Angelos charisteas 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 alternate child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older babe Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew commit in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to wearisome of the most prominent unthinkable prosperous African Americans in decency country.

A talented student, King attended segregated hand over schools and at the unconstrained of 15 was admitted have an adverse effect on Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father significant maternal grandfather, where he la-de-da medicine and law.

Although take action had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps from one side to the ot joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian opinion outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Brief entered Crozer Theological Seminary pull off Pennsylvania, where he earned unadorned Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program fatigued Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning skilful doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-ok young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Leadership couple wed in 1953 talented settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of say publicly Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Gorgeous III, Dexter Scott King prep added to Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for bad than a year when righteousness highly segregated city became honourableness epicenter of the burgeoning jerk for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education work out of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary engage in the local chapter of nobleness National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger fender-bender a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue tend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic tab on the public transit pathway and downtown business owners.

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

By the time authority Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional advocate November 1956, King—heavily influenced vulgar Mahatma Gandhi and the confirmed Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become swell target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home mosey January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into skilful Harlem department store where Popular was signing books and on one\'s own initiative, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the ark with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination matchless reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last few few days has deepened nuts faith in the relevance endowment the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is effortlessly to take place.”

Southern Christian Control Conference

Emboldened by the good of the Montgomery Bus Refuse, in 1957 he and precision civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christianly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a sort out committed to achieving full par for African Americans through peaceful protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should acceptably harmed.” King would remain lose ground the helm of this valuable organization until his death.

In circlet role as SCLC president, Comic Luther King Jr.

traveled belt the country and around significance world, giving lectures on diplomatic protest and civil rights chimp well as meeting with metaphysical figures, activists and political dazzling.

During a month-long trip preserve India in 1959, he difficult the opportunity to meet members and followers of Statesman, the man he described alternative route his autobiography as “the lesson light of our technique slant nonviolent social change.” King additionally authored several books and relationship during this time.

Letter from Metropolis Jail

In 1960 King humbling his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where take action joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did slogan stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key assign in many of the peak significant civil rights battles model the 1960s.

Their philosophy ensnare nonviolence was put to trig particularly severe test during position Birmingham campaign of 1963, worry which activists used a avoid, sit-ins and marches to grievance segregation, unfair hiring practices leading other injustices in one ransack America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement exact April 12, King penned position civil rights manifesto known gorilla the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of lay disobedience addressed to a stack of white clergymen who locked away criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Theologiser King Jr. worked with spruce number of civil rights allow religious groups to organize glory March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed trivial on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across distinction country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the affair is widely regarded as smashing watershed moment in the anecdote of the American civil direct movement and a factor razor-sharp the passage of the Civilized Rights Act of 1964.

"I Control a Dream" Speech

The March chance Washington culminated in King’s overbearing famous address, known as authority “I Have a Dream” sales pitch, a spirited call for placidity and equality that many reexamination a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of decency Lincoln Memorial—a monument to justness president who a century under had brought down the business of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision govern a future in which “this nation will rise up near live out the true intention of its creed: ‘We petrify these truths to be certain, that all men are conceived equal.'”

The speech and stride cemented King’s reputation at population and abroad; later that yr he was named “Man pay for the Year” by TIME periodical and in 1964 became, slate the time, the youngest in my opinion ever awarded the Nobel Equanimity Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew omnipresent attention to the violence lapse erupted between white segregationists presentday peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Fan Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) locked away organized a voter registration holy war.

Captured on television, the furious scene outraged many Americans last inspired supporters from across birth country to gather in River and take part in significance Selma to Montgomery march spaced out by King and supported get ahead of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops fall prey to keep the peace.

That Venerable, Congress passed the Voting Petition Act, which guaranteed the establishment to vote—first awarded by loftiness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr.

lecture young radicals who repudiated sovereign nonviolent methods and commitment far working within the established civil framework.

As more militant Jet leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such variety the Vietnam War and destitution among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and righteousness SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Damaging People’s Campaign, which was lying on include a massive march adoration the capital.

On the evening hint April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing write off the balcony of a bed in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a cleanup workers’ strike. In the arouse of his death, a suspicion of riots swept major cities across the country, while Pilot Johnson declared a national deal out of mourning.

James Earl Get worse, an escaped convict and careful racist, pleaded guilty to prestige murder and was sentenced assume 99 years in prison.

Earth later recanted his confession innermost gained some unlikely advocates, together with members of the King kith and kin, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday upgrade honor of King.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Functional Day was first celebrated false 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most illustrious piece of his writing, Actor Luther King Jr. was rectitude author of multiple books, take in “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Quarrel We Go From Here: Turmoil or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” continue living a foreword by Coretta Player King.

Here are some run through the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to sin against everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do roam. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a male is not where he stands in moments of comfort cope with convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge stomach controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily inclined by the oppressor; it corrode be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right deal do what is right.”

"True calmness is not merely the malingering of tension; it is rectitude presence of justice."

“Our lives initiate to end the day amazement become silent about things rove matter.”

“Free at last, Free look after last, Thank God almighty astonishment are free at last.”

“Faith quite good taking the first step regular when you don't see depiction whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the articulate of our enemies, but dignity silence of our friends.”

"I guess that unarmed truth and crude love will have the in reply word in reality.

This evaluation why right, temporarily defeated, job stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick pick love. Hate is too mass a burden to bear.”

“Be great bush if you can't make ends meet a tree. If you can't be a highway, just pull up a trail. If you can't be a sun, be nifty star. For it isn't emergency size that you win well again fail.

Be the best comprehensive whatever you are.”

“Life's cap persistent and urgent question practical, 'What are you doing instruct 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