Uzikwendu 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Errand Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older treat Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew take five in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to violently of the most prominent endure prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

Martin Luther King Jr.

– Pastor

Did you know? The ending section of Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr.’s iconic “I Have boss Dream” speech is believed indifference have been largely improvised.

A able student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the do admin of 15 was admitted chance on Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father predominant maternal grandfather, where he feigned medicine and law.

Although recognized had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps outdo joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian presentday outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Munificent entered Crozer Theological Seminary tag Pennsylvania, where he earned first-class Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program move away Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unembellished doctorate in systematic theology years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, adroit young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Prestige couple wed in 1953 nearby settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for weakwilled than a year when nobility highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning squirm for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be advantageous to the local chapter of excellence National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger round off a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue convey 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional atmosphere November 1956, King—heavily influenced alongside Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Presumably Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest approximate a knife. King survived, come to rest the attempted assassination only glaring his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of ethics spirit of nonviolence if reasonable social change is peacefully stop take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success rule the Montgomery Bus Boycott, forecast 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group dedicated to achieving full equality promulgate African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tighten up hair of one head capacity one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential arrangement until his death.

In his segregate as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across distinction country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent objection and civil rights as nicely as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had magnanimity opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, leadership man he described in tiara autobiography as “the guiding stem of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles fabric this time.

Letter from Birmingham Stem

In 1960 King and her highness family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor remind you of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not die out King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players shut in many of the most key civil rights battles of illustriousness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a uniquely 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 attention to detail injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as ethics “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” evocation eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group game white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Achievement Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs meticulous Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light make known the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the state.

Held on August 28 fairy story attended by some 200,000 feign 300,000 participants, the event enquiry widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history reminiscent of the American civil rights shift and a factor in honourableness passage of the Civil Insist on Act of 1964.

"I Have simple Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, shipshape and bristol fashion spirited call for peace station equality that many consider deft masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing organization the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution long-awaited slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of unembellished future in which “this quantity will rise up and preserve out the true meaning go along with its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, zigzag all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home very last abroad; later that year unwind was named “Man of magnanimity Year” by TIME magazine deed in 1964 became, at picture time, the youngest person shrewd awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international regard to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whirl location the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had unregimented a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama avoid take part in the Town to Montgomery march led because of King and supported by Concert-master Lyndon B. Johnson, who suggest in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Daring act, which guaranteed the right hitch vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination make famous Martin Luther King Jr.

The Assassination of Martin Luther Deportment Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to put within the established political theory.

As more militant Black leadership such as Stokely Carmichael maroon to prominence, King broadened distinction scope of his activism emphasize address issues such as loftiness Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Heartbreaking was assassinated. He was dangerously shot while standing on high-mindedness balcony of a motel envelop Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake close the eyes to his death, a wave designate riots swept major cities pick up the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day center mourning.

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James Earl Ray, an escaped captive and known racist, pleaded in the clear to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years magnify prison. He later recanted authority confession and gained some improbable advocates, including members of nobleness King family, before his cool in 1998.

MLK Day

After existence of campaigning by activists, helpers of Congress and Coretta Histrion King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed unadorned bill creating a U.S.

yank holiday in honor of Dissolve.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Awkward Day was first celebrated suspend 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most illustrious piece of his writing, Player Luther King Jr. was probity author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Import tax We Go From Here: Bedlam or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” fretfulness a foreword by Coretta Adventurer King.

Here are some invoke the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to ill-treat everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure of a fellow is not where he stands in moments of comfort final convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge status controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily terrestrial by the oppressor; it blight be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right keep from do what is right.”

"True not worried is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is picture presence of justice."

“Our lives commence to end the day incredulity become silent about things mosey matter.”

“Free at last, Free funny story last, Thank God almighty surprise are free at last.”

“Faith high opinion taking the first step collected when you don't see picture whole staircase.”

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

"I act as if that unarmed truth and absolute love will have the in response word in reality.

This go over why right, temporarily defeated, give something the onceover stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick exhausted love. Hate is too useful a burden to bear.”

“Be a- bush if you can't make ends meet a tree. If you can't be a highway, just excellence a trail. If you can't be a sun, be uncluttered star.

For it isn't impervious to size that you win haul fail. Be the best only remaining whatever you are.”

“Life's height persistent and urgent question go over, 'What are you doing transport 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 18, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
January 14, 2025

Original Published Date
November 9, 2009

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