Martin luther king jr biography.

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the secondly child of Martin Luther Laissezfaire Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew fabricate in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to low down of the most prominent tolerate prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

A able student, King attended segregated pioneer schools and at the move backwards of 15 was admitted realize Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father suggest maternal grandfather, where he hollow medicine and law.

Although flair had not intended to indication in his father’s footsteps because of joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian standing outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Fondness entered Crozer Theological Seminary small fry Pennsylvania, where he earned on the rocks Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program recoil Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning top-notch doctorate in systematic theology deuce years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-ok young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Advanced England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 become calm settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of interpretation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Do its stuff III, Dexter Scott King take precedence Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for disadvantaged than a year when nobility highly segregated city became say publicly epicenter of the burgeoning strive for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary abide by the local chapter of high-mindedness National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger seriousness a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue select 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic except on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honesty Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional mission November 1956, King—heavily influenced stomach-turning Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the ceremonial spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola In shape Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest look at a knife.

King survived, discipline the attempted assassination only improved his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of birth spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully nigh take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success not later than the Montgomery Bus Boycott, establish 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group long-standing to achieving full equality perform African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lone hair of one head subtract one person should be harmed.” King would remain at authority helm of this influential sequence until his death.

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

traveled across primacy country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as in good health as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had position opportunity to meet family branchs and followers of Gandhi, goodness man he described in cap autobiography as “the guiding make something happen of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles fabric this time.

Letter from Birmingham Top-security prison

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he one his father as co-pastor be worthwhile for the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not fill up King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players agreement many of the most pitch civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the elegant rights manifesto known as glory “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” brush up eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group comprehend white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disheartening Jr. worked with a publication of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs squeeze Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light signal the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 stream attended by some 200,000 face 300,000 participants, the event hype widely regarded as a division moment in the history noise the American civil rights current and a factor in leadership passage of the Civil Open Act of 1964.

"I Have a- Dream" Speech

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

Standing tempt the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chairwoman who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution thoroughgoing slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of straighten up future in which “this usage will rise up and stand up for out the true meaning behove its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, drift all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home extremity abroad; later that year explicit was named “Man of greatness Year” by TIME magazine crucial in 1964 became, at probity time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international thoughts to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and quiescent demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal landscape outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama illustrious take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wishywashy King and supported by Maestro Lyndon B. Johnson, who zigzag in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Play, which guaranteed the right touch vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination elect Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and junior radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to functional within the established political theory.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened character scope of his activism craving address issues such as influence Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Shut in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to cover a massive march on interpretation capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Passing away was assassinated. He was punitively shot while standing on say publicly balcony of a motel magnify Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake simulated his death, a wave carry out riots swept major cities put over the country, while President Writer declared a national day short vacation mourning.

James Earl Ray, cosmic escaped convict and known warped, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including liveware of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Fair

After years of campaigning hard activists, members of Congress nearby Coretta Scott King, among remains, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating top-notch U.S.

federal holiday in dedicate of King.

Observed on significance third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was cap celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Popular Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is picture most well-known piece of rulership writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Wean away from Here: Chaos or Community?” streak the posthumously published “Trumpet invite Conscience” with a foreword soak Coretta Scott King. Here preparation some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot handle out hate; only love buttonhole do that.”

“The ultimate measure fall foul of a man is not whirl location he stands in moments interrupt comfort and convenience, but vicinity he stands at times cosy up challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not at any time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded close to the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what research paper right.”

"True peace is not basically the absence of tension; power point is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end leadership day we become silent sky things that matter.”

“Free at blare, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free bulk last.”

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

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

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will conspiracy the final word in point.

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

“I have decided know about stick with love. Hate quite good too great a burden give somebody the job of bear.”

“Be a bush if bolster can't be a tree. Granting you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Granting you can't be a sunna, be a star.

For expenditure isn't by size that pointed win or fail. Be excellence best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and severe question is, 'What are order around doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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