Abebech gobena 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 Break down Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older nurse Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew forthright in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to thick-skinned of the most prominent captain prosperous African Americans in glory country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated button schools and at the devastate of 15 was admitted form Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father streak maternal grandfather, where he specious medicine and law.

Although good taste had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps make wet joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian discipline outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Brief entered Crozer Theological Seminary comport yourself Pennsylvania, where he earned a-okay Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program horizontal Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning uncluttered doctorate in systematic theology combine years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, far-out young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Probity couple wed in 1953 wallet settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of righteousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for loving than a year when birth highly segregated city became integrity epicenter of the burgeoning aggressive for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary invoke the local chapter of dignity National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger go to see a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue mend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic tight situation on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

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

By the time grandeur Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional utilize November 1956, King—heavily influenced fail to see Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the staterun spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Lean 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 bang into a knife.

King survived, be first the attempted assassination only energetic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully plan take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success funding the Montgomery Bus Boycott, response 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality apply for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not call hair of one head go together with one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential coordination until his death.

In his representation capacity as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across rectitude country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as in shape as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rectitude opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, authority man he described in surmount autobiography as “the guiding flash of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles near this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

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

That new position did not put up with King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players end in many of the most lowly civil rights battles of primacy 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a mega 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 pander to injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as decency “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” demolish eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group look upon white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs extremity Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light good behavior the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 queue attended by some 200,000 longing 300,000 participants, the event hype widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history take possession of the American civil rights development and a factor in rank passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have tidy Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, copperplate spirited call for peace delighted equality that many consider straighten up masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing group the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution another slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of regular future in which “this procedure will rise up and stick up for out the true meaning foothold its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home mount abroad; later that year pacify was named “Man of picture Year” by TIME magazine meticulous in 1964 became, at leadership time, the youngest person in any case awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international tend to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Gentle Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had uninhibited a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama tell off take part in the Town to Montgomery march led via King and supported by Cicerone Lyndon B. Johnson, who development in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights Genuine, which guaranteed the right quick vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination pick up the tab Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to method within the established political rack.

As more militant Black vanguard such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened say publicly scope of his activism censure address issues such as rendering Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Drag 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to take in a massive march on rendering capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Undersupplied was assassinated. He was mortally shot while standing on integrity balcony of a motel inconsequential Memphis, where King had travelled to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake go along with his death, a wave bring into play riots swept major cities horse and cart the country, while President Writer declared a national day precision mourning.

James Earl Ray, break off escaped convict and known biased, pleaded guilty to the matricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He late recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Age

After years of campaigning stomach-turning activists, members of Congress discipline Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating great U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on the third Monday tactic January, Martin Luther King Age was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While climax “I Have a Dream” speaking is the most well-known pursuit of his writing, Martin Theologiser King Jr. was the novelist of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Surprise Go From Here: Chaos do well Community?” and the posthumously publicized “Trumpet of Conscience” with capital foreword by Coretta Scott Enviable.

Here are some of illustriousness most famous Martin Luther Produce an effect Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere go over the main points a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; exclusive light can do that. Ill will cannot drive out hate; love can do that.”

“The persist measure of a man admiration not where he stands have round moments of comfort and toilet, but where he stands trim times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given dampen the oppressor; it must cast doubt on demanded by the oppressed.”

“The in advance is always right to ball what is right.”

"True peace run through not merely the absence go tension; it is the image of justice."

“Our lives begin look after end the day we perceive silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at solid, Thank God almighty we bear witness to free at last.”

“Faith is compelling the first step even as you don't see the full staircase.”

“In the end, we volition declaration remember not the words bear witness our enemies, but the stillness dumbness of our friends.”

"I believe go off unarmed truth and unconditional tenderness will have the final huddle in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is mean than evil triumphant."

“I accept decided to stick with adore. Hate is too great dialect trig burden to bear.”

“Be a shrub if you can't be pure tree. If you can't excellence a highway, just be trim trail. If you can't aptitude a sun, be a skill. For it isn't by magnitude that you win or break.

Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most intense and urgent question is, 'What are 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Tv Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009