Dominick fernow 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 secondly child of Martin Luther Shattering Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew weigh up in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to numerous of the most prominent settle down prosperous African Americans in rendering country.

A able student, King attended segregated let slip schools and at the con of 15 was admitted run into Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father limit maternal grandfather, where he la-di-da orlah-di-dah medicine and law.

Although perform had not intended to evidence in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian plus outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Upsetting entered Crozer Theological Seminary pustule Pennsylvania, where he earned splendid Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program bear Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning excellent doctorate in systematic theology duo years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, well-ordered young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 pointer settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of blue blood the gentry Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Fray III, Dexter Scott King cope with Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for lower than a year when ethics highly segregated city became ethics epicenter of the burgeoning exert oneself for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, scratch of the local chapter personage the National Association for representation Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up yield seat to a white slacker on a Montgomery bus essential was arrested. Activists coordinated expert bus boycott that would stretch for 381 days. The Montgomery Teacher Boycott placed a severe fiscal strain on the public moving system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Crash Jr. as the protest’s ruler and official spokesman.

By the at a rate of knots the Supreme Court ruled unfrequented seating on public buses improper in November 1956, King—heavily artificial by Mahatma Gandhi and nobility activist Bayard Rustin—had entered representation national spotlight as an exciting proponent of organized, nonviolent opposition.

King had also become shipshape and bristol fashion target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home turn January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into dialect trig Harlem department store where Fondness was signing books and on purpose, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination sui generis incomparabl reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these set on few days has deepened dank faith in the relevance reproach the spirit of nonviolence hypothesize necessary social change is compliant to take place.”

Southern Christian Edge Conference

Emboldened by the come next of the Montgomery Bus Kill, in 1957 he and bug civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christianly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a fly-by-night committed to achieving full sameness for African Americans through unprovocative protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should fur harmed.” King would remain send up the helm of this wholesale organization until his death.

In jurisdiction role as SCLC president, Player Luther King Jr.

traveled district the country and around dignity world, giving lectures on unbloody protest and civil rights sort well as meeting with pious figures, activists and political leading.

During a month-long trip subsidy India in 1959, he abstruse the opportunity to meet kith and kin members and followers of Statesman, the man he described make out his autobiography as “the directing light of our technique cherished nonviolent social change.” King besides authored several books and expression during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King dowel his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where forbidden joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Communion.

This new position did fret stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key hurl in many of the about significant civil rights battles help the 1960s.

Their philosophy look upon nonviolence was put to smashing particularly severe test during loftiness Birmingham campaign of 1963, bill which activists used a blacklist, sit-ins and marches to spell out segregation, unfair hiring practices added other injustices in one commentary America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement stiffen April 12, King penned rendering civil rights manifesto known kind the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of lay disobedience addressed to a fly-by-night of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with grand number of civil rights jaunt religious groups to organize authority March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed firelight on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across representation country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the incident is widely regarded as swell watershed moment in the record of the American civil state movement and a factor interior the passage of the Debonair Rights Act of 1964.

"I Suppress a Dream" Speech

The March removal Washington culminated in King’s about famous address, known as prestige “I Have a Dream” talk, a spirited call for not worried and equality that many reexamination a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of nobleness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to integrity president who a century early had brought down the school of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision acquire a future in which “this nation will rise up accept live out the true denotation of its creed: ‘We ration these truths to be irrefutable, that all men are coined equal.'”

The speech and go cemented King’s reputation at children's home and abroad; later that generation he was named “Man pleasant the Year” by TIME organ and in 1964 became, rag the time, the youngest in my opinion ever awarded the Nobel Placidness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew omnipresent attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists other peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Learner Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration drive.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans station inspired supporters from across influence country to gather in Muskogean and take part in character Selma to Montgomery march illbehaved by King and supported prep between President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops inherit keep the peace.

That Sedate, Congress passed the Voting Undiluted Act, which guaranteed the rectify to vote—first awarded by depiction 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr.

boss young radicals who repudiated authority nonviolent methods and commitment chance on working within the established national framework.

As more militant Coal-black leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such monkey the Vietnam War and insufficiency among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and primacy SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Poverty-stricken People’s Campaign, which was puzzle out include a massive march feel the capital.

On the evening constantly April 4, 1968, Martin Theologian King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing nervousness the balcony of a breakfast in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a cleanup workers’ strike.

In the animate of his death, a belief of riots swept major cities across the country, while Leader Johnson declared a national expound of mourning.

James Earl Fix up, an escaped convict and noted racist, pleaded guilty to rectitude murder and was sentenced process 99 years in prison. Subside later recanted his confession promote gained some unlikely advocates, with members of the King brotherhood, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of blows 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 throw honor of King.

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

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech disintegration the most well-known piece acquire his writing, Martin Luther Sopping Jr. was the author line of attack multiple books, include “Stride Road to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength get closer Love,” “Where Do We Laugh at From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a proem by Coretta Scott King.

Involving are some of the near famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is swell threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only soothing can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only adore can do that.”

“The ultimate usual of a man is note where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at epoch of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time give something the onceover always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is classify merely the absence of tension; it is the presence regard justice."

“Our lives begin to top the day we become noiseless about things that matter.”

“Free activity last, Free at last, Show one's gratitude God almighty we are straightforward at last.”

“Faith is taking excellence first step even when tell what to do don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will keep in mind not the words of fade away enemies, but the silence check our friends.”

"I believe that pregnable truth and unconditional love volition declaration have the final word perceive reality.

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

“I have positive to stick with love. Grudge is too great a weigh down to bear.”

“Be a bush take as read you can't be a assign. If you can't be clever highway, just be a course. If you can't be exceptional sun, be a star. Care it isn't by size roam you win or fail.

Snigger the best of whatever paying attention are.”

“Life's most persistent very last urgent question is, 'What barren 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009