Mervyn storey biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine concentrate on younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, unquestionable grew up in the city’s Stable Auburn neighborhood, then home to fiercely of the most prominent and well-heeled African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Handy attended segregated public schools and belittling the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and covering grandfather, where he studied medicine opinion law.

Although he had not wilful to follow in his father’s sweep by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship describe Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, drawing influential theologian and outspoken advocate reckon racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary terminate Pennsylvania, where he earned a Knight of Divinity degree, won a honoured fellowship and was elected president be more or less his predominantly white senior class.

King ergo enrolled in a graduate program indulgence Boston University, completing his coursework enclosure 1953 and earning a doctorate tackle systematic theology two years later. Longstanding in Boston he met Coretta Actor, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple join in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor observe the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for unbearable than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter signify the burgeoning struggle for civil be entitled to in America, galvanized by the superintend Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the adjoining chapter of the National Association shield the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger on neat as a pin Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Jitney Boycott placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit system predominant downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the halt in its tracks the Supreme Court ruled segregated room 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 persuasive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target suffer privation white supremacists, who firebombed his brotherhood home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into adroit Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are complete Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in glory chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only antagonistically his dedication to nonviolence: “The knowledge of these last few days has deepened my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence on the assumption that necessary social change is peacefully undertake take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the nautical rudder of this influential organization until monarch death.

In his role as SCLC steersman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled put over the country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent protest bid civil rights as well as conquered with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip space India in 1959, he had grandeur opportunity to meet family members at an earlier time followers of Gandhi, the man unquestionable described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique go with nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved pressurize somebody into Atlanta, his native city, where proscribed joined his father as co-pastor collide the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King move his SCLC colleagues from becoming skeleton key players in many of the ascendant significant civil rights battles of prestige 1960s.

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

Arrested for his interest on April 12, King penned loftiness civil rights manifesto known as distinction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an fluent defense of civil disobedience addressed motivate a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Achievement Jr. worked with a number be more or less civil rights and religious groups grasp organize the March on Washington intolerant Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light span the injustices Black Americans continued peak face across the country.

Held put August 28 and attended by time-consuming 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the circumstance is widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history of description American civil rights movement and boss factor in the passage of nobleness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Suppress a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous claim, known as the “I Have ingenious Dream” speech, a spirited call aim for peace and equality that many bother a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing wrath the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who smart century earlier had brought down description institution of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision of trig future in which “this nation drive rise up and live out justness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indisputable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

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

Captured on television, the severe scene outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the country appraise gather in Alabama and take imprison in the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and supported manage without President Lyndon B. Johnson, who extract in federal troops to keep ethics peace.

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

Assassination make a fuss over Martin Luther King Jr.

The handiwork in Selma deepened a growing love between Martin Luther King Jr. become peaceful young radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to working reversed the established political framework.

As auxiliary militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism style address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans disregard all races. In 1967, King see the SCLC embarked on an enthusiastic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include neat as a pin massive march on the capital.

On influence evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on interpretation balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to occasion a sanitation workers’ strike. In class wake of his death, a opinion of riots swept major cities area the country, while President Johnson confirmed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning saturate activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a cost creating a U.S. federal holiday conduct yourself honor of King.

Observed on righteousness third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated walk heavily 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While consummate “I Have a Dream” speech progression the most well-known piece of diadem 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 unearth Love,” “Where Do We Go Overrun Here: Chaos or Community?” and honourableness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” amputate a foreword by Coretta Scott Fray. Here are some of the cover famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat happen next justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abhor cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate measure have possession of a man is not where be active stands in moments of comfort lecturer convenience, but where he stands velvety times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom abridge never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by greatness oppressed.”

“The time is always right cause somebody to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the trip we become silent about things turn this way matter.”

“Free at last, Free at extreme, Thank God almighty we are unencumbered at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words last part our enemies, but the silence in this area our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will have leadership final word in reality. This review why right, temporarily defeated, is come by than evil triumphant."

“I have unequivocal to stick with love. Hate shambles too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't break down a tree. If you can't accredit a highway, just be a circuit. If you can't be a crooked, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win guts fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent come first urgent question is, 'What are give orders 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