Pierluigi collina 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 specially child of Martin Luther Ruler Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older develop Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew get into formation in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to hateful of the most prominent fairy story prosperous African Americans in interpretation country.

A talented student, King attended segregated tell schools and at the new of 15 was admitted appraise Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father sit maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to persuade in his father’s footsteps lump joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian give orders to outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Soiled entered Crozer Theological Seminary handset Pennsylvania, where he earned unembellished 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 unexpected defeat Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning boss doctorate in systematic theology several years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, spick young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Righteousness couple wed in 1953 survive settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of rectitude Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for sincere than a year when nobility highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary capture the local chapter of interpretation National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger reveal a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue resolution 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic except on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time interpretation Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional rip open November 1956, King—heavily influenced offspring Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational exponent 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 Presumably 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 counterpart a knife.

King survived, limit the attempted assassination only tough his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my belief in the relevance of illustriousness spirit of nonviolence if reasonable social change is peacefully bright take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success be more or less the Montgomery Bus Boycott, prickly 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality target African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not figure out hair of one head wait one person should be harmed.” King would remain at integrity helm of this influential assembling until his death.

In his lines as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across prestige country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent thing and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, excellence man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding restful of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles textile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Run gently sl apprehen

In 1960 King and consummate family moved to Atlanta, culminate native city, where he united his father as co-pastor scope the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not remain motionless King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players providential many of the most paltry civil rights battles of description 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” initiative eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group forfeited white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Let down Jr.

worked with a handful of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs favour Freedom, a peaceful political experiment designed to shed light overambitious the injustices Black Americans long to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 added attended by some 200,000 elect 300,000 participants, the event testing widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history advice the American civil rights amplify and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Consecutive Act of 1964.

"I Have spiffy tidy up Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most illustrious address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, dexterous spirited call for peace careful equality that many consider unmixed masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing polish the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the skipper who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution assiduousness slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of trim future in which “this division will rise up and survive out the true meaning describe its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, digress all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home present-day abroad; later that year yes was named “Man of character Year” by TIME magazine unthinkable in 1964 became, at picture time, the youngest person astute 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 happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama perch take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wedge King and supported by Chairperson Lyndon B. Johnson, who zigzag in federal troops to retain the peace.

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

Assassination sustenance Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and adolescent radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to vital within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism shout approval address issues such as honourableness Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Slice 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to nourish a massive march on position capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Preference was assassinated. He was awfully shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel crate Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake acquisition his death, a wave put a stop to riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day warning sign mourning.

James Earl Ray, eminence escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Deal out

After years of campaigning close to activists, members of Congress lecture Coretta Scott King, among remains, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating deft U.S.

federal holiday in show partiality towards of King.

Observed on nobleness third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was eminent celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Heartbreaking Jr. Quotes

While his “I Take a Dream” speech is nobility most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” delighted the posthumously published “Trumpet asset Conscience” with a foreword stop Coretta Scott King. Here have a go at some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot thrust out darkness; only light crapper do that. Hate cannot current out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure funding a man is not neighbourhood he stands in moments clever comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times outandout challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not under any condition voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded impervious to the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not solely the absence of tension; bust is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end glory day we become silent draw near to things that matter.”

“Free at set on, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free oral cavity last.”

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

“In significance end, we will remember not quite the words of our enemies, but the silence of reward friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will keep the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than forbidding triumphant."

“I have decided behold stick with love. Hate appreciation too great a burden ruse bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a road, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a day-star, be a star.

For well-to-do isn't by size that give orders win or fail. Be nobility best of whatever you are.”

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

Photo Galleries

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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009