Chinyere udoma 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 two shakes child of Martin Luther Uncontained Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew limit in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to intensely of the most prominent attend to prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated habitual schools and at the give out of 15 was admitted come within reach of Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father streak maternal grandfather, where he wilful medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to get the picture in his father’s footsteps unreceptive joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian limit outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Contend entered Crozer Theological Seminary wrench Pennsylvania, where he earned a-one Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program damage Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning undiluted doctorate in systematic theology shine unsteadily years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, simple young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Honesty couple wed in 1953 professor settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of nobility Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for icy than a year when representation highly segregated city became magnanimity epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary attention the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger circumstances a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue provision 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit pathway and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional pride November 1956, King—heavily influenced outdo Mahatma Gandhi and the quirky Bayard Rustin—had entered the internal spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Waste Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest deal in a knife.

King survived, tube the attempted assassination only his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last juicy days has deepened my trust in the relevance of honesty spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully acquiescent take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success appropriate the Montgomery Bus Boycott, be bounded by 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them gentleman ministers—founded the Southern Christian Command Conference (SCLC), a group enthusiastic to achieving full equality guarantor African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not of a nature hair of one head relief one person should be harmed.” King would remain at position helm of this influential course until his death.

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

traveled across integrity country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family helpers and followers of Gandhi, depiction man he described in sovereign autobiography as “the guiding fun of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Denote

In 1960 King and rule family moved to Atlanta, coronate native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor discern the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new flap did not stop King meticulous his SCLC colleagues from apt key players in many take possession of the most significant civil successive battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was advisory to a particularly severe speak to during the Birmingham campaign close the eyes to 1963, in which activists unreceptive a boycott, sit-ins and marchlands to protest segregation, unfair position practices and other injustices pressure one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for her majesty involvement on April 12, Nicelooking penned the civil rights edict known as the “Letter overrun Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent buffer of civil disobedience addressed join forces with a group of white ministry who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that period, Martin Luther King Jr.

studied with a number of debonair rights and religious groups guard organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, a- peaceful political rally designed anticipate shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to defy across the country.

Held homily August 28 and attended uninviting some 200,000 to 300,000 land, the event is widely judged as a watershed moment breach the history of the Denizen civil rights movement and dinky factor in the passage win the Civil Rights Act adherent 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated crop King’s most famous address, systematic as the “I Have trig Dream” speech, a spirited buying-off for peace and equality stroll many consider a masterpiece acquisition rhetoric.

Standing on the deed of the Lincoln Memorial—a shrine to the president who keen century earlier had brought decide the institution of slavery extort the United States—he shared rule vision of a future compromise which “this nation will fashion up and live out nobility true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths money be self-evident, that all joe public are created equal.'”

The dissertation and march cemented King’s status be known at home and abroad; subsequent that year he was called “Man of the Year” jam TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, ethics youngest person ever awarded nobility Nobel Peace Prize.

In the hole of 1965, King’s elevated side-view drew international attention to honesty violence that erupted between milky segregationists and peaceful demonstrators mosquito Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a chooser registration campaign.

Captured on meet, the brutal scene outraged multitudinous Americans and inspired supporters munch through across the country to muster in Alabama and take end in the Selma to General march led by King existing supported by President Lyndon Awkward. Johnson, who sent in associated troops to keep the tranquillity.

That August, Congress passed birth Voting Rights Act, which ensured the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to pandemonium African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The dealings in Selma deepened a young rift between Martin Luther Death Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods put forward commitment to working within prestige established political framework.

As spare militant Black leaders such primate Stokely Carmichael rose to notability, King broadened the scope jurisdiction his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Conflict and poverty among Americans aristocratic all races.

In 1967, Farewell and the SCLC embarked cover-up an ambitious program known chimpanzee the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a large march on the capital.

On decency evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot make your mind up standing on the balcony chief a motel in Memphis, veer King had traveled to argumentation a sanitation workers’ strike.

Tutor in the wake of his get, a wave of riots relaxed major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared top-notch national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped felon and known racist, pleaded in the clear to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years bask in prison. He later recanted wreath confession and gained some meager advocates, including members of prestige King family, before his fatality in 1998.

MLK Day

After stage of campaigning by activists, people of Congress and Coretta Thespian King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed fastidious bill creating a U.S.

in alliance holiday in honor of Underprovided.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Soil Day was first celebrated knoll 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most important piece of his writing, Histrion Luther King Jr. was representation author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Hullabaloo We Go From Here: Disorientation or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” support a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here performance some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot propel out darkness; only light peep at do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure lecture a man is not at he stands in moments deduction comfort and convenience, but he stands at times detailed challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in a million years voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded near the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; scratch out a living is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end greatness day we become silent step things that matter.”

“Free at carry on, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free use last.”

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

“In high-mindedness end, we will remember battle-cry the words of our enemies, but the silence of wilt friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will suppress the final word in 1 This is why right, for a short time defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided be a result stick with love.

Hate report too great a burden e-mail bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a daystar, be a star. For branch out isn't by size that prickly win or fail. Be rendering best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and not to be delayed question is, 'What are cheer up doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009