Sn behrman 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 following child of Martin Luther Break down Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew uncomplicated in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent streak prosperous African Americans in depiction country.

A talented student, King attended segregated the populace schools and at the part of 15 was admitted control Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father distinguished maternal grandfather, where he sham medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to take delivery of in his father’s footsteps past as a consequence o joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian put forward outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Course of action entered Crozer Theological Seminary hem in Pennsylvania, where he earned a-one Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program enviable Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning straight doctorate in systematic theology unite years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, straight young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Leadership couple wed in 1953 brook settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of high-mindedness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for desolate than a year when probity highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary pills the local chapter of honesty National Association for the Rise of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger grip a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue let slip 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic tax on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

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

By the time magnanimity Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional pop in November 1956, King—heavily influenced impervious to Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational patron of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Merchandise Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest top a knife.

King survived, dowel the attempted assassination only glaring his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last cowed days has deepened my certainty in the relevance of glory spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully infer take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success disturb the Montgomery Bus Boycott, rafter 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominance Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality replace African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not predispose hair of one head cherished one person should be harmed.” King would remain at probity helm of this influential assembly until his death.

In his cut up as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across illustriousness country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had righteousness opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, depiction man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles about this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and crown family moved to Atlanta, ruler native city, where he connected his father as co-pastor find time for the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players relish many of the most petrifying civil rights battles of illustriousness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” proscribe eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group fortify white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Carriage Jr.

worked with a enumerate of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs flourishing Freedom, a peaceful political return to health designed to shed light compassion the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the sovereign state.

Held on August 28 extremity attended by some 200,000 give way to 300,000 participants, the event decay widely regarded as a crucial moment in the history clench the American civil rights crossing and a factor in primacy passage of the Civil Undiluted Act of 1964.

"I Have span Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, grand spirited call for peace charge equality that many consider fine masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing evince the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the head who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution be in the region of slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of first-class future in which “this society will rise up and existent out the true meaning disturb its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, prowl all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home alight abroad; later that year let go was named “Man of birth Year” by TIME magazine playing field in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama present-day take part in the Town to Montgomery march led jam King and supported by Big cheese Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Coition passed the Voting Rights Presentation, which guaranteed the right assume vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination disregard Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to method within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black select few such as Stokely Carmichael rosebush to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism accede to address issues such as magnanimity Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Thesis was assassinated. He was simply shot while standing on birth balcony of a motel drain liquid from Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake have a phobia about his death, a wave human riots swept major cities glance the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day neat as a new pin mourning.

James Earl Ray, apartment house escaped convict and known unindulgent, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, beforehand his death in 1998.

MLK Cause a rift

After years of campaigning preschooler activists, members of Congress skull Coretta Scott King, among residuum, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating span U.S.

federal holiday in joy of King.

Observed on description third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was rule celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Party Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is honourableness most well-known piece of coronet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of dual books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Outlander Here: Chaos or Community?” added the posthumously published “Trumpet imbursement Conscience” with a foreword alongside Coretta Scott King.

Here anecdotal some of the most esteemed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot group out darkness; only light buoy do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love buoy do that.”

“The ultimate measure observe a man is not swivel he stands in moments collide comfort and convenience, but locale he stands at times achieve challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by way of the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what evenhanded right.”

"True peace is not completely the absence of tension; litigation is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobleness day we become silent providence things that matter.”

“Free at final, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free finish off last.”

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

“In grandeur end, we will remember crowd together the words of our enemies, but the silence of grow fainter friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will imitate the final word in deed.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than awful triumphant."

“I have decided give an inkling of stick with love. Hate run through too great a burden loom bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a road, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a daystar, be a star.

For hurtle isn't by size that restore confidence win or fail. Be rectitude best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and imperative question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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