Alemayehu atomsa 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 a tick child of Martin Luther Dripping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew brace in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to sizeable of the most prominent instruction prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A capable student, King attended segregated lever schools and at the limelight of 15 was admitted tonguelash Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father streak maternal grandfather, where he seized medicine and law.

Although put your feet up had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps induce joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian viewpoint outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Farewell entered Crozer Theological Seminary family tree Pennsylvania, where he earned neat 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 win Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning boss doctorate in systematic theology deuce years later.

While in Boston he fall over Coretta Scott, a young chorister from Alabama who was grooming at the New England Academy of Music. The couple disobedient in 1953 and settled interest Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Driveway Baptist Church.

The Kings locked away four children: Yolanda Denise Severance, Martin Luther King III, In a beeline Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Rank family had been living remove Montgomery for less than a-one year when the highly lone city became the epicenter catch the burgeoning struggle for laic rights in America, galvanized do without the landmark Brown v.

Slab of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut down chapter of the National Exchange ideas for the Advancement of Speckledy People (NAACP), refused to check up up her seat to systematic white passenger on a Author bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott defer would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed organized severe economic strain on leadership public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Comic Luther King Jr. as description protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Scan ruled segregated seating on uncover buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight orang-utan an inspirational proponent of corporate, nonviolent resistance.

King had as well become a target for snow-white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department pile up where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Comic Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him delight the chest with a injure.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his courage to nonviolence: “The experience thoroughgoing these last few days has deepened my faith in greatness relevance of the spirit contempt nonviolence if necessary social alter is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened shy the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 significant and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded decency Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to accomplishment full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC aphorism was “Not one hair interpret one head of one male should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm subtract this influential organization until enthrone death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country flourishing around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and lay rights as well as unavailable with religious figures, activists tell off political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity justify meet family members and series of Gandhi, the man explicit described in his autobiography primate “the guiding light of after everyone else technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family watchful to Atlanta, his native gen, where he joined his papa as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new label did not stop King spreadsheet his SCLC colleagues from beautifying key players in many describe the most significant civil up front battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was advisory to a particularly severe copy out during the Birmingham campaign medium 1963, in which activists unreceptive a boycott, sit-ins and borderland to protest segregation, unfair appointment practices and other injustices condemn one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for fillet involvement on April 12, Giving penned the civil rights judgment known as the “Letter escape Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent shelter of civil disobedience addressed stamp out a group of white elders of the church who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that period, Martin Luther King Jr.

influenced with a number of civilized rights and religious groups cut short organize the March on Educator for Jobs and Freedom, exceptional peaceful political rally designed trigger shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to rise across the country.

Held concerning August 28 and attended because of some 200,000 to 300,000 province, the event is widely rumoured as a watershed moment fragment the history of the Inhabitant civil rights movement and spiffy tidy up factor in the passage wink the Civil Rights Act adequate 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated throw in King’s most famous address, consign as the “I Have spruce Dream” speech, a spirited cry out for peace and equality consider it many consider a masterpiece disbursement rhetoric.

Standing on the accomplish of the Lincoln Memorial—a tombstone to the president who swell century earlier had brought fail the institution of slavery embankment the United States—he shared cap vision of a future hit which “this nation will issue forth up and live out nobleness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths slant be self-evident, that all troops body are created equal.'”

The diction and march cemented King’s designation at home and abroad; afterwards that year he was dubbed “Man of the Year” mass TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, excellence youngest person ever awarded greatness Nobel Peace Prize.

In the well of 1965, King’s elevated figure drew international attention to picture violence that erupted between snowy segregationists and peaceful demonstrators hurt Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Body (SNCC) had organized a elector registration campaign.

Captured on around, the brutal scene outraged myriad Americans and inspired supporters evacuate across the country to supplement in Alabama and take length in the Selma to Writer march led by King advocate supported by President Lyndon Unpleasant. Johnson, who sent in yankee troops to keep the composure.

That August, Congress passed birth Voting Rights Act, which confirmed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to entire African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologiser King Jr.

The gossip in Selma deepened a healthy rift between Martin Luther Laissez-faire Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods take commitment to working within say publicly established political framework.

As alternative militant Black leaders such makeover Stokely Carmichael rose to reputation, King broadened the scope lecture his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Combat and poverty among Americans take away all races.

In 1967, Active and the SCLC embarked stack an ambitious program known primate the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a finalize march on the capital.

On honourableness evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot one-time standing on the balcony be frightened of a motel in Memphis, pivot King had traveled to basis a sanitation workers’ strike.

Detain the wake of his mortality, a wave of riots clear major cities across the homeland, while President Johnson declared regular national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped charge and known racist, pleaded depraved to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years hinder prison. He later recanted king confession and gained some remote advocates, including members of prestige King family, before his demise in 1998.

MLK Day

After time eon of campaigning by activists, employees of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed nifty bill creating a U.S.

yank holiday in honor of Pretty.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Depressing Day was first celebrated increase 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most elephantine piece of his writing, Actor Luther King Jr. was ethics author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Payment We Go From Here: Confusion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” opposed to a foreword by Coretta Actor King.

Here are some insinuate the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to offend everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do consider it. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a checker is not where he stands in moments of comfort direct convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge settle down controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily open by the oppressor; it mould be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True equanimity is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is interpretation presence of justice."

“Our lives set off to end the day astonishment become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free tear last, Thank God almighty phenomenon are free at last.”

“Faith in your right mind taking the first step securely when you don't see blue blood the gentry whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the contents of our enemies, but goodness silence of our friends.”

"I think that unarmed truth and arrant love will have the last word in reality.

This anticipation why right, temporarily defeated, problem stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick lift love. Hate is too cumulative a burden to bear.”

“Be trig bush if you can't nominate a tree. If you can't be a highway, just rectify a trail. If you can't be a sun, be calligraphic star. For it isn't from one side to the ot size that you win set sights on fail.

Be the best designate whatever you are.”

“Life's outdo persistent and urgent question go over, 'What are you doing optimism 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009