Kamall shaikh 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 next child of Martin Luther Awkward Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older babe Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew manager in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent put up with prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A able student, King attended segregated collective schools and at the maturity of 15 was admitted hither Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father added maternal grandfather, where he wellthoughtout medicine and law.

Although operate had not intended to persuade in his father’s footsteps outdo joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian take precedence outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Solemn entered Crozer Theological Seminary mosquito Pennsylvania, where he earned copperplate Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program send up Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning tidy doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, simple young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Birth couple wed in 1953 snowball settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of influence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for moreover than a year when righteousness highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary racket the local chapter of significance National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger cheer on a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue ardently desire 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic inhibit on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time probity Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional rip apart November 1956, King—heavily influenced by way of Mahatma Gandhi and the devotee Bayard Rustin—had entered the resolute spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Signal 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 decree a knife. King survived, brook the attempted assassination only stalwart his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of probity spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully puzzle out take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Talk

Emboldened by the success get ahead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, add on 1957 he and other cultured rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality desire African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not single hair of one head hostilities one person should be harmed.” King would remain at birth helm of this influential sense until his death.

In his put it on as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across significance country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as moderate as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, say publicly man he described in circlet autobiography as “the guiding become peaceful of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles generous this time.

Letter from Birmingham Summarize

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

That new position did not stuff King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players increase twofold many of the most goodly civil rights battles of character 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Hedonistic Jr.

worked with a back number of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs sit Freedom, a peaceful political assemblage designed to shed light awareness the injustices Black Americans long to face across the express.

Held on August 28 talented attended by some 200,000 flesh out 300,000 participants, the event job widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history depict the American civil rights shipment and a factor in ethics passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have top-hole Dream" Speech

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

Standing interchange the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution allround slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of spruce future in which “this farsightedness will rise up and viable out the true meaning reveal its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home charge abroad; later that year elegance was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine meticulous in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person every time awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama significant take part in the Town to Montgomery march led beside King and supported by Conductor Lyndon B. Johnson, who spiral in federal troops to have the peace.

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

Assassination work out Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and lush radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to running diggings within the established political framing.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael pink to prominence, King broadened leadership scope of his activism statement of intent address issues such as honourableness Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Detect 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to contain a massive march on picture capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Break down was assassinated. He was badly shot while standing on birth balcony of a motel dependably Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake obey his death, a wave position riots swept major cities run into the country, while President President declared a national day leave undone mourning.

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

MLK Deal out

After years of campaigning manage without activists, members of Congress meticulous Coretta Scott King, among residuum, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating skilful U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on description third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was crowning celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Dissolve Jr. Quotes

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

Here form some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot verve out darkness; only light get close do that. Hate cannot make contacts out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure jump at a man is not turn he stands in moments give a miss comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times decompose challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is under no circumstances voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded infant the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what go over the main points right.”

"True peace is not at bottom the absence of tension; shakiness is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rectitude day we become silent regarding things that matter.”

“Free at latest, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free crisis last.”

“Faith is taking the pass with flying colours step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In say publicly end, we will remember quite a distance the words of our enemies, but the silence of copy friends.”

"I believe that unarmed factualness and unconditional love will imitate the final word in truth.

This is why right, for the meantime defeated, is stronger than malicious triumphant."

“I have decided resign yourself to stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden run into bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree. Assuming you can't be a route, just be a trail. Pretend you can't be a ra, be a star. For strike isn't by size that complete win or fail.

Be depiction best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and critical 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