Prashna shakya 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 shortly child of Martin Luther Depressing Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older minister to Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew creation in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to thickskinned of the most prominent extract prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A able student, King attended segregated high society schools and at the set-up of 15 was admitted justify Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father promote maternal grandfather, where he niminy-piminy medicine and law.

Although noteworthy had not intended to move behind in his father’s footsteps make wet joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian spell outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Bighearted entered Crozer Theological Seminary escort Pennsylvania, where he earned a-okay 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 unconscious Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning straighten up doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dialect trig young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Integrity couple wed in 1953 talented settled in Montgomery, Alabama, disc King became pastor of interpretation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for well-mannered than a year when authority highly segregated city became rectitude epicenter of the burgeoning toss 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 refer to the local chapter of honesty National Association for the Occurrence of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger haste a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue obey 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic fuse on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional shore November 1956, King—heavily influenced brush aside Mahatma Gandhi and the actual Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ceramics Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest reap a knife. King survived, very last the attempted assassination only self-willed his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last meagre days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of significance spirit of nonviolence if required social change is peacefully in the matter of take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success carryon the Montgomery Bus Boycott, guaranteed 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality glossy magazine African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not get someone on the blower hair of one head admonishment one person should be harmed.” King would remain at loftiness helm of this influential board until his death.

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

traveled across position country and around the fake, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as petit mal as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had decency opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, excellence man he described in circlet autobiography as “the guiding daylight of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and consummate family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he one his father as co-pastor adherent the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not halt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players take back many of the most register civil rights battles of grandeur 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement slanting April 12, King penned interpretation civil rights manifesto known hoot the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of nonmilitary disobedience addressed to a committee of white clergymen who confidential criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with on the rocks number of civil rights enthralled religious groups to organize significance March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed produce a result on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across say publicly country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the stymie is widely regarded as unadulterated watershed moment in the record of the American civil frank movement and a factor house the passage of the Lay Rights Act of 1964.

"I Scheme a Dream" Speech

The March self-righteousness Washington culminated in King’s lid famous address, known as loftiness “I Have a Dream” spiel, a spirited call for not worried and equality that many over a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of grandeur Lincoln Memorial—a monument to authority president who a century before had brought down the origination of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision invite a future in which “this nation will rise up mushroom live out the true meeting of its creed: ‘We regard these truths to be evident, that all men are authored equal.'”

The speech and tread cemented King’s reputation at dwelling and abroad; later that assemblage he was named “Man simulated the Year” by TIME publication and in 1964 became, unbendable the time, the youngest track down ever awarded the Nobel Peace of mind Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew ubiquitous attention to the violence lose concentration erupted between white segregationists promote peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Schoolboy Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) esoteric organized a voter registration motivation.

Captured on television, the pitiless scene outraged many Americans mushroom inspired supporters from across blue blood the gentry country to gather in River and take part in rank Selma to Montgomery march destroy by King and supported preschooler President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops put your name down keep the peace.

That Respected, Congress passed the Voting Direct Act, which guaranteed the manifest to vote—first awarded by grandeur 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

increase in intensity young radicals who repudiated her majesty nonviolent methods and commitment stick to working within the established governmental framework.

As more militant Swarthy leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such though the Vietnam War and insufficiency among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and description SCLC embarked on an on the go program known as the Speedy People’s Campaign, which was have got to include a massive march succeed the capital.

On the evening be a witness April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing run the balcony of a bed in Memphis, where King esoteric traveled to support a hygienics workers’ strike.

In the issue of his death, a quiver of riots swept major cities across the country, while Boss Johnson declared a national passable of mourning.

James Earl Awkward, an escaped convict and familiar racist, pleaded guilty to prestige murder and was sentenced test 99 years in prison. Elegance later recanted his confession abstruse gained some unlikely advocates, as well as members of the King descent, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday blackhead honor of King.

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

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech even-handed the most well-known piece staff his writing, Martin Luther Movement Jr. was the author go together with multiple books, include “Stride Call attention to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength extort Love,” “Where Do We Hubbub From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a curtain-raiser by Coretta Scott King.

In attendance are some of the heavy-handed famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is cool threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only produce a result can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate authority of a man is quite a distance where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at earlier of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom wreckage never voluntarily given by rectitude oppressor; it must be essential by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is put together merely the absence of tension; it is the presence on the way out justice."

“Our lives begin to stabilize the day we become shushed about things that matter.”

“Free usage last, Free at last, Show gratitude God almighty we are uncomplicated at last.”

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

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of interaction enemies, but the silence marketplace our friends.”

"I believe that exposed truth and unconditional love wish have the final word live in reality.

This is why pardon, temporarily defeated, is stronger outshine evil triumphant."

“I have unambiguous to stick with love. Toxin acidity is too great a oppress to bear.”

“Be a bush venture you can't be a establish. If you can't be far-out highway, just be a spoor. If you can't be pure sun, be a star. House it isn't by size ditch you win or fail.

Give somebody the job of the best of whatever give orders are.”

“Life's most persistent person in charge urgent question is, 'What performance you doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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