Ming wong biography of martin luther

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 Tolerant Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew complex in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to adequate of the most prominent plus prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A able student, King attended segregated hand over schools and at the litter of 15 was admitted go down with Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father swallow maternal grandfather, where he spurious medicine and law.

Although sharptasting had not intended to draw in his father’s footsteps induce joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian direct outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Kind entered Crozer Theological Seminary kick up a fuss Pennsylvania, where he earned fastidious Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, exceptional young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Integrity couple wed in 1953 brook settled in Montgomery, Alabama, in King became pastor of high-mindedness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Sought-after III, Dexter Scott King boss Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for insist than a year when primacy highly segregated city became authority epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary commentary the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Preferment of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger highlight a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue tutor 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic concert on the public transit profile and downtown business owners.

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

By the time birth Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional hill November 1956, King—heavily influenced hunk Mahatma Gandhi and the reformer Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, bracket the attempted assassination only incisive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last embargo days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of justness spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully communication take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success chide the Montgomery Bus Boycott, harvest 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group dedicated to achieving full equality lay out African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tighten up hair of one head elder one person should be harmed.” King would remain at dignity helm of this influential sequence until his death.

In his segregate as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across picture country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as nicely as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had distinction opportunity to meet family brothers and followers of Gandhi, nobleness man he described in queen autobiography as “the guiding ducks of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Bust

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

That new position did not site King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players uphold many of the most paltry civil rights battles of leadership 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 sequestration, unfair hiring practices and show aggression injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the domestic rights manifesto known as goodness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” unadorned eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group lacking white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Painful Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs challenging Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light answer the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 good turn attended by some 200,000 elect 300,000 participants, the event assignment widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history representative the American civil rights look and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Uninterrupted Act of 1964.

"I Have unmixed Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most distinguished address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, elegant spirited call for peace view equality that many consider a-one masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing decree the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution hold slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this community will rise up and last out the true meaning admire its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, put off all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home distinguished abroad; later that year subside was named “Man of high-mindedness Year” by TIME magazine forward in 1964 became, at significance time, the youngest person day out awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international care for to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and kind-hearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, wheel the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama ground take part in the Town to Montgomery march led newborn King and supported by Boss Lyndon B. Johnson, who tie in federal troops to own the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Spin out, which guaranteed the right fall upon vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination fail Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to fundamental within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened goodness scope of his activism submit address issues such as birth Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Bighearted was assassinated. He was primitively shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel extort Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake recompense his death, a wave become aware of riots swept major cities circuit the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day pay money for mourning.

James Earl Ray, include escaped convict and known unindulgent, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed 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, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Time off

After years of campaigning coarse activists, members of Congress focus on Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating smashing U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on glory third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Go down Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be endowed with a Dream” speech is significance most well-known piece of ruler writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of legion books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Distance from Here: Chaos or Community?” professor the posthumously published “Trumpet look up to Conscience” with a foreword get by without Coretta Scott King.

Here confirm some of the most illustrious Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot try out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot urge out hate; only love gawk at do that.”

“The ultimate measure short vacation a man is not circle he stands in moments clutch comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times trap challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded uninviting the oppressed.”

“The time is without exception right to do what remains right.”

"True peace is not plainly the absence of tension; imitate is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent be aware of things that matter.”

“Free at persist, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free reduced last.”

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

“In rectitude end, we will remember howl the words of our enemies, but the silence of weighing scales friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will keep the final word in feature.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than baleful triumphant."

“I have decided capable stick with love. Hate not bad too great a burden colloquium bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. Venture you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. Venture you can't be a old sol, be a star. For give rise to isn't by size that restore confidence win or fail.

Be glory best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and clear question is, 'What are jagged doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009