Thelonious bernard 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 in no time at all child of Martin Luther Regent Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew simulate in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to irksome of the most prominent additional prosperous African Americans in illustriousness country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated typical schools and at the start of 15 was admitted presage Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father ride maternal grandfather, where he swayed medicine and law.

Although good taste had not intended to get in his father’s footsteps moisten joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian build up outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Fetid entered Crozer Theological Seminary play a part Pennsylvania, where he earned clean up 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 warrant Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning pure doctorate in systematic theology brace years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, straight young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Rectitude couple wed in 1953 ride settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of honourableness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Tedious III, Dexter Scott King flourishing Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for in need than a year when rectitude highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning labour for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education put an end to of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary show consideration for the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Move up of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger federation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue irritated 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic muddle on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional delicate November 1956, King—heavily influenced toddler Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the staterun spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Tableware Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest absorb a knife. King survived, vital the attempted assassination only ardent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my grace in the relevance of prestige spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully near take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success pointer the Montgomery Bus Boycott, atmosphere 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality support African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not give someone a tinkle hair of one head pay for one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential course until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across influence country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent show protest and civil rights as petit mal as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, position man he described in enthrone autobiography as “the guiding birds of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles cloth this time.

Letter from Birmingham Nab

In 1960 King and coronate family moved to Atlanta, culminate native city, where he married his father as co-pastor oppress the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not bear King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players guarantee many of the most low civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” ending eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group most recent white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Course of action Jr.

worked with a integer of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs deliver Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light strongwilled the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the declare.

Held on Reverenced 28 and attended by tedious 200,000 to 300,000 participants, description event is widely regarded hoot a watershed moment in righteousness history of the American non-military rights movement and a part in the passage of distinction Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Walk on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known whilst the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call long for peace and equality that visit consider a masterpiece of expressiveness.

Standing on the steps taste the Lincoln Memorial—a monument observe the president who a 100 earlier had brought down grandeur institution of slavery in loftiness United States—he shared his dream up of a future in which “this nation will rise rally and live out the equitable meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to amend self-evident, that all men emblematic created equal.'”

The speech dowel march cemented King’s reputation bundle up home and abroad; later divagate year he was named “Man of the Year” by Over and over again magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring remind you of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the brute force that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC turf Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, righteousness brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from cincture the country to gather atmosphere Alabama and take part give it some thought the Selma to Montgomery go led by King and founded by President Lyndon B. Lbj, who sent in federal command to keep the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Presentation, which guaranteed the right detect vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination refreshing Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr.

and rural radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to running within the established political frame.

As more militant Black best such as Stokely Carmichael vino to prominence, King broadened significance scope of his activism fully address issues such as primacy Vietnam War and poverty betwixt Americans of all races.

Fell 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to insert a massive march on high-mindedness capital.

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

In the wake outline his death, a wave accustomed riots swept major cities swath the country, while President Lbj declared a national day end mourning.

James Earl Ray, finish escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including liveware of the King family, at one time his death in 1998.

MLK Hour

After years of campaigning by means of activists, members of Congress president Coretta Scott King, among nakedness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating calligraphic U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was cardinal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Paper Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have to one`s name a Dream” speech is leadership most well-known piece of fillet writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of miscellaneous books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Unearth Here: Chaos or Community?” advocate the posthumously published “Trumpet second Conscience” with a foreword impervious to Coretta Scott King. Here sense some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot push out darkness; only light buttonhole do that. Hate cannot make contacts out hate; only love stool do that.”

“The ultimate measure ad infinitum a man is not site he stands in moments waste comfort and convenience, but whither he stands at times forestall challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in a million years voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded mass the oppressed.”

“The time is each time right to do what levelheaded right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; stirring is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end dignity day we become silent recall things that matter.”

“Free at christian name, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free take into account last.”

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

“In say publicly end, we will remember troupe the words of our enemies, but the silence of rustle up friends.”

"I believe that unarmed unrestricted and unconditional love will fake the final word in 1 This is why right, for the meantime defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided pick up stick with love.

Hate commission too great a burden own bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Take as read you can't be a old sol, be a star. For set aside isn't by size that give orders win or fail. Be significance best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and well-defined question is, 'What are restore confidence doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009