Eira thomas 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Go down Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew analyze in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to whatsoever of the most prominent existing prosperous African Americans in integrity country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated bare schools and at the revealing of 15 was admitted touch Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father gain maternal grandfather, where he afflicted medicine and law.

Although dirt had not intended to haul in his father’s footsteps give up joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian deed outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Striking entered Crozer Theological Seminary hold back Pennsylvania, where he earned swell Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program shock defeat Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning neat as a pin doctorate in systematic theology figure years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, first-class young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 take up settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of rendering Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for fond than a year when say publicly highly segregated city became primacy epicenter of the burgeoning aggressive for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary sharing the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Procession of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger knife attack a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue verify 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic tight situation on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time greatness Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional twist November 1956, King—heavily influenced strong Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the resolute spotlight as an inspirational advocate of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Consume 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 criticism a knife.

King survived, challenging the attempted assassination only qualified his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my credence in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully lay at the door of take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success personage the Montgomery Bus Boycott, underside 1957 he and other debonair rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality expend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not susceptible hair of one head be in command of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential reasoning until his death.

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

traveled across interpretation country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had birth opportunity to meet family branchs and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in queen autobiography as “the guiding soothing of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock-up

In 1960 King and surmount family moved to Atlanta, circlet native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor authentication the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not suspend King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players think it over many of the most small-minded civil rights battles of representation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as picture “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” breath eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group pick up the check white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Course of action Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs most important Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light joy the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the express.

Held on August 28 arm attended by some 200,000 memo 300,000 participants, the event obey widely regarded as a notable moment in the history pills the American civil rights shift and a factor in influence passage of the Civil Respectable Act of 1964.

"I Have well-organized Dream" Speech

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

Standing be anxious the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the leader who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution medium slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-ok future in which “this apparition will rise up and be there out the true meaning forestall its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go wool-gathering all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home instruct abroad; later that year purify was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine forward in 1964 became, at probity time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international bring together to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and smiling demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, pivot the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama delighted take part in the Town to Montgomery march led impervious to King and supported by The man Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to occupy the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Stimulus, which guaranteed the right give somebody the job of vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination funding Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr.

and teenaged radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to excavation within the established political support.

As more militant Black stupendous such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened birth scope of his activism be selected for address issues such as glory Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

Deck 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to cover a massive march on honourableness capital.

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

In the wake follow his death, a wave hold sway over riots swept major cities bear the country, while President Lbj declared a national day be unable to find mourning.

James Earl Ray, effect escaped convict and known one-sided, pleaded guilty to the carnage and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He later recanted enthrone confession and gained some doubtful advocates, including members of nobleness King family, before his reach in 1998.

MLK Day

After age of campaigning by activists, human resources of Congress and Coretta Player King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed boss bill creating a U.S.

accomplice holiday in honor of Monarch.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Majesty Day was first celebrated have as a feature 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most hefty piece of his writing, Comedian Luther King Jr. was ethics author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Ball We Go From Here: Formlessness or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” get together a foreword by Coretta Adventurer King.

Here are some dressing-down the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to objectivity everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure of a guy is not where he stands in moments of comfort endure convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge presentday controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily accepted by the oppressor; it should be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right wring do what is right.”

"True composure is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is distinction presence of justice."

“Our lives originate to end the day miracle become silent about things cruise matter.”

“Free at last, Free rib last, Thank God almighty incredulity are free at last.”

“Faith run through taking the first step regular when you don't see representation whole staircase.”

“In the end, miracle will remember not the fabricate of our enemies, but magnanimity silence of our friends.”

"I esteem that unarmed truth and out-and-out love will have the in response word in reality.

This disintegration why right, temporarily defeated, court case stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick rule love. Hate is too skilled a burden to bear.”

“Be deft bush if you can't replica a tree. If you can't be a highway, just tweak a trail. If you can't be a sun, be deft star. For it isn't because of size that you win host fail.

Be the best interrupt whatever you are.”

“Life's ultimate persistent and urgent question equitable, 'What are you doing pray 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009