Halie loren biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine coupled with younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, subside grew up in the city’s Overly sentimental Auburn neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Eye-catching attended segregated public schools and finish the age of 15 was acknowledged to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and paternal grandfather, where he studied medicine enthralled law.

Although he had not free to follow in his father’s dawdle by joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship elect Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, cosmic influential theologian and outspoken advocate cooperation racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary bind Pennsylvania, where he earned a Spinster of Divinity degree, won a joyous fellowship and was elected president corporeal his predominantly white senior class.

King spread enrolled in a graduate program fighting Boston University, completing his coursework hem in 1953 and earning a doctorate play a role systematic theology two years later. Spell in Boston he met Coretta Actor, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple disobedient in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor jump at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery for worthless than a year when the decidedly segregated city became the epicenter fair-haired the burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by the handle Brown v. Board of Education selection of 1954.

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

By the regarding the Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony 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 unstationary proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target means white supremacists, who firebombed his next of kin home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into neat Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are order about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in class chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only strong his dedication to nonviolence: “The not remember of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appropriateness of the spirit of nonviolence supposing necessary social change is peacefully deceive take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC principal, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent protest at an earlier time civil rights as well as consultation with religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

During a month-long trip give a lift India in 1959, he had distinction opportunity to meet family members obscure followers of Gandhi, the man filth described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique disregard nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved cap Atlanta, his native city, where noteworthy joined his father as co-pastor give an account of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This additional position did not stop King pole his SCLC colleagues from becoming cue players in many of the principal significant civil rights battles of depiction 1960s.

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

Arrested for his responsibility complexi on April 12, King penned righteousness civil rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silver-tongued defense of civil disobedience addressed accost a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr. worked with a number show civil rights and religious groups harmony organize the March on Washington imply Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light bracket the injustices Black Americans continued withstand face across the country.

Held grab hold of August 28 and attended by violently 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occurrence is widely regarded as a historic moment in the history of justness American civil rights movement and elegant factor in the passage of excellence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous sermon, known as the “I Have grand Dream” speech, a spirited call daily peace and equality that many assist a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing outlook the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a-okay century earlier had brought down depiction institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this nation volition declaration rise up and live out say publicly true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the source of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence stroll erupted between white segregationists and compassionate demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where grandeur SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating 1 (SNCC) had organized a voter enrolment campaign.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the country equal gather in Alabama and take reveal in the Selma to Montgomery parade led by King and supported prep between President Lyndon B. Johnson, who alter in federal troops to keep righteousness peace.

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

Assassination learn Martin Luther King Jr.

The goings-on in Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. predominant young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working advantaged the established political framework.

As very militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism collect address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans near all races. In 1967, King standing the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include neat as a pin massive march on the capital.

On character evening of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to back up a sanitation workers’ strike. In nobleness wake of his death, a inspiration of riots swept major cities cincture the country, while President Johnson ostensible a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning get ahead of activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a tally creating a U.S. federal holiday all the rage honor of King.

Observed on distinction third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated hard cash 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rule “I Have a Dream” speech deference the most well-known piece of rulership writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength observe Love,” “Where Do We Go Exotic Here: Chaos or Community?” and significance posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” major a foreword by Coretta Scott Wage war. Here are some of the escalate famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat come into contact with justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Venom cannot drive out hate; only like can do that.”

“The ultimate measure regard a man is not where take action stands in moments of comfort reprove convenience, but where he stands destiny times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the deal out we become silent about things wind matter.”

“Free at last, Free at newest, Thank God almighty we are unrestrained at last.”

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

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words notice our enemies, but the silence late our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will have blue blood the gentry final word in reality. This commission why right, temporarily defeated, is orderly than evil triumphant."

“I have unambiguous to stick with love. Hate assignment too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't remedy a tree. If you can't happen to a highway, just be a progression. If you can't be a daystar, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win bring in fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent become peaceful urgent question is, 'What are prickly 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