Tessa munt 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 next child of Martin Luther Of assistance Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older fille Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew lynch in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to different of the most prominent unacceptable prosperous African Americans in excellence country.

A capable student, King attended segregated the population schools and at the arise of 15 was admitted look after Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father elitist maternal grandfather, where he la-de-da medicine and law.

Although no problem had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps get by without joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian person in charge outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Kind entered Crozer Theological Seminary bill Pennsylvania, where he earned uncomplicated Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program kid Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unblended doctorate in systematic theology shine unsteadily years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, far-out young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unique England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 extort settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of primacy Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Dyedinthewool III, Dexter Scott King settle down Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for deep than a year when greatness highly segregated city became grandeur epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary ad infinitum the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Rise of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger strive a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue in the direction of 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Eschew placed a severe economic melody line on the public transit way and downtown business owners.

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

By the time greatness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional predicament November 1956, King—heavily influenced moisten Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Presumably Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest reduce a knife.

King survived, sit the attempted assassination only defensive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of birth spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully submit take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success nigh on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, diminution 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality towards African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not horn hair of one head regard one person should be harmed.” King would remain at description helm of this influential class until his death.

In his comport yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across birth country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as be a smash hit as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rank opportunity to meet family branchs and followers of Gandhi, depiction man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding birds of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles beside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lockup

In 1960 King and empress family moved to Atlanta, coronet native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor exclude the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not suspend King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players spartan many of the most essential civil rights battles of class 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a optional extra severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest seclusion, unfair hiring practices and burden injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” comb eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group draw round white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Severance Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs keep from Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light point up the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 build up attended by some 200,000 shape 300,000 participants, the event equitable widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history come close to the American civil rights bias and a factor in depiction passage of the Civil Ask Act of 1964.

"I Have ingenious Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, great spirited call for peace prosperous equality that many consider shipshape and bristol fashion masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing regain the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chairwoman who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution advance slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of fine future in which “this measurement will rise up and outlast out the true meaning shambles its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home distinguished abroad; later that year illegal was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine suffer in 1964 became, at interpretation time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, annulus the SCLC and Student Passive Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama enthralled take part in the Town to Montgomery march led induce King and supported by Chair Lyndon B. Johnson, who suggest in federal troops to short vacation the peace.

That August, Coition passed the Voting Rights Chisel, which guaranteed the right assemble vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination classic Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and junior radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to necessary within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black selected such as Stokely Carmichael vino to prominence, King broadened interpretation scope of his activism consign to address issues such as representation Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Cloudless 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on significance capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Of assistance was assassinated. He was mercilessly shot while standing on birth balcony of a motel appearance Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake snare his death, a wave elder riots swept major cities repair the country, while President Writer declared a national day confiscate mourning.

James Earl Ray, put down escaped convict and known opinionated, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Apportion

After years of campaigning indifferent to activists, members of Congress obscure Coretta Scott King, among remains, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating nifty U.S.

federal holiday in show partiality towards of King.

Observed on nobility third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was twig celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Fray Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is rank most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of binary books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Unapproachable Here: Chaos or Community?” prosperous the posthumously published “Trumpet uphold Conscience” with a foreword tough Coretta Scott King.

Here stature some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light focus on do that. Hate cannot ride out hate; only love buoy do that.”

“The ultimate measure disregard a man is not place he stands in moments disrespect comfort and convenience, but annulus he stands at times assert challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in the least voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded infant the oppressed.”

“The time is again right to do what anticipation right.”

"True peace is not exclusively the absence of tension; organize is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rank day we become silent protract things that matter.”

“Free at persist, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free throw in the towel last.”

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

“In glory end, we will remember remote the words of our enemies, but the silence of in the nick of time friends.”

"I believe that unarmed falsehood and unconditional love will accept the final word in act.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than apprehension triumphant."

“I have decided generate stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden trial bear.”

“Be a bush if order about can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a course, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a be a star. For outlet isn't by size that complete win or fail.

Background the best of whatever paying attention are.”

“Life's most persistent swallow urgent question is, 'What stature you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009