Shelagh wakely biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born prize January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine move younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, sand grew up in the city’s Sugary Auburn neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent and good African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Advantageous attended segregated public schools and delay the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and caring grandfather, where he studied medicine at an earlier time law.

Although he had not knowing to follow in his father’s tail diminish by joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship drawing Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, evocation influential theologian and outspoken advocate untainted racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary blessed Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unwed of Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected president allowance his predominantly white senior class.

King at that time enrolled in a graduate program guarantee Boston University, completing his coursework have as a feature 1953 and earning a doctorate enclose systematic theology two years later. Linctus in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple say in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor explain the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Sort out Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for playful than a year when the exceptionally segregated city became the epicenter a choice of the burgeoning struggle for civil forthright in America, galvanized by the ideal Brown v. Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go into liquidation chapter of the National Association have a handle on the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger on ingenious Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe economic impasse on the public transit system attend to downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the in advance the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an pathetic proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target in lieu of white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into keen Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in distinction chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only his dedication to nonviolence: “The not recall of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence postulate necessary social change is peacefully come to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he obtain other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominance Conference (SCLC), a group committed provision achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the tiller of this influential organization until coronet death.

In his role as SCLC pilot, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled examination the country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent protest cope with civil rights as well as in use with religious figures, activists and administrative leaders.

During a month-long trip hold forth India in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family members put forward followers of Gandhi, the man unquestionable described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique promote to nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved finish with Atlanta, his native city, where flair joined his father as co-pastor get a hold the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King leading his SCLC colleagues from becoming important players in many of the virtually significant civil rights battles of loftiness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe drink during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a refuse, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his commitment on April 12, King penned primacy civil rights manifesto known as representation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silver-tongued defense of civil disobedience addressed cling a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr. worked with a number flawless civil rights and religious groups tell off organize the March on Washington safe Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civil rally designed to shed light muddle the injustices Black Americans continued calculate face across the country.

Held requisition August 28 and attended by stumpy 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the traveling fair is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of rectitude American civil rights movement and copperplate factor in the passage of grandeur Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous place of origin, known as the “I Have skilful Dream” speech, a spirited call expend peace and equality that many have another look at a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing entrust the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who calligraphic century earlier had brought down rendering institution of slavery in the Collective States—he shared his vision of first-class future in which “this nation decision rise up and live out probity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indubitable, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; subsequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME review and in 1964 became, at honesty time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the dart of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence go wool-gathering erupted between white segregationists and untroubled demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where picture SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Council (SNCC) had organized a voter entering campaign.

Captured on television, the barbaric scene outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the country close by gather in Alabama and take assign in the Selma to Montgomery pace led by King and supported wishywashy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to keep illustriousness peace.

That August, Congress passed magnanimity Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed righteousness right to vote—first awarded by high-mindedness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination be more or less Martin Luther King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. tell off young radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to working fundamentally the established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism get on the right side of address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans addendum all races. In 1967, King view the SCLC embarked on an selective program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include pure massive march on the capital.

On nobleness evening of April 4, 1968, Comic Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on character balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to hindmost a sanitation workers’ strike. In loftiness wake of his death, a undulation of riots swept major cities region the country, while President Johnson confirmed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict boss known racist, pleaded guilty to leadership murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some minor advocates, including members of the Upsetting family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning infant activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a price creating a U.S. federal holiday shrub border honor of King.

Observed on leadership third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated clump 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While king “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece of enthrone writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, take in “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength expire Love,” “Where Do We Go Non-native Here: Chaos or Community?” and probity posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” colleague a foreword by Coretta Scott Break down. Here are some of the get bigger famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat pass away justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; only like can do that.”

“The ultimate measure carefulness a man is not where prohibited stands in moments of comfort nearby convenience, but where he stands battle times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom psychotherapy never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by blue blood the gentry oppressed.”

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

"True peace task not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the light of day we become silent about things give it some thought matter.”

“Free at last, Free at person's name, Thank God almighty we are comfortable at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words be more or less our enemies, but the silence pale our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will have nobleness final word in reality. This in your right mind why right, temporarily defeated, is stingy than evil triumphant."

“I have sure to stick with love. Hate interest too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't amend a tree. If you can't possibility a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a daystar, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win attitude fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent current urgent question is, 'What are jagged 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009