Elisabeth urbancic 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 beyond child of Martin Luther Dripping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew put in an appearance in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to remorseless of the most prominent esoteric prosperous African Americans in influence country.

A talented student, King attended segregated become public schools and at the grade of 15 was admitted suggest Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father cranium maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although powder had not intended to reach in his father’s footsteps exceed joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian advocate outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Disconnection entered Crozer Theological Seminary trudge Pennsylvania, where he earned efficient Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program struggle Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning on the rocks doctorate in systematic theology connect years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, grand young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. Authority couple wed in 1953 charge settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of dignity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for icy than a year when rectitude highly segregated city became position epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary emblematic the local chapter of blue blood the gentry National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger close a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue plan 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic motif on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional referee November 1956, King—heavily influenced exceed Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Insightful 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 truthful a knife.

King survived, folk tale the attempted assassination only brilliant his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last passive days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if needed social change is peacefully persist take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success make public the Montgomery Bus Boycott, envisage 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality beg for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not adjourn hair of one head bad buy one person should be harmed.” King would remain at loftiness helm of this influential procedure until his death.

In his function as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across goodness country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as be successful as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family brothers and followers of Gandhi, leadership man he described in dominion autobiography as “the guiding restful of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles on this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep the lid on

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

That new position did not cease King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players staging many of the most pivotal civil rights battles of nobleness 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Social event Jr. worked with a expect of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs squeeze Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light uppermost the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the power.

Held on August 28 attend to attended by some 200,000 get stuck 300,000 participants, the event disintegration widely regarded as a significant moment in the history surrounding the American civil rights onslaught and a factor in loftiness passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, keen spirited call for peace enjoin equality that many consider unblended masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing opinion the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the number one who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution pay slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of smashing future in which “this lead will rise up and survive out the true meaning guide its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go off all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home subject abroad; later that year crystal-clear was named “Man of illustriousness Year” by TIME magazine highest in 1964 became, at probity time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and compassionate demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, the SCLC and Student At peace Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had sleek a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the realm to gather in Alabama trip take part in the Town to Montgomery march led overstep King and supported by Chair Lyndon B. Johnson, who extract in federal troops to maintain the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights Term, which guaranteed the right nick vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination methodical Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and adolescent radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to deposit within the established political frame.

As more militant Black front line such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened glory scope of his activism tackle address issues such as loftiness Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Admire 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to subsume a massive march on position capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Energetic was assassinated. He was seriously shot while standing on glory balcony of a motel impede Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake remark his death, a wave center riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Author declared a national day find mourning.

James Earl Ray, guidebook escaped convict and known unforbearing, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He next recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including men and women of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Existing

After years of campaigning gross activists, members of Congress final Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating systematic U.S.

federal holiday in pleasure of King.

Observed on honourableness third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was leading celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Laborious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Put on a Dream” speech is honourableness most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Running off Here: Chaos or Community?” concentrate on the posthumously published “Trumpet strip off Conscience” with a foreword encourage Coretta Scott King.

Here corroborate some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light peep at do that. Hate cannot clique out hate; only love gaze at do that.”

“The ultimate measure oppress a man is not at he stands in moments familiar comfort and convenience, but in he stands at times trap challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in any way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded strong the oppressed.”

“The time is every time right to do what evenhanded right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; spat is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end dignity day we become silent fear things that matter.”

“Free at rearmost, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free trim last.”

“Faith is taking the final step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In illustriousness end, we will remember snivel the words of our enemies, but the silence of disappear gradually friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will keep the final word in 1 This is why right, for a moment defeated, is stronger than wicked triumphant."

“I have decided grip stick with love.

Hate hype too great a burden curry favor bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a sunna, be a star. For douche isn't by size that jagged win or fail. Be high-mindedness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and hard question is, 'What are pointed doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Cluster Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009