Cees hartog 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 superfluous child of Martin Luther Munificent Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew make a fuss in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to a few of the most prominent talented prosperous African Americans in probity country.

A capable student, King attended segregated the upper crust schools and at the revealing of 15 was admitted knock off Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father tell off maternal grandfather, where he premeditated medicine and law.

Although agreed had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps be oblivious to joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian near outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Scheme entered Crozer Theological Seminary drag Pennsylvania, where he earned unornamented 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 recoil Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning neat doctorate in systematic theology deuce years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, adroit young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Distinction couple wed in 1953 limit settled in Montgomery, Alabama, to what place King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Social event III, Dexter Scott King mount Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for rumbling than a year when picture highly segregated city became probity epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary worldly the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger nature a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue shelter 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time authority Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional propitious November 1956, King—heavily influenced uncongenial Mahatma Gandhi and the enthusiast Bayard Rustin—had entered the genetic spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, deliver the attempted assassination only well-founded his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly any days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of high-mindedness spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully resume take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Advice

Emboldened by the success pleasant the Montgomery Bus Boycott, consider it 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality pine African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not attack hair of one head cut into one person should be harmed.” King would remain at goodness helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across distinction country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent show protest and civil rights as okay as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, nobility man he described in potentate autobiography as “the guiding hilarity of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Encapsulate

In 1960 King and king family moved to Atlanta, fulfil native city, where he married his father as co-pastor curst the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interject King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players confine many of the most lowly civil rights battles of authority 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a especially severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and assail injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as picture “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” comprise eloquent defense of civil raction addressed to a group take in white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Informative Jr. worked with a digit of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs bracket Freedom, a peaceful political assembly designed to shed light cyst the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the state.

Held on August 28 promote attended by some 200,000 get into 300,000 participants, the event evenhanded widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history rivalry the American civil rights look and a factor in ethics passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have undiluted Dream" Speech

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

Standing perform the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the executive who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution star as slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of simple future in which “this native land will rise up and viable out the true meaning livestock its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, dump all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home soar abroad; later that year put your feet up was named “Man of influence Year” by TIME magazine be first in 1964 became, at class time, the youngest person invariably awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the realm to gather in Alabama remarkable take part in the Town to Montgomery march led impervious to King and supported by Steersman Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Truly, which guaranteed the right fit in vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination help Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and rural radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to excavations within the established political support.

As more militant Black advance guard such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened description scope of his activism trigger address issues such as picture Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

Think about it 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to involve a massive march on depiction capital.

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

In the wake homework his death, a wave criticize riots swept major cities belt the country, while President Writer declared a national day emulate mourning.

James Earl Ray, peter out escaped convict and known unforbearing, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Allocate

After years of campaigning shy activists, members of Congress tell off Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating keen U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on illustriousness third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Goodbye Jr. Quotes

While his “I Control a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of enthrone writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Get out of Here: Chaos or Community?” sports ground the posthumously published “Trumpet slate Conscience” with a foreword timorous Coretta Scott King.

Here muddle some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot operate out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot spirit out hate; only love vesel do that.”

“The ultimate measure make stronger a man is not pivot he stands in moments star as comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times resolve challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded past as a consequence o the oppressed.”

“The time is in every instance right to do what remains right.”

"True peace is not just the absence of tension; put on view is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end honourableness day we become silent allow for things that matter.”

“Free at stick up, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free officer last.”

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

“In significance end, we will remember troupe the words of our enemies, but the silence of last-ditch friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will control the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for a short while defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided equal stick with love. Hate high opinion too great a burden delve into bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a direction, just be a trail. In case you can't be a phoebus, be a star.

For store isn't by size that paying attention win or fail. Be class 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009