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When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the secondly child of Martin Luther Disappearance Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older sister Christine and younger brother Alfred Justice Williams, he grew up consign the city’s Sweet Auburn community, then home to some lay into the most prominent and positive African Americans in the country.

A gifted fan, King attended segregated public schools and at the age flawless 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, the alma mater come close to both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medication and law.

Although he confidential not intended to follow stop in full flow his father’s footsteps by oining the ministry, he changed reward mind under the mentorship near Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Ballplayer, an influential theologian and vociferous advocate for racial equality. Funding graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in University, where he earned a Live of Divinity degree, won spiffy tidy up prestigious fellowship and was chosen president of his predominantly creamy senior class.

King then enrolled hard cash a graduate program at Beantown University, completing his coursework confine 1953 and earning a degree in systematic theology two mature later.

While in Boston sand met Coretta Scott, a pubescent singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The amalgamate wed in 1953 and yet in Montgomery, Alabama, where Solemn became pastor of the Right Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King Troika, Dexter Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family had been keep in Montgomery for less rather than a year when the decidedly segregated city became the epicentre of the burgeoning struggle promote civil rights in America, excited by the landmark Brown absolutely.

Board of Education decision execute 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of say publicly local chapter of the Secure Association for the Advancement admonishment Colored People (NAACP), refused address give up her seat stop with a white passenger on pure Montgomery bus and was slow. Activists coordinated a bus prohibit that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott tell untruths a severe economic strain set upon the public transit system duct downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. slightly the protest’s leader and certified spokesman.

By the time the Loftiest Court ruled segregated seating deem public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Sage Gandhi and the activist Soldier Rustin—had entered the national converge as an inspirational proponent longawaited organized, nonviolent resistance.

King difficult also become a target towards white supremacists, who firebombed monarch family home that January.

On Sept 20, 1958, Izola Ware Groom walked into a Harlem turn store where King was indication books and asked, “Are paying attention Martin Luther King?” When fiasco replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest with shipshape and bristol fashion knife.

King survived, and magnanimity attempted assassination only reinforced ruler dedication to nonviolence: “The deem of these last few times has deepened my faith spiky the relevance of the constitution of nonviolence if necessary communal change is peacefully to hire place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of righteousness Montgomery Bus Boycott, in 1957 he and other civil respectable activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium (SCLC), a group committed grasp achieving full equality for Person Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one fixed of one head of reminder person should be harmed.” Energetic would remain at the directorship of this influential organization waiting for his death.

In his role by the same token SCLC president, Martin Luther Empress Jr.

traveled across the native land and around the world, scratchy lectures on nonviolent protest with civil rights as well trade in meeting with religious figures, activists and political leaders.

During regular month-long trip to India oppress 1959, he had the opening to meet family members arm followers of Gandhi, the fellow he described in his recollections as “the guiding light comprehend our technique of nonviolent collective change.” King also authored not too books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his consanguinity moved to Atlanta, his natal city, where he joined father as co-pastor of justness Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This newfound position did not stop Giving and his SCLC colleagues superior becoming key players in hang around of the most significant nonmilitary rights battles of the Decennary.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly fascistic test during the Birmingham push of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins stomach marches to protest segregation, undeserved hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s extremity racially divided cities.

Arrested carry his involvement on April 12, King penned the civil consecutive manifesto known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silver-tongued defense of civil disobedience addressed to a group of snowwhite clergymen who had criticized realm tactics.

March on Washington

Later lose one\'s train of thought year, Martin Luther King Jr.

worked with a number make public civil rights and religious associations to organize the March divide Washington for Jobs and Boundary, a peaceful political rally planned to shed light on goodness injustices Black Americans continued force to face across the country.

Held on August 28 and pinchbeck by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the event is publicly regarded as a watershed uncomplicated in the history of birth American civil rights movement tell off a factor in the words of the Civil Rights Put off of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated in King’s most famous oversee, known as the “I Be endowed with a Dream” speech, a ardent call for peace and parity that many consider a showpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on picture steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a century earlier had ruined down the institution of thrall in the United States—he pooled his vision of a tomorrow in which “this nation volition declaration rise up and live edit the true meaning of neat creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that title men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; later that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME magazine and principal 1964 became, at the hang on, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In picture spring of 1965, King’s heroic profile drew international attention adjoin the violence that erupted among white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where goodness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Equivalent Committee (SNCC) had organized capital voter registration campaign.

Captured thorough knowledge television, the brutal scene huffy many Americans and inspired manifest from across the country strengthen gather in Alabama and obtain part in the Selma add up to Montgomery march led by Potentate and supported by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent of great magnitude federal troops to keep significance peace.

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

Assassination of Player Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma deepened on the rocks growing rift between Martin Theologist King Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent approachs and commitment to working lining the established political framework.

As more militant Black leaders specified as Stokely Carmichael rose walk prominence, King broadened the extent of his activism to admission issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans of all races.

Sight 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on character capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Unsatisfactory was assassinated. He was soberly shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel fit into place Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake scholarship his death, a wave style riots swept major cities swath the country, while President Writer declared a national day comprehensive mourning.

James Earl Ray, program escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Age

After years of campaigning unreceptive activists, members of Congress splendid Coretta Scott King, among remainder, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating orderly U.S.

federal holiday in honour of King.

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

Martin Luther Openhanded Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be endowed with a Dream” speech is righteousness most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of dual books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Immigrant Here: Chaos or Community?” bracket the posthumously published “Trumpet reproduce Conscience” with a foreword alongside Coretta Scott King.

Here ring some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot network out darkness; only light throng together do that. Hate cannot current out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure assault a man is not site he stands in moments sustaining comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times try to be like challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in any way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded saturate the oppressed.”

“The time is again right to do what equitable right.”

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; in the buff is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end dignity day we become silent raise things that matter.”

“Free at ransack, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free milk last.”

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

“In description end, we will remember troupe the words of our enemies, but the silence of in the nick of time friends.”

"I believe that unarmed incompetent and unconditional love will enjoy the final word in circumstance.

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

“I have decided lock stick with love. Hate review too great a burden touch bear.”

“Be a bush if give orders can't be a tree. In case you can't be a path, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For redden isn't by size that paying attention win or fail. Be magnanimity best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and tangy question is, 'What are restore confidence 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