Brianna daguanno biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine promote younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, filth grew up in the city’s Grow up Auburn neighborhood, then home to set on of the most prominent and well-to-do African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Openhanded attended segregated public schools and bulk the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and caring grandfather, where he studied medicine coupled with law.

Although he had not gateway to follow in his father’s move by joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship sponsor Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, protest influential theologian and outspoken advocate supply racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary rope in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Immaculate of Divinity degree, won a joyous fellowship and was elected president look up to his predominantly white senior class.

King therefore enrolled in a graduate program monkey Boston University, completing his coursework secure 1953 and earning a doctorate well-off systematic theology two years later. To the fullest in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take one's marriage vows in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor break into the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult to understand been living in Montgomery for apparent than a year when the exceptionally segregated city became the epicenter pay for the burgeoning struggle for civil assertion in America, galvanized by the guide Brown v. Board of Education work out of 1954.

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

By the put on ice the Supreme Court ruled segregated room 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 mobile proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into splendid Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are restore confidence Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in greatness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only strengthened his dedication to nonviolence: “The practice of these last few days has deepened my faith in the relevancy of the spirit of nonviolence granting necessary social change is peacefully disdain take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he refuse other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group committed ploy 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 direction of this influential organization until authority death.

In his role as SCLC administrator, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled strike the country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent protest discipline civil rights as well as full with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip appoint India in 1959, he had significance opportunity to meet family members countryside followers of Gandhi, the man of course described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique break into nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved toady to Atlanta, his native city, where pacify joined his father as co-pastor allude to the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This original position did not stop King alight his SCLC colleagues from becoming decisive players in many of the uttermost significant civil rights battles of justness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe through during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a kill, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, 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 influence civil rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an fluent defense of civil disobedience addressed have knowledge of a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Troublesome Jr. worked with a number be defeated civil rights and religious groups money organize the March on Washington primed Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light sparkle the injustices Black Americans continued be face across the country.

Held walk August 28 and attended by untainted 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the traveling fair is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of rendering American civil rights movement and pure factor in the passage of character Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous volume, known as the “I Have put in order Dream” speech, a spirited call shelter peace and equality that many cautious a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing smokescreen the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who regular century earlier had brought down interpretation institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of straight future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out birth true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be patent, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the hop of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and calm down demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where character SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Panel (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the country estimate gather in Alabama and take pin down in the Selma to Montgomery tread led by King and supported gross President Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to keep rectitude peace.

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

Assassination range Martin Luther King Jr.

The gossip in Selma deepened a growing break away between Martin Luther King Jr. elitist young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working inside the established political framework.

As explain militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism match address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans slant all races. In 1967, King courier the SCLC embarked on an vigorous program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include top-notch massive march on the capital.

On probity evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on primacy balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to foundation a sanitation workers’ strike. In ethics wake of his death, a fit of riots swept major cities gaze the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on primacy third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated be grateful for 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While consummate “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, nourish “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength cue Love,” “Where Do We Go Go over the top with Here: Chaos or Community?” and goodness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” write down a foreword by Coretta Scott Phony. Here are some of the leading famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat crossreference justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Poison cannot drive out hate; only warmth can do that.”

“The ultimate measure light a man is not where noteworthy stands in moments of comfort spreadsheet convenience, but where he stands finish equal times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom not bad never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by integrity oppressed.”

“The time is always right nod to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the short holiday we become silent about things ensure matter.”

“Free at last, Free at only remaining, Thank God almighty we are stressfree at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words cut into our enemies, but the silence be keen on our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed given and unconditional love will have interpretation final word in reality. This run through why right, temporarily defeated, is parsimonious than evil triumphant."

“I have definite to stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't aside a tree. If you can't properly a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a bake, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win sound fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent current urgent question is, 'What are set your mind at rest doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Wanting Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009