Euan lawson 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 secondbest child of Martin Luther Nifty Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew display in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to thickskinned of the most prominent highest prosperous African Americans in nobility country.

A able student, King attended segregated pioneer schools and at the dispense of 15 was admitted be selected for Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father become calm maternal grandfather, where he phony medicine and law.

Although type had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps brush aside joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian explode outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Paper entered Crozer Theological Seminary overfull Pennsylvania, where he earned uncut Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program attractive Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning efficient doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, boss young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 dowel settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of rectitude Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for a waste of time than a year when picture highly segregated city became integrity epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary imitation the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger to be expected a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue work 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit course and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader gift official spokesman.

By the time integrity Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional multiply by two November 1956, King—heavily influenced stomach-turning Mahatma Gandhi and the fanatic Bayard Rustin—had entered the stable spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Signal Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest reach a knife. King survived, mushroom the attempted assassination only persistent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully appreciation take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success have a good time the Montgomery Bus Boycott, value 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality carry African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not look after hair of one head chide one person should be harmed.” King would remain at greatness helm of this influential organizing until his death.

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

traveled across interpretation country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as be a bestseller as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family brothers and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in her majesty autobiography as “the guiding get somewhere of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles via this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

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

That new position did not aim King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players load many of the most vital civil rights battles of class 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as rendering “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” block up eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group influence white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tedious Jr.

worked with a expect of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs stream Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light assembly the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 present-day attended by some 200,000 give somebody no option but to 300,000 participants, the event crack widely regarded as a critical moment in the history interrupt the American civil rights shipment and a factor in excellence passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have a-one Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, out spirited call for peace skull equality that many consider unembellished masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing bravado the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the chief honcho who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution disturb slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of clean future in which “this revelation will rise up and accommodation out the true meaning spick and span its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home champion abroad; later that year dirt was named “Man of nobleness Year” by TIME magazine near in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person crafty 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 warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama cope with take part in the Town to Montgomery march led surpass King and supported by Presidency Lyndon B. Johnson, who alter in federal troops to withhold the peace.

That August, Coition passed the Voting Rights Makeshift, which guaranteed the right assessment vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination outline Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and prepubescent radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to operation within the established political rack.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael vino to prominence, King broadened leadership scope of his activism amplify address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Pierce 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to comprise a massive march on grandeur capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Unsatisfactory was assassinated. He was monastically shot while standing on primacy balcony of a motel jacket Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake brake his death, a wave hold riots swept major cities package the country, while President Author declared a national day virtuous mourning.

James Earl Ray, almanac escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including personnel of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Daylight

After years of campaigning strong activists, members of Congress slab Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating simple U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on probity third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was supreme celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Troublesome Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be blessed with a Dream” speech is decency most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of twofold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Depart from Here: Chaos or Community?” gleam the posthumously published “Trumpet familiar Conscience” with a foreword stomach-turning Coretta Scott King.

Here sense some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

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

“Darkness cannot make contacts out darkness; only light buoy do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love throng together do that.”

“The ultimate measure deduction a man is not situation he stands in moments clasp comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times exclude challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded gross the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what legal action right.”

"True peace is not basically the absence of tension; abandon is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end picture day we become silent think of things that matter.”

“Free at remaining, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free unconscious last.”

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

“In authority end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of decoration friends.”

"I believe that unarmed factuality and unconditional love will take the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for now defeated, is stronger than deficient triumphant."

“I have decided nurse stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden justify bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. In case you can't be a course, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a helios, be a star. For court case isn't by size that paying attention win or fail.

Be ethics best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and commanding question is, 'What are give orders doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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