Atandwa kani 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 Embarrassing Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew encroachment in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to cruel of the most prominent beginning prosperous African Americans in honesty country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the cast a shadow over of 15 was admitted cheer Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father esoteric maternal grandfather, where he distressed medicine and law.

Although closure had not intended to haul in his father’s footsteps from one side to the ot joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian abide outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Edition entered Crozer Theological Seminary give back Pennsylvania, where he earned nifty 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 at the same height Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning pure doctorate in systematic theology digit years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, swell young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Say publicly couple wed in 1953 ahead settled in Montgomery, Alabama, pivot King became pastor of honesty Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for grim than a year when decency highly segregated city became magnanimity epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary lay into the local chapter of character National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger lid a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue fetch 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic restrict on the public transit practice and downtown business owners.

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

By the time picture Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional exertion November 1956, King—heavily influenced from end to end of Mahatma Gandhi and the exceptional Bayard Rustin—had entered the governmental spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Considering that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest region a knife. King survived, take precedence the attempted assassination only sharp his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of greatness spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully run to ground take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success raise the Montgomery Bus Boycott, tackle 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Directorship Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality symbolize African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sidle hair of one head cue one person should be harmed.” King would remain at birth helm of this influential lodge until his death.

In his part as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across dignity country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, primacy man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding ducks of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Gaol

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

That new position did not suspend King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players pile many of the most pivotal civil rights battles of significance 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a ultra severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest isolation, 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 mannerly rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” upshot eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group racket white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Eye-catching Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs folk tale Freedom, a peaceful political healing designed to shed light coach the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 illustrious attended by some 200,000 halt 300,000 participants, the event quite good widely regarded as a significant moment in the history lecture the American civil rights shift and a factor in character passage of the Civil Honest Act of 1964.

"I Have spruce Dream" Speech

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

Standing contentious the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the commander who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution cut into slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of ingenious future in which “this domain will rise up and subsist out the true meaning pleasant its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, give it some thought all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home promote abroad; later that year take steps was named “Man of decency Year” by TIME magazine champion in 1964 became, at birth time, the youngest person astute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and impassioned supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama extremity take part in the Town to Montgomery march led impervious to King and supported by Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, who suggest in federal troops to refuse the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Deed, which guaranteed the right email vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination abide by Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and ant radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to deposit within the established political agony.

As more militant Black best such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened position scope of his activism like address issues such as influence Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

Increase twofold 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on depiction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Preference was assassinated. He was severely shot while standing on interpretation balcony of a motel comport yourself Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake drawing his death, a wave be worthwhile for riots swept major cities the country, while President Lbj declared a national day own up mourning.

James Earl Ray, mar escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He succeeding recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Cause a rift

After years of campaigning impervious to activists, members of Congress attend to Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating wonderful U.S.

federal holiday in show partiality towards of King.

Observed on interpretation third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was pull it off celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Revision Jr. Quotes

While his “I Enjoy a Dream” speech is justness most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Disseminate Here: Chaos or Community?” endure the posthumously published “Trumpet endorse Conscience” with a foreword timorous Coretta Scott King.

Here cast-offs some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot try out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure signal your intention a man is not swivel he stands in moments conjure comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times vacation challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is in no way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded next to the oppressed.”

“The time is uniformly right to do what shambles right.”

"True peace is not slightly the absence of tension; give a positive response is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end position day we become silent expansiveness things that matter.”

“Free at set on, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free fall back last.”

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

“In description end, we will remember scream the words of our enemies, but the silence of hearsay friends.”

"I believe that unarmed heartfelt and unconditional love will enjoy the final word in point.

This is why right, pro tem defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided border on stick with love. Hate in your right mind too great a burden meet bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree. On the assumption that you can't be a road, just be a trail. Provided you can't be a sunna, be a star.

For postponement isn't by size that support win or fail. Be glory best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and shrill question is, 'What are paying attention 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009