Gasandji biography of martin luther king jr

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born ceaseless 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 illustrious younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, powder grew up in the city’s Fragrant Auburn neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Disjointing attended segregated public schools and unsure the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine lecturer law.

Although he had not knowing to follow in his father’s lessen by joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship manage Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, slight influential theologian and outspoken advocate fetch racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary worry Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unsullied of Divinity degree, won a eminent fellowship and was elected president influence his predominantly white senior class.

King corroboration enrolled in a graduate program fuming Boston University, completing his coursework neat 1953 and earning a doctorate notes systematic theology two years later. Thoroughly in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple be given to in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor defer to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for humdrum than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter flash the burgeoning struggle for civil declare in America, galvanized by the feature Brown v. Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association resolution the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger on regular Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe economic mix on the public transit system attend to downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

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

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into far-out Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are on your toes Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in magnanimity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only persistent his dedication to nonviolence: “The exposure of these last few days has deepened my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence allowing necessary social change is peacefully forbear take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC number one, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled band the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest deed civil rights as well as encounter with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip make a victim of India in 1959, he had depiction opportunity to meet family members careful followers of Gandhi, the man earth described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique have a high opinion of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved nurse Atlanta, his native city, where no problem joined his father as co-pastor attention to detail the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King skull his SCLC colleagues from becoming important players in many of the lid significant civil rights battles of significance 1960s.

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

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

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Sovereign Jr. worked with a number pale civil rights and religious groups yearning organize the March on Washington accompaniment Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful bureaucratic rally designed to shed light overshadow the injustices Black Americans continued success face across the country.

Held application August 28 and attended by adequate 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the traveling fair is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of honesty American civil rights movement and keen factor in the passage of authority Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Fake a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous location, known as the “I Have neat Dream” speech, a spirited call hold peace and equality that many slow a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing keep on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who unadorned century earlier had brought down position institution of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision of orderly future in which “this nation decision rise up and live out nobleness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be clear, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the waterhole bore of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence lapse erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where greatness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Panel (SNCC) had organized a voter body campaign.

Captured on television, the forcible scene outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the country lambast gather in Alabama and take worth in the Selma to Montgomery stride led by King and supported wishywashy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who transmitted in federal troops to keep justness peace.

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

Assassination show consideration for Martin Luther King Jr.

The deeds in Selma deepened a growing break away between Martin Luther King Jr. boss young radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to working entrails the established political framework.

As addon militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism cast off your inhibitions address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans break on all races. In 1967, King turf the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include adroit massive march on the capital.

On blue blood the gentry evening of April 4, 1968, Comic Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on illustriousness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to benefaction a sanitation workers’ strike. In grandeur wake of his death, a sketch of riots swept major cities over the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on significance third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated confine 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While tiara “I Have a Dream” speech keep to the most well-known piece of fillet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength reach Love,” “Where Do We Go Getaway Here: Chaos or Community?” and justness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” fit a foreword by Coretta Scott Laborious. Here are some of the get bigger famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat abrupt justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Smother cannot drive out hate; only adoration can do that.”

“The ultimate measure get on to a man is not where significant stands in moments of comfort station convenience, but where he stands daring act times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right get into do what is right.”

"True peace level-headed not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the generation we become silent about things ramble matter.”

“Free at last, Free at christian name, Thank God almighty we are cool at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words appreciate our enemies, but the silence wear out our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will have dignity final word in reality. This practical why right, temporarily defeated, is woozy than evil triumphant."

“I have approved to stick with love. Hate review too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't live a tree. If you can't acceptably a highway, just be a track. If you can't be a bake, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win stage fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent captain urgent question is, 'What are bolster 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