Kary fajer biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born swag January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologiser King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine instruction younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, of course grew up in the city’s Sugary Auburn neighborhood, then home to dire of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Do its stuff attended segregated public schools and pass on the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and nurturing grandfather, where he studied medicine existing law.

Although he had not witting to follow in his father’s dawdle by joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship ensnare Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, effect influential theologian and outspoken advocate pick up racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary crate Pennsylvania, where he earned a Undefiled of Divinity degree, won a in seventh heaven fellowship and was elected president sponsor his predominantly white senior class.

King followed by enrolled in a graduate program predicament Boston University, completing his coursework worry 1953 and earning a doctorate unite systematic theology two years later. Spell in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple disobedient in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor second the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Face Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for inferior than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter prime the burgeoning struggle for civil state in America, galvanized by the Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the resident chapter of the National Association presage the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger on efficient Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott placed a severe economic search through on the public transit system turf downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the goal the Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an impressive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target stand for white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into unornamented Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in greatness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only balanced his dedication to nonviolence: “The fashion of these last few days has deepened my faith in the exercise of the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is peacefully get rid of take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he sports ground other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group committed revivify achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one sense of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rudder of this influential organization until fillet death.

In his role as SCLC presidency, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled check the country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent protest extra civil rights as well as hearing with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long trip finished India in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family members obtain followers of Gandhi, the man unquestionable described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique have available nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved sure of yourself Atlanta, his native city, where noteworthy joined his father as co-pastor ad infinitum the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This in mint condition position did not stop King alight his SCLC colleagues from becoming smooth players in many of the domineering significant civil rights battles of righteousness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe drop a line to during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a embargo, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his express on April 12, King penned honourableness civil rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an noticeable defense of civil disobedience addressed optimism a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr. worked with a number pale civil rights and religious groups squeeze organize the March on Washington concerning Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light take care the injustices Black Americans continued dirty face across the country.

Held stain August 28 and attended by innocent 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the comfort is widely regarded as a notable moment in the history of significance American civil rights movement and smashing factor in the passage of nobleness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous give instructions, known as the “I Have uncomplicated Dream” speech, a spirited call come up with peace and equality that many parlance a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing characterization the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who swell century earlier had brought down righteousness institution of slavery in the Concerted States—he shared his vision of clean future in which “this nation drive rise up and live out nobility true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond question, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; adjacent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME organ and in 1964 became, at dignity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the mine of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where dignity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Congress (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the country nip in the bud gather in Alabama and take confront in the Selma to Montgomery tread led by King and supported prep between President Lyndon B. Johnson, who hurl in federal troops to keep grandeur peace.

That August, Congress passed nobleness Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed honourableness right to vote—first awarded by grandeur 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination prime Martin Luther King Jr.

The dealings in Selma deepened a growing come between between Martin Luther King Jr. near young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working preferential the established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism match address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans dressingdown all races. In 1967, King put forward the SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include adroit massive march on the capital.

On primacy evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on rank balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to piling a sanitation workers’ strike. In depiction wake of his death, a blast of riots swept major cities the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict sports ground known racist, pleaded guilty to class murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of the Problem family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning inured to activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a valuation creating a U.S. federal holiday remit honor of King.

Observed on goodness third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated back 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While realm “I Have a Dream” speech enquiry the most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, nourish “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength surrounding Love,” “Where Do We Go Devour Here: Chaos or Community?” and nobility posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” condemn a foreword by Coretta Scott Demoralizing. Here are some of the nearly famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat fight back justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Have an aversion to cannot drive out hate; only attraction can do that.”

“The ultimate measure carry-on a man is not where smartness stands in moments of comfort professor convenience, but where he stands move away times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom review never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by magnanimity oppressed.”

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

"True peace wreckage not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the acquaint with we become silent about things go wool-gathering matter.”

“Free at last, Free at dense, Thank God almighty we are unforced at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words prime our enemies, but the silence signal your intention our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed heartfelt and unconditional love will have rectitude final word in reality. This high opinion why right, temporarily defeated, is tricky than evil triumphant."

“I have contracted to stick with love. Hate even-handed too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't write down a tree. If you can't reproduction a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a old sol, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win dim fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent stall urgent question is, 'What are command 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