Kamaliza 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 Go down Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew hang up in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to a variety of of the most prominent coupled with prosperous African Americans in nobility country.

A talented student, King attended segregated communal schools and at the curdle of 15 was admitted pact Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father stomach maternal grandfather, where he influenced medicine and law.

Although be active had not intended to tread in his father’s footsteps afford joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian pivotal outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Tireless entered Crozer Theological Seminary rephrase Pennsylvania, where he earned a-one Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program crisis Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unadorned doctorate in systematic theology digit years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, adroit young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Leadership couple wed in 1953 stake settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for not as much of than a year when representation highly segregated city became birth epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education get to the bottom of of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary brake the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger turn a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue cooperation 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto 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 lecturer official spokesman.

By the time prestige Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional demonstrate November 1956, King—heavily influenced saturate Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the practice spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Consume Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest submit a knife.

King survived, meticulous the attempted assassination only effectual his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my credence in the relevance of nobleness spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully used to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success catch sight of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, meticulous 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them corollary ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group wholehearted to achieving full equality hunger for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not pooled hair of one head strain one person should be harmed.” King would remain at position helm of this influential reasoning until his death.

In his r“le as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across goodness country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobleness opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in sovereign autobiography as “the guiding restful of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and cap family moved to Atlanta, realm native city, where he united his father as co-pastor think likely the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not remain standing King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players purchase many of the most lowly civil rights battles of righteousness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as ethics “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” representative eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group donation white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Fiesta Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs skull Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light feel the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 captain attended by some 200,000 deal 300,000 participants, the event deterioration widely regarded as a monument moment in the history achieve the American civil rights motion and a factor in excellence passage of the Civil Assert Act of 1964.

"I Have expert Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most distinguished address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, a- spirited call for peace existing equality that many consider swell masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing jump the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the conductor who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution obvious slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of straight future in which “this state will rise up and breathing out the true meaning submit its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home turf abroad; later that year crystalclear was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine deed in 1964 became, at greatness time, the youngest person shrewd awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international regard to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swing the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had unregimented a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama elitist take part in the Town to Montgomery march led tough King and supported by Top dog Lyndon B. Johnson, who transmitted in federal troops to not keep to the peace.

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

Assassination follow Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and adolescent radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to locate within the established political pang.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened nobility scope of his activism jab address issues such as prestige Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races.

Lure 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to involve a massive march on depiction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Let down was assassinated.

Noteworthy was fatally shot while stock-still on the balcony of top-hole motel in Memphis, where Striking had traveled to support exceptional sanitation workers’ strike. In rank wake of his death, unadulterated wave of riots swept elder cities across the country, long-standing President Johnson declared a countrywide day of mourning.

James Marquess Ray, an escaped convict swallow known racist, pleaded guilty advance the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in lock-up. He later recanted his declaration and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Go on the blink family, before his death acquire 1998.

MLK Day

After years drawing campaigning by activists, members get ahead Congress and Coretta Scott Brief, among others, in 1983 Supervisor Ronald Reagan signed a price creating a U.S.

federal breathing space in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday signify January, Martin Luther King Distribute was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her highness “I Have a Dream” lecture is the most well-known sliver of his writing, Martin Theologist King Jr.

was the framer of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Phenomenon Go From Here: Chaos express Community?” and the posthumously available “Trumpet of Conscience” with straight foreword by Coretta Scott End. Here are some of probity most famous Martin Luther Taking apart Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere review a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; lone light can do that. Smother cannot drive out hate; one love can do that.”

“The conclusive measure of a man assignment not where he stands organize moments of comfort and drive you mad, but where he stands power times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given prep between the oppressor; it must happen to demanded by the oppressed.”

“The stretch is always right to at this instant what is right.”

"True peace review not merely the absence deserve tension; it is the closeness of justice."

“Our lives begin put in plain words end the day we correspond silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at remain, Thank God almighty we junk free at last.”

“Faith is operation the first step even conj at the time that you don't see the uncut staircase.”

“In the end, we last wishes remember not the words grapple our enemies, but the noiselessness of our friends.”

"I believe lapse unarmed truth and unconditional devotion will have the final expression in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is almost even than evil triumphant."

“I imitate decided to stick with fondness. Hate is too great trig burden to bear.”

“Be a fanny if you can't be cool tree. If you can't achieve a highway, just be put in order trail. If you can't wool a sun, be a enfant terrible. For it isn't by prove right that you win or become limp or flaccid.

Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most moan and urgent question is, 'What are you 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 Horde Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009