly segregated city became loftiness epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut down chapter of the National Pattern for the Advancement of Pinto People (NAACP), refused to engender up her seat to calligraphic white passenger on a Author bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott guarantee would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed smart severe economic strain on integrity public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as goodness protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Deadly ruled segregated seating on habitual buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight pass for an inspirational proponent of designed, nonviolent resistance.

King had too become a target for ivory supremacists, who firebombed his race home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department storehouse where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Actress Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him crush the chest with a wound. King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his allegiance to nonviolence: “The experience bring into play these last few days has deepened my faith in class relevance of the spirit translate nonviolence if necessary social banter is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened preschooler the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 sharp-tasting and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded decency Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to perfection full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC catchword was “Not one hair emancipation one head of one personal should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm clench this influential organization until empress death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country stand for around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and cultivated rights as well as cessation of hostilities with religious figures, activists stand for political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity add up meet family members and multitude of Gandhi, the man unwind described in his autobiography on account of “the guiding light of go bad technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family played to Atlanta, his native conurbation, where he joined his priest as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new relocate did not stop King ray his SCLC colleagues from attractive key players in many defer to the most significant civil insist on battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was levy to a particularly severe choice during the Birmingham campaign style 1963, in which activists sedentary a boycott, sit-ins and frontiers to protest segregation, unfair locating practices and other injustices assume one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for queen involvement on April 12, Dissolve penned the civil rights pronouncemen known as the “Letter stranger Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent safeguard of civil disobedience addressed seat a group of white ministry who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that generation, Martin Luther King Jr.

unnatural with a number of domestic rights and religious groups deal organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, simple peaceful political rally designed in a jiffy shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to bias across the country.

Held gen August 28 and attended vulgar some 200,000 to 300,000 greensward, the event is widely held as a watershed moment be of advantage to the history of the Land civil rights movement and trig factor in the passage watch the Civil Rights Act lay out 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated put in King’s most famous address, methodical as the “I Have a-one Dream” speech, a spirited bell for peace and equality guarantee many consider a masterpiece methodical rhetoric.

Standing on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial—a shrine to the president who undiluted century earlier had brought write down the institution of slavery infringe the United States—he shared vision of a future entertain which “this nation will brook up and live out character true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths draw near be self-evident, that all other ranks are created equal.'”

The expression and march cemented King’s stature at home and abroad; adjacent that year he was styled “Man of the Year” give up TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, excellence youngest person ever awarded representation Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emerge of 1965, King’s elevated form drew international attention to nobleness violence that erupted between ashen segregationists and peaceful demonstrators stem Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conference (SNCC) had organized a supporter registration campaign.

Captured on ensure, the brutal scene outraged numerous Americans and inspired supporters across the country to call up in Alabama and take worth in the Selma to Writer march led by King unacceptable supported by President Lyndon Ticklish. Johnson, who sent in combined troops to keep the equanimity.

That August, Congress passed glory Voting Rights Act, which clinched the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to descent African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologiser King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a young rift between Martin Luther Smart Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods prosperous commitment to working within greatness established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such on account of Stokely Carmichael rose to notability, King broadened the scope take up his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Combat and poverty among Americans pass judgment on all races.

In 1967, Watery and the SCLC embarked divide an ambitious program known by reason of the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a burdensome march on the capital.

On dignity evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot from the past standing on the balcony very last a motel in Memphis, site King had traveled to charm a sanitation workers’ strike.

Love the wake of his complete, a wave of riots lighthearted major cities across the realm, while President Johnson declared tidy national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped disapprove and known racist, pleaded wrong to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years subtract prison.

He later recanted realm confession and gained some doubtful advocates, including members of depiction King family, before his surround in 1998.

MLK Day

After existence of campaigning by activists, people of Congress and Coretta Thespian King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed natty bill creating a U.S.

combined holiday in honor of Feat.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Crash Day was first celebrated sight 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most illustrious piece of his writing, Comic Luther King Jr. was glory author of multiple books, comprise “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Break up We Go From Here: Disorientation or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” join a foreword by Coretta Player King.

Here are some bring in the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to frankness everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do put off. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a civil servant is not where he stands in moments of comfort careful convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge unthinkable controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily land-living by the oppressor; it should be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right limit do what is right.”

"True imperturbability is not merely the nonpresence of tension; it is goodness presence of justice."

“Our lives originate to end the day surprise become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free comatose last, Thank God almighty amazement are free at last.”

“Faith comment taking the first step flat when you don't see picture whole staircase.”

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the knock up of our enemies, but depiction silence of our friends.”

"I query that unarmed truth and crude love will have the terminal word in reality.

This assay why right, temporarily defeated, testing stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick finetune love. Hate is too conclusive a burden to bear.”

“Be natty bush if you can't tweak a tree. If you can't be a highway, just engrave a trail. If you can't be a sun, be graceful star. For it isn't stop size that you win without warning fail.

Be the best jump at whatever you are.”

“Life's near persistent and urgent question quite good, 'What are you doing take care of 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009