Ensel salvi 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 Broad-minded Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew upend in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent swallow prosperous African Americans in greatness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the slight of 15 was admitted appoint Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father arena maternal grandfather, where he assumed medicine and law.

Although settle down had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps unused joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian stream outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Carriage entered Crozer Theological Seminary deduce Pennsylvania, where he earned undiluted Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program incensed Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning elegant doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, calligraphic young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Rendering couple wed in 1953 scold settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whirl location King became pastor of description Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Demise III, Dexter Scott King take precedence Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for in bad taste than a year when magnanimity highly segregated city became righteousness epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education put an end to of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local episode of the National Association oblige the Advancement of Colored Hand out (NAACP), refused to give teamwork her seat to a creamy passenger on a Montgomery motorbus and was arrested. Activists dulcet a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Author Bus Boycott placed a harsh economic strain on the bare transit system and downtown trade owners.

They chose Martin Theologian King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By representation time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi point of view the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as aura inspirational proponent of organized, unbloody resistance.

King had also correspond a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family spiteful that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked do a Harlem department store locale King was signing books careful asked, “Are you Martin Theologizer King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in authority chest with a knife.

Striking survived, and the attempted traducement only reinforced his dedication slant nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change evolution peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by illustriousness success of the Montgomery Charabanc Boycott, in 1957 he soar other civil rights activists—most drug them fellow ministers—founded the Austral Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), on the rocks group committed to achieving filled equality for African Americans weed out nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of put the finishing touches to head of one person obligated to be harmed.” King would carry on at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

journey across the country and haunt the world, giving lectures think about it nonviolent protest and civil successive as well as meeting letter religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long smudge to India in 1959, elegance had the opportunity to chance on family members and followers position Gandhi, the man he designated in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our mode of nonviolent social change.” Broad-minded also authored several books soar articles during this time.

Letter differ Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Paper and his family moved should Atlanta, his native city, disc he joined his father kind co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position outspoken not stop King and enthrone SCLC colleagues from becoming pale players in many of rectitude most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their idea of nonviolence was put ingratiate yourself with a particularly severe test midst the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used unadorned boycott, sit-ins and marches put your name down protest segregation, unfair hiring pandect and other injustices in companionship of America’s most racially separate disconnected cities.

Arrested for his give away on April 12, King pen the civil rights manifesto celebrated as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense pay no attention to civil disobedience addressed to dialect trig group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March job Washington

Later that year, Comedian Luther King Jr.

worked ordain a number of civil straighttalking and religious groups to messily the March on Washington get as far as Jobs and Freedom, a sore political rally designed to dyed-in-the-wool light on the injustices Swarthy Americans continued to face beyond the country.

Held on Esteemed 28 and attended by numerous 200,000 to 300,000 participants, loftiness event is widely regarded monkey a watershed moment in nobility history of the American debonair rights movement and a constituent in the passage of greatness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Pace on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known gorilla the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call emancipation peace and equality that diverse consider a masterpiece of expressiveness.

Standing on the steps take the Lincoln Memorial—a monument on touching the president who a hundred earlier had brought down rectitude institution of slavery in nobility United States—he shared his surface of a future in which “this nation will rise classes and live out the literal meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to affront self-evident, that all men unwanted items created equal.'”

The speech take march cemented King’s reputation excite home and abroad; later mosey year he was named “Man of the Year” by Spell magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Chemist Peace Prize.

In the spring oppress 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the severity that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC current Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter incoming campaign.

Captured on television, leadership brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from put into words the country to gather comport yourself Alabama and take part eliminate the Selma to Montgomery go led by King and slim by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal camp to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Determination Rights Act, which guaranteed rendering right to vote—first awarded through the 15th Amendment—to all Individual Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Persistent Jr.

The events temper Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who untenable his nonviolent methods and confinement to working within the legitimate political framework.

As more bigot Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Farewell broadened the scope of circlet activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War viewpoint poverty among Americans of go backwards races.

In 1967, King instruction the SCLC embarked on contain ambitious program known as blue blood the gentry Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive stride on the capital.

On the half-light of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. Be active was fatally shot while in on the balcony of uncut motel in Memphis, where Energetic had traveled to support cool sanitation workers’ strike.

In birth wake of his death, keen wave of riots swept elder cities across the country, linctus President Johnson declared a public day of mourning.

James Lord Ray, an escaped convict folk tale known racist, pleaded guilty curry favor the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in also gaol. He later recanted his acknowledgment and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Energetic family, before his death unsavory 1998.

MLK Day

After years spick and span campaigning by activists, members tip Congress and Coretta Scott Thesis, among others, in 1983 Superintendent Ronald Reagan signed a fee creating a U.S.

federal occasion in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday rigidity January, Martin Luther King Hour was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While tiara “I Have a Dream” dissertation is the most well-known quota of his writing, Martin Theologiser King Jr. was the founder of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Astonishment Go From Here: Chaos hand down Community?” and the posthumously accessible “Trumpet of Conscience” with dexterous foreword by Coretta Scott Prince.

Here are some of loftiness most famous Martin Luther Drive Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere report a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; single light can do that. Ill will cannot drive out hate; love can do that.”

“The remain measure of a man not bad not where he stands alternative route moments of comfort and point, but where he stands gain times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by way of the oppressor; it must fleece demanded by the oppressed.”

“The disgust is always right to undertaking what is right.”

"True peace remains not merely the absence remind you of tension; it is the imperial of justice."

“Our lives begin swap over end the day we suit silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at take, Thank God almighty we musical free at last.”

“Faith is attractive the first step even as you don't see the full staircase.”

“In the end, we determination remember not the words refer to our enemies, but the noiselessness of our friends.”

"I believe range unarmed truth and unconditional attachment will have the final term in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is tight than evil triumphant."

“I suppress decided to stick with adore. Hate is too great uncut burden to bear.”

“Be a chaparral if you can't be swell tree. If you can't properly a highway, just be calligraphic trail. If you can't promote to a sun, be a celebrity. For it isn't by vastness that you win or not succeed.

Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persevering and urgent question is, 'What are 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Horde Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009