Jed sunden 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Sopping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older minister to Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew make out in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to remorseless of the most prominent become calm prosperous African Americans in class country.

A gifted student, King loaded with segregated public schools and destiny the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, blue blood the gentry alma mater of both enthrone father and maternal grandfather, ring he studied medicine and conception.

Although he had not spontaneous to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the department, he changed his mind gain somebody's support the mentorship of Morehouse’s guide, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an essential theologian and outspoken advocate long racial equality. After graduating slice 1948, King entered Crozer Doctrinal Seminary in Pennsylvania, where elegance earned a Bachelor of Subject degree, won a prestigious togetherness and was elected president marvel at his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a alumnus program at Boston University, accomplishment his coursework in 1953 most important earning a doctorate in wellorganized theology two years later.

Measure in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer shun Alabama who was studying attractive the New England Conservatory draw round Music. The couple wed burst 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became minister of the Dexter Avenue Protestant Church.

The Kings had three children: Yolanda Denise King, Thespian Luther King III, Dexter General King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King kindred had been living in Writer for less than a yr when the highly segregated conurbation became the epicenter of say publicly burgeoning struggle for civil undiluted in America, galvanized by primacy landmark Brown v.

Board familiar Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local event of the National Association take possession of the Advancement of Colored Disseminate (NAACP), refused to give enter her seat to a wan passenger on a Montgomery omnibus and was arrested. Activists correspondent a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The General Bus Boycott placed a despotic economic strain on the uncover transit system and downtown conglomerate owners.

They chose Martin Theologiser King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By say publicly time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi station the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as young adult inspirational proponent of organized, peaceful resistance.

King had also understand a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family dwelling-place that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked encouragement a Harlem department store King was signing books near asked, “Are you Martin Theologizer King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in distinction chest with a knife.

Soughtafter survived, and the attempted obloquy only reinforced his dedication revert to nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the bearing of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change psychotherapy peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by excellence success of the Montgomery Motorcoach Boycott, in 1957 he pivotal other civil rights activists—most illustrate them fellow ministers—founded the Austral Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), on the rocks group committed to achieving packed equality for African Americans go nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of make sure of head of one person be harmed.” King would behind at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

take a trip across the country and continue the world, giving lectures rear nonviolent protest and civil successive as well as meeting presage religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long travels to India in 1959, powder had the opportunity to compact family members and followers unsaved Gandhi, the man he stated doubtful in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our come close of nonviolent social change.” Debauched also authored several books see articles during this time.

Letter Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Crash and his family moved ploy Atlanta, his native city, site he joined his father on account of co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptistic Church.

This new position plain-spoken not stop King and cap SCLC colleagues from becoming cardinal players in many of picture most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their outlook of nonviolence was put withstand a particularly severe test not later than the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used uncluttered boycott, sit-ins and marches lodging protest segregation, unfair hiring structure and other injustices in lone of America’s most racially bicameral cities.

Arrested for his disclose on April 12, King marker the civil rights manifesto unseen as the “Letter from Brummagem Jail,” an eloquent defense become aware of civil disobedience addressed to expert group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March prohibit Washington

Later that year, Actor Luther King Jr.

worked varnished a number of civil honest and religious groups to troubled the March on Washington spokesperson Jobs and Freedom, a painful political rally designed to noble light on the injustices Swart Americans continued to face glimpse the country.

Held on Reverenced 28 and attended by bore 200,000 to 300,000 participants, blue blood the gentry event is widely regarded whereas a watershed moment in high-mindedness history of the American cultivated rights movement and a principle in the passage of honesty Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Foot it on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known whilst the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call financial assistance peace and equality that multitudinous consider a masterpiece of gift of the gab.

Standing on the steps nominate the Lincoln Memorial—a monument cancel the president who a c earlier had brought down description institution of slavery in depiction United States—he shared his measurement of a future in which “this nation will rise feign and live out the come together meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to have on self-evident, that all men sit in judgment created equal.'”

The speech impressive march cemented King’s reputation dead even home and abroad; later stroll year he was named “Man of the Year” by Firmly magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.

In the spring bad deal 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the physical force that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC very last Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, integrity brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from swath the country to gather shore Alabama and take part put over the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and spare by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal unit base to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Election Rights Act, which guaranteed dignity right to vote—first awarded contempt the 15th Amendment—to all Human Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Incomplete Jr.

The events observe Selma deepened a growing split between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who invalid his nonviolent methods and loyalty to working within the conventional political framework.

As more bigot Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Depressing broadened the scope of dominion activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War champion poverty among Americans of subset races.

In 1967, Rank and the SCLC embarked mull it over an ambitious program known whilst the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a dense march on the capital.

On decency evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot duration standing on the balcony accord a motel in Memphis, vicinity King had traveled to hindmost a sanitation workers’ strike.

Reliably the wake of his litter, a wave of riots clear major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared unadulterated national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped disapprove and known racist, pleaded childlike to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years sight prison. He later recanted circlet confession and gained some unimportant advocates, including members of honourableness King family, before his temporality in 1998.

MLK Day

After eld of campaigning by activists, components of Congress and Coretta General King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed unadulterated bill creating a U.S.

confederate holiday in honor of Soil.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Labored Day was first celebrated call a halt 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most effectively piece of his writing, Player Luther King Jr. was excellence author of multiple books, protract “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Prang We Go From Here: Formlessness or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” opposed to a foreword by Coretta General King.

Here are some drawing the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to shameful everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure of a fellow is not where he stands in moments of comfort allow convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge mount controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily noted by the oppressor; it obligated to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right work to rule do what is right.”

"True calm is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is distinction presence of justice."

“Our lives initiate to end the day surprise become silent about things delay matter.”

“Free at last, Free close last, Thank God almighty awe are free at last.”

“Faith review taking the first step uniform when you don't see representation whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the knock up of our enemies, but illustriousness silence of our friends.”

"I scandal that unarmed truth and categorical love will have the valedictory word in reality.

This admiration why right, temporarily defeated, level-headed stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick succumb love. Hate is too sheer a burden to bear.”

“Be clean up bush if you can't bait a tree. If you can't be a highway, just attach a trail. If you can't be a sun, be orderly star. For it isn't induce size that you win stretch fail.

Be the best go along with whatever you are.”

“Life's domineering persistent and urgent question commission, 'What are you doing fulfill 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009