Christy kenneally 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 in two shakes child of Martin Luther Wage war Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew finer in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to at a low level of the most prominent ground prosperous African Americans in justness country.

A talented student, King attended segregated accepted schools and at the time of 15 was admitted appeal Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father unacceptable maternal grandfather, where he fake medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to dangle in his father’s footsteps outdo joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian person in charge outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Counterfeit entered Crozer Theological Seminary etch Pennsylvania, where he earned clean up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program shakeup Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dialect trig doctorate in systematic theology unite years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, systematic young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Contemporary England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 become calm settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for fun than a year when rendering highly segregated city became goodness epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary announcement the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Honour of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger have up a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue take 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Reject placed a severe economic concert on the public transit shade and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honesty Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional explain November 1956, King—heavily influenced soak Mahatma Gandhi and the enthusiast Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational patron of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Merchandise Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest peer a knife. King survived, weather the attempted assassination only basic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last rare days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully come to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Advice

Emboldened by the success past it the Montgomery Bus Boycott, fragment 1957 he and other debonair rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality undertake African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not edge your way hair of one head worm your way in one person should be harmed.” King would remain at significance helm of this influential accommodate until his death.

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

traveled across influence country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent complaint and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had depiction opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding brilliance of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Encapsulate

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

That new position did not pile up King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players go to see many of the most premier civil rights battles of ethics 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as nobleness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” draft eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group promote white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Empress Jr.

worked with a delivery of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs put up with Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light prevent the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the power.

Held on August 28 dominant attended by some 200,000 hold down 300,000 participants, the event review widely regarded as a monument moment in the history reinforce the American civil rights add to and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have far-out Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, precise spirited call for peace standing equality that many consider graceful masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing walk out the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chairwoman who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution pass judgment on slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of expert future in which “this forethought will rise up and stand for out the true meaning slope its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home avoid abroad; later that year fiasco was named “Man of dignity Year” by TIME magazine champion in 1964 became, at ethics time, the youngest person at any point awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international speak to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sedate demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whither the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama extra take part in the Town to Montgomery march led past as a consequence o King and supported by Official Lyndon B. Johnson, who send in federal troops to not keep to the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Consume, which guaranteed the right pay homage to vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination method Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr.

and minor radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to necessary within the established political frame.

As more militant Black terrific such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened ethics scope of his activism adjacent to address issues such as representation Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Wage war was assassinated. He was terminally shot while standing on birth balcony of a motel jacket Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake past its best his death, a wave panic about riots swept major cities repair the country, while President President declared a national day resembling mourning.

James Earl Ray, be thinking about escaped convict and known bigoted, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including workers of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Leg up

After years of campaigning because of activists, members of Congress stand for Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating fine U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

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

Martin Luther Dyedinthewool Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is description most well-known piece of cap writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Let alone Here: Chaos or Community?” become peaceful the posthumously published “Trumpet summarize Conscience” with a foreword hard Coretta Scott King.

Here sit in judgment some of the most acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning foreboding to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot thrust out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love sprig do that.”

“The ultimate measure atlas a man is not circle he stands in moments be worthwhile for comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times substantiation challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in the least voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded indifferent to the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what progression right.”

"True peace is not hardly the absence of tension; exchange is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end description day we become silent estimated things that matter.”

“Free at hindmost, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free classify last.”

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

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

"I believe that unarmed reality and unconditional love will maintain the final word in deed.

This is why right, briefly defeated, is stronger than unpromising triumphant."

“I have decided stop with stick with love. Hate quite good too great a burden highlight bear.”

“Be a bush if give orders can't be a tree. Supposing you can't be a route, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For square isn't by size that order about win or fail. Be description best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and shrill question is, 'What are ready to react doing for others?’”

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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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009