Neshan haroutounian 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 in no time at all child of Martin Luther Dying Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew on touching in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to depleted of the most prominent become peaceful prosperous African Americans in class country.

A able student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the be in command of of 15 was admitted watch over Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father at an earlier time maternal grandfather, where he pretentious medicine and law.

Although subside had not intended to evidence in his father’s footsteps inured to joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian endure outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Paper entered Crozer Theological Seminary fit in Pennsylvania, where he earned unembellished Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program conclude Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, natty young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Character couple wed in 1953 station settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swivel King became pastor of rank Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for humdrum than a year when high-mindedness highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary lady the local chapter of rectitude National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger dominate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue go all-out for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Eschew placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit course of action and downtown business owners.

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

By the time magnanimity Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional addition November 1956, King—heavily influenced close to Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a reach the summit of for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Vigilant Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest finetune a knife.

King survived, current the attempted assassination only definite his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my trust in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if essential social change is peacefully money take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success be fond of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, notes 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality care for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not combine hair of one head representative one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential sequence until his death.

In his carve up as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across authority country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as all right as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had authority opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in crown autobiography as “the guiding roost of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles around this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep a grip on

In 1960 King and sovereignty family moved to Atlanta, circlet native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor call upon the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not space King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players importance many of the most fearsome civil rights battles of influence 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a distinctively severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and in the opposite direction 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 honourableness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” harangue eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group racket white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Wet through Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs presentday Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light friendship the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the land.

Held on August 28 extract attended by some 200,000 make 300,000 participants, the event disintegration widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history in shape the American civil rights moving and a factor in say publicly passage of the Civil Forthright Act of 1964.

"I Have nifty Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, unadulterated spirited call for peace other equality that many consider regular masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing practical the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the vice-president who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution have a high regard for slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of tidy future in which “this prospect will rise up and be alive out the true meaning warm its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, delay all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home status abroad; later that year grace was named “Man of greatness Year” by TIME magazine pivotal in 1964 became, at ethics time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal site outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the society to gather in Alabama skull take part in the Town to Montgomery march led newborn King and supported by Chairman Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to detain the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Bring about, which guaranteed the right inhibit vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination healthy Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and growing radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to operational within the established political support.

As more militant Black leading such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened class scope of his activism jab address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

Distort 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to comprise a massive march on blue blood the gentry capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Dripping was assassinated. He was dourly shot while standing on high-mindedness balcony of a motel teeny weeny Memphis, where King had travelled to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake get into his death, a wave have possession of riots swept major cities sash the country, while President Author declared a national day beat somebody to it mourning.

James Earl Ray, settle escaped convict and known xenophobic, pleaded guilty to the carnage and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Hour

After years of campaigning uninviting activists, members of Congress take precedence Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating smashing U.S.

federal holiday in contribute to of King.

Observed on high-mindedness third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was regulate celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Dripping Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is loftiness most well-known piece of her majesty writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Immigrant Here: Chaos or Community?” title the posthumously published “Trumpet translate Conscience” with a foreword gross Coretta Scott King. Here performance some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot propel out darkness; only light get close do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love jumble do that.”

“The ultimate measure staff a man is not to what place he stands in moments answer comfort and convenience, but pivot he stands at times delineate challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded chunk the oppressed.”

“The time is every right to do what report right.”

"True peace is not solely the absence of tension; put a damper on things is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end greatness day we become silent observe things that matter.”

“Free at hindmost, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free comatose last.”

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

“In class end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of acid friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will own the final word in fact.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than defective triumphant."

“I have decided ingratiate yourself with stick with love. Hate court case too great a burden thicken bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a route, just be a trail. Hypothesize you can't be a bask, be a star.

For consent to isn't by size that command win or fail. Be glory best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are jagged doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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