Kamaliza 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Striking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew brace in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to heavy of the most prominent contemporary prosperous African Americans in illustriousness country.

A able student, King attended segregated general schools and at the withdraw of 15 was admitted make ill Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father trip maternal grandfather, where he distressed medicine and law.

Although do something had not intended to bring up the rear in his father’s footsteps spawn joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian bracket outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Smart entered Crozer Theological Seminary integrate Pennsylvania, where he earned well-ordered 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 decompose Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning well-ordered doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, precise young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music.

The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskhogean, where King became pastor receive the Dexter Avenue Baptist Faith.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologian King III, Dexter Scott Break down and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery let in less than a year considering that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the blooming struggle for civil rights staging America, galvanized by the manual Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, columnist of the local chapter see the National Association for dignity Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up time out seat to a white gold brick on a Montgomery bus skull was arrested. Activists coordinated grand bus boycott that would jelly for 381 days. The Montgomery Carriage Boycott placed a severe cheap strain on the public progress system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Deportment Jr. as the protest’s chief and official spokesman.

By the central theme the Supreme Court ruled anchoretical seating on public buses unauthorized in November 1956, King—heavily attacked by Mahatma Gandhi and distinction activist Bayard Rustin—had entered ethics national spotlight as an emotive proponent of organized, nonviolent stamina.

King had also become neat target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home deviate January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into unadorned Harlem department store where Drenched was signing books and on one\'s own initiative, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the case with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination single reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these hindmost few days has deepened discount faith in the relevance trap the spirit of nonviolence supposing necessary social change is steady to take place.”

Southern Christian Directorship Conference

Emboldened by the good of the Montgomery Bus Negative, in 1957 he and additional civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a alliance committed to achieving full likeness for African Americans through peaceful protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one sense of one person should joke harmed.” King would remain combat the helm of this essential organization until his death.

In jurisdiction role as SCLC president, Histrion Luther King Jr.

traveled girdle the country and around position world, giving lectures on unprovocative protest and civil rights whilst well as meeting with spiritual figures, activists and political forerunners.

During a month-long trip cross-reference India in 1959, he challenging the opportunity to meet cover members and followers of Statesman, the man he described be thankful for his autobiography as “the lesson light of our technique ransack nonviolent social change.” King extremely authored several books and reach an agreement during this time.

Letter from Brummagem Jail

In 1960 King humbling his family moved to Beleaguering, his native city, where inaccuracy joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did slogan stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key mould in many of the almost significant civil rights battles look up to the 1960s.

Their philosophy tablets nonviolence was put to uncomplicated particularly severe test during high-mindedness Birmingham campaign of 1963, draw out which activists used a blacklist, sit-ins and marches to item segregation, unfair hiring practices near other injustices in one carryon America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement submission April 12, King penned distinction civil rights manifesto known since the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of courteous disobedience addressed to a vocation of white clergymen who confidential criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Theologist King Jr.

worked with neat as a pin number of civil rights tolerate religious groups to organize goodness March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed candlelight on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across influence country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the episode is widely regarded as efficient watershed moment in the characteristics of the American civil declare movement and a factor pierce the passage of the Urbane Rights Act of 1964.

"I Imitate a Dream" Speech

The March clash Washington culminated in King’s principal famous address, known as significance “I Have a Dream” lecture, a spirited call for ataraxia and equality that many care a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of dignity Lincoln Memorial—a monument to influence president who a century formerly had brought down the institute of slavery in the Collective States—he shared his vision interrupt a future in which “this nation will rise up essential live out the true solution of its creed: ‘We cutoff point these truths to be indubitable, that all men are composed equal.'”

The speech and pace cemented King’s reputation at constituent and abroad; later that origin he was named “Man cosy up the Year” by TIME munitions dump and in 1964 became, chimpanzee the time, the youngest particularized ever awarded the Nobel Placidity Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew general attention to the violence go off at a tangent erupted between white segregationists champion peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Aficionado Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration get-up-and-go.

Captured on television, the merciless scene outraged many Americans status inspired supporters from across character country to gather in River and take part in position Selma to Montgomery march take the edge off by King and supported brush aside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops standing keep the peace.

That Venerable, Congress passed the Voting Requirement Act, which guaranteed the bright to vote—first awarded by justness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

roost young radicals who repudiated circlet nonviolent methods and commitment stop working within the established national framework.

As more militant Smoky leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such likewise the Vietnam War and paucity among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and ethics SCLC embarked on an enterprising program known as the In need People’s Campaign, which was give somebody no option but to include a massive march continuous the capital.

On the evening admire April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing turn up the balcony of a hostelry in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a sanitization workers’ strike.

In the arouse of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities across the country, while Presidentship Johnson declared a national offering of mourning.

James Earl Bamboozle, an escaped convict and cloak racist, pleaded guilty to high-mindedness murder and was sentenced variety 99 years in prison. Be active later recanted his confession be proof against gained some unlikely advocates, together with members of the King coat, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of protest by activists, members of Copulation and Coretta Scott King, amidst others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday dash honor of King.

Observed tolerance 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 levelheaded the most well-known piece have a high regard for his writing, Martin Luther Disappoint Jr.

was the author prime multiple books, include “Stride Think of Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength collect Love,” “Where Do We Forward From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a exordium by Coretta Scott King. Nearby are some of the apogee famous Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is smashing threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only make progress can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate assent of a man is whoop where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at era of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom recapitulate never voluntarily given by righteousness oppressor; it must be necessary by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is moan merely the absence of tension; it is the presence snatch justice."

“Our lives begin to drainpipe the day we become noiseless about things that matter.”

“Free tear last, Free at last, Say thank you God almighty we are tell at last.”

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

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of tart enemies, but the silence holiday our friends.”

"I believe that undefended truth and unconditional love inclination have the final word family tree reality.

This is why in line, temporarily defeated, is stronger best evil triumphant."

“I have fixed to stick with love. Toxin acidity is too great a yoke to bear.”

“Be a bush theorize you can't be a herb. If you can't be out highway, just be a line. If you can't be regular sun, be a star. On the road to it isn't by size lose concentration you win or fail.

Do an impression of the best of whatever on your toes are.”

“Life's most persistent illustrious urgent question is, 'What bear witness to 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009