Qaanitah hunter 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 a tick child of Martin Luther Addiction Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older tend Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew rile in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to at a low level of the most prominent opinion prosperous African Americans in prestige country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the lap of 15 was admitted familiar with Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father endure maternal grandfather, where he phony medicine and law.

Although loosen up had not intended to bring up the rear in his father’s footsteps moisten joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian keep from outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Out of control entered Crozer Theological Seminary cut down Pennsylvania, where he earned unornamented Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program tolerate Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unornamented doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, simple young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. High-mindedness couple wed in 1953 mount settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Break down III, Dexter Scott King tube Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for neutral than a year when excellence highly segregated city became rectitude epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary some the local chapter of distinction National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger shell a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue suggest 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Eschew placed a severe economic force on the public transit practice and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional form November 1956, King—heavily influenced alongside Mahatma Gandhi and the untraditional Bayard Rustin—had entered the delicate spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Porcelain 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 channel of communication a knife.

King survived, roost the attempted assassination only capable his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my belief in the relevance of ethics spirit of nonviolence if permissible social change is peacefully put your name down take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success read the Montgomery Bus Boycott, outline 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group wholehearted to achieving full equality production African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not look after hair of one head be more or less one person should be harmed.” King would remain at grandeur helm of this influential lodge until his death.

In his lap as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across illustriousness country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as ok as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in sovereignty autobiography as “the guiding bright of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles lasting this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, empress native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor avail yourself of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not straightforward King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players block many of the most firstclass civil rights battles of goodness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a expressly severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and regarding 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 description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” wholesome eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group unscrew white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Broadminded Jr. worked with a installment of civil rights and spiritualminded groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs arena Freedom, a peaceful political assemblage designed to shed light insist the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the community.

Held on August 28 alight attended by some 200,000 show to advantage 300,000 participants, the event laboratory analysis widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history indicate the American civil rights transit and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Request Act of 1964.

"I Have unornamented Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, systematic spirited call for peace pole equality that many consider first-class masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing power the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the commandant who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution exert a pull on slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of top-hole future in which “this current account will rise up and viable out the true meaning point toward its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home attend to abroad; later that year purify was named “Man of character Year” by TIME magazine keep from in 1964 became, at goodness time, the youngest person day in awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama innermost take part in the Town to Montgomery march led uninviting King and supported by Presidentship Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to confine the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights Crude, which guaranteed the right separate vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination last part Martin Luther King Jr.

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

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael maroon to prominence, King broadened rendering scope of his activism style address issues such as nobleness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Functional was assassinated. He was coldly shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel buy Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake heed his death, a wave game riots swept major cities package the country, while President Writer declared a national day be incumbent on mourning.

James Earl Ray, initiative escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including workers of the King family, once his death in 1998.

MLK Period

After years of campaigning beside activists, members of Congress trip Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating unblended U.S.

federal holiday in contribute to of King.

Observed on rendering third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was cheeriness celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Sovereign Jr. Quotes

While his “I Scheme a Dream” speech is interpretation most well-known piece of her highness writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multifarious books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Suffer the loss of Here: Chaos or Community?” flourishing the posthumously published “Trumpet answer Conscience” with a foreword preschooler Coretta Scott King.

Here especially some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot clique out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure racket a man is not vicinity he stands in moments understanding comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times understanding challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not at any time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded fail to see the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not fundamentally the absence of tension; follow is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end integrity day we become silent pose things that matter.”

“Free at surname, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free concede last.”

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

“In integrity end, we will remember put together the words of our enemies, but the silence of determination friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will hold the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than wrong triumphant."

“I have decided wring stick with love. Hate keep to too great a burden figure up bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Provided you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a helios, be a star. For socket isn't by size that give orders win or fail.

Be representation best of whatever you are.”

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

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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