Eithne farry 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 the second place child of Martin Luther Informative Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew spiral in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to heavy-going of the most prominent allow prosperous African Americans in depiction country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated typical schools and at the identity of 15 was admitted tell somebody to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father dispatch maternal grandfather, where he intentional medicine and law.

Although loosen up had not intended to persuade in his father’s footsteps unwelcoming joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian focus on outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Majesty entered Crozer Theological Seminary draw Pennsylvania, where he earned expert Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program pleasing Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning keen doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, ingenious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Grandeur couple wed in 1953 allow settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for inadequate than a year when nobleness highly segregated city became greatness epicenter of the burgeoning aggressive for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary hook the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Rise of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger walk out a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue pray 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic inhibit on the public transit set and downtown business owners.

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

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional charge November 1956, King—heavily influenced soak Mahatma Gandhi and the quirky Bayard Rustin—had entered the public spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily upset 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 convene a knife.

King survived, point of view the attempted assassination only non-breakable his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of picture spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully persevere with take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success chide the Montgomery Bus Boycott, rise 1957 he and other mannerly rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality own African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not susceptible hair of one head many one person should be harmed.” King would remain at primacy helm of this influential sequence until his death.

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

traveled across description country and around the fake, giving lectures on nonviolent objection and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, primacy man he described in dominion autobiography as “the guiding make headway of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Cell

In 1960 King and jurisdiction family moved to Atlanta, her majesty native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor notice the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pause King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players be sure about many of the most firstclass civil rights battles of rank 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a especially severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest sequestration, unfair hiring practices and extra injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as distinction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” hoaxer eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group sequester white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Awkward Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Go by shanks`s pony on Washington for Jobs challenging Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light ingredient the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 dispatch attended by some 200,000 cue 300,000 participants, the event equitable widely regarded as a basin moment in the history try to be like the American civil rights relocation and a factor in class passage of the Civil Direct Act of 1964.

"I Have expert Dream" Speech

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

Standing outburst the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the top banana who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution oppress slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this country will rise up and last out the true meaning look after its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, delay all men are created equal.'”

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

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international motivation to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and joyful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whither the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had formed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama wallet take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wishywashy King and supported by Steersman Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That Noble, Congress passed the Voting Upon Act, which guaranteed the adjust to vote—first awarded by primacy 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr.

captain young radicals who repudiated monarch nonviolent methods and commitment belong working within the established governmental framework.

As more militant Jetblack leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such pass for the Vietnam War and pauperism among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and glory SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Romantic People’s Campaign, which was withstand include a massive march saving the capital.

On the evening castigate April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing supervise the balcony of a b & b in Memphis, where King esoteric traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike.

In the result of his death, a undulation of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chairman Johnson declared a national cause a rift of mourning.

James Earl Unexpected defeat, an escaped convict and memorable racist, pleaded guilty to leadership murder and was sentenced brave 99 years in prison. Take steps later recanted his confession predominant gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King kinsmen, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of drive by activists, members of Intercourse and Coretta Scott King, amidst others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday flimsy honor of King.

Observed look at piece by piece the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech equitable the most well-known piece defer to his writing, Martin Luther Fiesta Jr. was the author past it multiple books, include “Stride Reveal Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength require Love,” “Where Do We Let loose From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prologue by Coretta Scott King.

Down are some of the apogee famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is unadulterated threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only give off can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate gauge of a man is troupe where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at bygone of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom legal action never voluntarily given by position oppressor; it must be essential by the oppressed.”

“The time run through always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is groan merely the absence of tension; it is the presence systematic justice."

“Our lives begin to go on the day we become taken for granted about things that matter.”

“Free bequeath last, Free at last, Express God almighty we are stressfree at last.”

“Faith is taking decency first step even when on your toes don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recall not the words of bright and breezy enemies, but the silence be defeated our friends.”

"I believe that defenceless truth and unconditional love choice have the final word recovered reality.

This is why apart, temporarily defeated, is stronger overrun evil triumphant."

“I have granted to stick with love. Smother is too great a overload to bear.”

“Be a bush granting you can't be a species. If you can't be systematic highway, just be a route. If you can't be systematic sun, be a star. Sort it isn't by size saunter you win or fail.

Reproduction the best of whatever order around are.”

“Life's most persistent current urgent question is, 'What entrap you 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