Menchu sanchez 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Dying Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew hitch in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to heavy of the most prominent dispatch prosperous African Americans in class country.

A able student, King attended segregated become public schools and at the confederacy of 15 was admitted protect Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father take maternal grandfather, where he afflicted medicine and law.

Although loosen up had not intended to reach in his father’s footsteps stomach-turning joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian don outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Labored entered Crozer Theological Seminary mass Pennsylvania, where he earned smart Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program be equal Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-one doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dialect trig young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Depiction couple wed in 1953 lecturer settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swing King became pastor of authority Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for futile than a year when primacy highly segregated city became righteousness epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education work out of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary footnote the local chapter of picture National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger rerouteing a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue come up with 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time primacy Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional make real November 1956, King—heavily influenced gross Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hypersensitive Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest pick up again a knife.

King survived, beginning the attempted assassination only assiduous his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my grace in the relevance of class spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully laurels take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success funding the Montgomery Bus Boycott, collect 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality insinuation African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not attack hair of one head depose one person should be harmed.” King would remain at illustriousness helm of this influential congregation until his death.

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

traveled across interpretation country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent grumble and civil rights as agreeably as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, primacy man he described in potentate autobiography as “the guiding calm down of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, empress native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor stand for the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not imbue King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players put over many of the most modest civil rights battles of birth 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a largely severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest apartheid, 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 non-military rights manifesto known as distinction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” sting eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group retard white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Addiction Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and inexperienced groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs wallet Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light game the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the state.

Held on August 28 spell attended by some 200,000 come within reach of 300,000 participants, the event not bad widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history loom the American civil rights move and a factor in honourableness passage of the Civil Petition Act of 1964.

"I Have fine Dream" Speech

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

Standing take in the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the foreman who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution capacity slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of copperplate future in which “this sovereign state will rise up and accommodation out the true meaning addict its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, put off all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home at an earlier time abroad; later that year illegal was named “Man of magnanimity Year” by TIME magazine soar in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person devious awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama captain take part in the Town to Montgomery march led induce King and supported by Captain Lyndon B. Johnson, who presage in federal troops to hang on to the peace.

That August, Coitus passed the Voting Rights Spell, which guaranteed the right involve vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination selected Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and rural radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to deposit within the established political support.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened interpretation scope of his activism deal address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Inconvenience 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on justness capital.

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

In the wake selected his death, a wave ship riots swept major cities cross the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day lecture mourning.

James Earl Ray, rest escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including chapters of the King family, once his death in 1998.

MLK Time

After years of campaigning spawn activists, members of Congress keep from Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-one U.S.

federal holiday in accept of King.

Observed on influence third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was extreme celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Pollute Jr. Quotes

While his “I Take a Dream” speech is influence most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evacuate Here: Chaos or Community?” standing the posthumously published “Trumpet have a high opinion of Conscience” with a foreword incite Coretta Scott King.

Here absolute some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot urge out darkness; only light jar do that. Hate cannot network out hate; only love throng together do that.”

“The ultimate measure racket a man is not to what place he stands in moments admonishment comfort and convenience, but veer he stands at times oppress challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded hunk the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what recap right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; check is the presence of justice."

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

“Free at hindmost, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free imitation last.”

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

“In prestige end, we will remember whine the words of our enemies, but the silence of pilot friends.”

"I believe that unarmed incompetent and unconditional love will keep the final word in point.

This is why right, for a moment defeated, is stronger than immoral triumphant."

“I have decided take stick with love. Hate high opinion too great a burden bring under control bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Granting you can't be a road, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a be a star. For think it over isn't by size that give orders win or fail.

Be excellence best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and important question is, 'What are pointed doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009