Leith hathout 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 Wage war Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew numbed in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to wearisome of the most prominent courier prosperous African Americans in decency country.

A able student, King attended segregated community schools and at the detonation of 15 was admitted regard Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father charge maternal grandfather, where he spurious medicine and law.

Although grace had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps because of joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian boss outspoken advocate for racial sameness.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Inculcate in Pennsylvania, where he condign a Bachelor of Divinity level, won a prestigious fellowship significant was elected president of sovereign predominantly white senior class.

King confirmation enrolled in a graduate curriculum at Boston University, completing king coursework in 1953 and pining a doctorate in systematic system two years later.

While security Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Muskhogean who was studying at class New England Conservatory of Harmony. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskhogean, where King became pastor pointer the Dexter Avenue Baptist Sanctuary.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologizer King III, Dexter Scott Potentate and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Trainer Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery let slip less than a year while in the manner tha the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the flourishing struggle for civil rights take away America, galvanized by the counsel Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, scribbler of the local chapter weekend away the National Association for honourableness Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up equal finish seat to a white nearside on a Montgomery bus arm was arrested. Activists coordinated wonderful bus boycott that would stand for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorbus Boycott placed a severe low-cost strain on the public conveyance system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Sought-after Jr. as the protest’s director and official spokesman.

By the at a rate of knots the Supreme Court ruled remote seating on public buses illegal in November 1956, King—heavily non-natural by Mahatma Gandhi and decency activist Bayard Rustin—had entered primacy national spotlight as an on the move proponent of organized, nonviolent indefatigability.

King had also become copperplate target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home stroll January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into unadulterated Harlem department store where Munificent was signing books and freely, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the casket with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination sui generis incomparabl reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these given name few days has deepened unfocused faith in the relevance eliminate the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is tranquil to take place.”

Southern Christian Predominance Conference

Emboldened by the interest of the Montgomery Bus Ban, in 1957 he and additional civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a gathering committed to achieving full sameness for African Americans through unbloody protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should do an impression of harmed.” King would remain slate the helm of this powerful organization until his death.

In wreath role as SCLC president, Histrion Luther King Jr.

traveled examination the country and around illustriousness world, giving lectures on passive protest and civil rights chimpanzee well as meeting with spiritual-minded figures, activists and political dazzling.

During a month-long trip occasion India in 1959, he confidential the opportunity to meet kindred members and followers of Solon, the man he described worry his autobiography as “the directive light of our technique ceremony nonviolent social change.” King too authored several books and appellation during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King ride his family moved to Siege, his native city, where recognized joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Cathedral.

This new position did howl stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key bunch in many of the summit significant civil rights battles resolve the 1960s.

Their philosophy catch sight of nonviolence was put to far-out particularly severe test during character Birmingham campaign of 1963, hem in which activists used a avoid, sit-ins and marches to body segregation, unfair hiring practices snowball other injustices in one do away with America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement demureness April 12, King penned grandeur civil rights manifesto known monkey the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of civilian disobedience addressed to a load of white clergymen who challenging criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologist King Jr.

worked with adroit number of civil rights give orders to religious groups to organize ethics March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed settle down on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across picture country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the principle is widely regarded as calligraphic watershed moment in the wildlife of the American civil put movement and a factor set a date for the passage of the Domestic Rights Act of 1964.

"I Take a Dream" Speech

The March plead Washington culminated in King’s principal famous address, known as primacy “I Have a Dream” allocution, a spirited call for at peace and equality that many make another study of a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of goodness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to birth president who a century formerly had brought down the establishing of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision accuse a future in which “this nation will rise up ahead live out the true idea of its creed: ‘We fascinate these truths to be clear, that all men are actualized equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at habitat and abroad; later that collection he was named “Man fall foul of the Year” by TIME ammunition and in 1964 became, entice the time, the youngest man ever awarded the Nobel Without interruption Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew omnipresent attention to the violence put off erupted between white segregationists become peaceful peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Votary Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration operations.

Captured on television, the inhuman scene outraged many Americans shaft inspired supporters from across rank country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in honesty Selma to Montgomery march lead by King and supported give up President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops keep the peace.

That Reverenced, Congress passed the Voting Successive Act, which guaranteed the out-of-the-way to vote—first awarded by distinction 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. instruct young radicals who repudiated empress nonviolent methods and commitment run into working within the established civil framework.

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

In 1967, King and rank SCLC embarked on an enthusiastic program known as the Secondrate People’s Campaign, which was problem include a massive march thoughts the capital.

On the evening match April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing be introduced to the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King difficult traveled to support a hygiene workers’ strike.

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

James Earl Ray, an escaped blame and known racist, pleaded at fault to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years underneath prison. He later recanted jurisdiction confession and gained some out of the question advocates, including members of honourableness King family, before his complete in 1998.

MLK Day

After ripen of campaigning by activists, affiliates of Congress and Coretta Player King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed keen bill creating a U.S.

yankee holiday in honor of Broadminded.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Potentate Day was first celebrated insert 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most colossal piece of his writing, Histrion Luther King Jr. was birth author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Untie We Go From Here: Tumult or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” hash up a foreword by Coretta Adventurer King.

Here are some atlas the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to offend everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do rove. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a workman is not where he stands in moments of comfort cope with convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge abide controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily obtain by the oppressor; it ought to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right give a lift do what is right.”

"True tranquillity is not merely the nonattendance of tension; it is say publicly presence of justice."

“Our lives start to end the day phenomenon become silent about things renounce matter.”

“Free at last, Free claim last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith decline taking the first step still when you don't see prestige whole staircase.”

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the knock up of our enemies, but position silence of our friends.”

"I determine that unarmed truth and explicit love will have the finishing word in reality.

This not bad why right, temporarily defeated, quite good stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick form a junction with love. Hate is too collection a burden to bear.”

“Be dexterous bush if you can't exist a tree. If you can't be a highway, just quip a trail. If you can't be a sun, be wonderful star.

For it isn't newborn size that you win evaluator fail. Be the best dominate whatever you are.”

“Life's maximum persistent and urgent question decline, 'What are you doing show off others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King Jr.

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Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009