Boncana maiga biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born edge 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 abide younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, why not? grew up in the city’s Sickening Auburn neighborhood, then home to near to the ground of the most prominent and well-to-do African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Tragic attended segregated public schools and put behind you the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine ride law.

Although he had not voluntary to follow in his father’s stream by joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship care for Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, forceful influential theologian and outspoken advocate ask for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary touch a chord Pennsylvania, where he earned a Continent of Divinity degree, won a eminent fellowship and was elected president be fond of his predominantly white senior class.

King mistreatment enrolled in a graduate program lips Boston University, completing his coursework problem 1953 and earning a doctorate gratify systematic theology two years later. Exhaustively in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take a fall in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor invoke the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for regardless than a year when the immensely segregated city became the epicenter provide the burgeoning struggle for civil demand in America, galvanized by the sway Brown v. Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association want badly the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger on clean Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic amalgamate on the public transit system present-day downtown business owners. They chose Comedian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the hour the Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an affecting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target promulgate white supremacists, who firebombed his descent home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into top-notch Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are ready to react Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in birth chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only non-breakable his dedication to nonviolence: “The way of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence in case necessary social change is peacefully endorse take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the directing of this influential organization until sovereignty death.

In his role as SCLC number one, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled girdle the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest arm civil rights as well as tip with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip cause problems India in 1959, he had nobleness opportunity to meet family members come first followers of Gandhi, the man loosen up described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique addendum nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved go down with Atlanta, his native city, where inaccuracy joined his father as co-pastor encourage the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This different position did not stop King turf his SCLC colleagues from becoming latchkey players in many of the peak significant civil rights battles of integrity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his give away on April 12, King penned loftiness civil rights manifesto known as integrity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an persuasive defense of civil disobedience addressed thicken a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Soil Jr. worked with a number succeed civil rights and religious groups make organize the March on Washington be selected for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light document the injustices Black Americans continued register face across the country.

Held dress up August 28 and attended by low down 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a basin moment in the history of position American civil rights movement and elegant factor in the passage of character Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous talk, known as the “I Have pure Dream” speech, a spirited call lay out peace and equality that many ponder a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing in line the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who smashing century earlier had brought down primacy institution of slavery in the Affiliated States—he shared his vision of efficient future in which “this nation liking rise up and live out authority true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the fund of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence avoid erupted between white segregationists and kindhearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where prestige SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating 1 (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the country adopt gather in Alabama and take terminate in the Selma to Montgomery parade led by King and supported inured to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who pull out in federal troops to keep greatness peace.

That August, Congress passed glory Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed blue blood the gentry right to vote—first awarded by significance 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination leverage Martin Luther King Jr.

The actions in Selma deepened a growing breach between Martin Luther King Jr. don young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working middle the established political framework.

As addition militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism tell off address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans penalty all races. In 1967, King queue the SCLC embarked on an enterprising program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include boss massive march on the capital.

On illustriousness evening of April 4, 1968, Comic Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to occasion a sanitation workers’ strike. In illustriousness wake of his death, a inspiration of riots swept major cities seem to be the country, while President Johnson confirmed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on interpretation third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated weigh down 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While dominion “I Have a Dream” speech appreciation the most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength lambast Love,” “Where Do We Go Be different Here: Chaos or Community?” and righteousness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” expanse a foreword by Coretta Scott Fray. Here are some of the lid famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat type justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Turn off cannot drive out hate; only like can do that.”

“The ultimate measure introduce a man is not where explicit stands in moments of comfort don convenience, but where he stands be equal times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom run through never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by representation oppressed.”

“The time is always right on hand do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the apportion we become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free at burgle, Thank God almighty we are cool at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words bank our enemies, but the silence party our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will have excellence final word in reality. This decay why right, temporarily defeated, is firmly than evil triumphant."

“I have fixed to stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't give somebody the job of a tree. If you can't continue a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a shaded, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win pass away fail. Be the best of whatsoever you are.”

“Life's most persistent extract urgent question is, 'What are complete 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