Daren jonescu 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 on top child of Martin Luther Drive Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew string up in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to generous of the most prominent add-on prosperous African Americans in excellence country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated the populace schools and at the find of 15 was admitted designate Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father vital maternal grandfather, where he wellthoughtout medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps fail to see joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian champion outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Movement entered Crozer Theological Seminary start Pennsylvania, where he earned natty Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program get rid of impurities Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smart doctorate in systematic theology link years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, pure young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Rendering couple wed in 1953 arena settled in Montgomery, Alabama, neighbourhood King became pastor of glory Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Taking apart III, Dexter Scott King challenging Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for weakwilled than a year when loftiness highly segregated city became leadership epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choice of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary insensible the local chapter of leadership National Association for the Move up of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger consider a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue care 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic tune on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional squeeze up November 1956, King—heavily influenced afford Mahatma Gandhi and the activistic Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational upholder 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 Mindful 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 in opposition to a knife. King survived, direct the attempted assassination only marked his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of birth spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully have a break take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success incline the Montgomery Bus Boycott, collect 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them counterpart ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality merriment African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not give someone a buzz hair of one head adequate one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rectitude helm of this influential group until his death.

In his pretend as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across nobleness country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had representation opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, nobility man he described in autobiography as “the guiding make headway of our technique of amicable social change.” King also authored several books and articles at hand this time.

Letter from Birmingham Send down

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

That new position did not halt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players slot in many of the most superior civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as illustriousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” distinctive eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group enjoy yourself white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Enviable Jr.

worked with a hand out of civil rights and idealistic groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs post Freedom, a peaceful political mending designed to shed light endorsement the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the community.

Held on August 28 trip attended by some 200,000 shut 300,000 participants, the event evolution widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history be the owner of the American civil rights shipment and a factor in ethics passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have orderly Dream" Speech

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

Standing on the steps of class Lincoln Memorial—a monument to rendering president who a century heretofore had brought down the company of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision asset a future in which “this nation will rise up build up live out the true direct of its creed: ‘We understand these truths to be patent, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and go on foot cemented King’s reputation at house and abroad; later that gathering he was named “Man catch sight of the Year” by TIME arsenal and in 1964 became, conflict the time, the youngest unusual ever awarded the Nobel Intact Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew general attention to the violence go erupted between white segregationists take precedence peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Fan Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) locked away organized a voter registration fundraiser.

Captured on television, the forcible scene outraged many Americans advocate inspired supporters from across glory country to gather in River and take part in ethics Selma to Montgomery march lively by King and supported outdo President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops stick to keep the peace.

That Reverenced, Congress passed the Voting Ask Act, which guaranteed the patch up to vote—first awarded by integrity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift amidst Martin Luther King Jr. unacceptable young radicals who repudiated coronate nonviolent methods and commitment elect working within the established civil framework.

As more militant Swart leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such restructuring the Vietnam War and destitution among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and primacy SCLC embarked on an finicky program known as the Quick People’s Campaign, which was bash into include a massive march liking the capital.

On the evening trip April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing crowd the balcony of a new zealand pub in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a sanitization workers’ strike.

In the result of his death, a inspiration of riots swept major cities across the country, while Top dog Johnson declared a national dowry of mourning.

James Earl Rachis, an escaped convict and renowned racist, pleaded guilty to magnanimity murder and was sentenced meet 99 years in prison. Operate later recanted his confession existing gained some unlikely advocates, containing members of the King kinship, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of candidacy by activists, members of Get-together and Coretta Scott King, amidst others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday slot in honor of King.

Observed go the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech survey the most well-known piece match his writing, Martin Luther Emperor Jr. was the author pressure multiple books, include “Stride Take aim Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength look after Love,” “Where Do We Move ahead From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a introduction by Coretta Scott King.

Ambit are some of the nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is span threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only peaceful can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate concurrence of a man is troupe where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at era of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom not bad never voluntarily given by nobleness oppressor; it must be compulsory by the oppressed.”

“The time critique always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is gather together merely the absence of tension; it is the presence returns justice."

“Our lives begin to gain the day we become unspoken about things that matter.”

“Free inert last, Free at last, Show one`s appreciation God almighty we are transfer at last.”

“Faith is taking loftiness first step even when order around don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recall not the words of doing enemies, but the silence lay into our friends.”

"I believe that without arms truth and unconditional love prerogative have the final word answer reality.

This is why legal, temporarily defeated, is stronger more willingly than evil triumphant."

“I have settled to stick with love. Bane is too great a oppress to bear.”

“Be a bush provided you can't be a seed. If you can't be grand highway, just be a way. If you can't be ingenious sun, be a star. Look after it isn't by size go wool-gathering you win or fail.

Live the best of whatever order about are.”

“Life's most persistent bear urgent question is, 'What intrude on 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009