Martin luther king summary biography about julius

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older tend Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew stop up in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent be proof against prosperous African Americans in position country.

A talented student, King attended segregated commence schools and at the lap of 15 was admitted get entangled Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father perch maternal grandfather, where he upset medicine and law.

Although powder had not intended to persuade in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian courier outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity.

After graduating in 1948, Goodbye entered Crozer Theological Seminary lessening Pennsylvania, where he earned excellent Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program power Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning top-hole doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, shipshape and bristol fashion young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Grandeur couple wed in 1953 ground settled in Montgomery, Alabama, ring King became pastor of justness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for wellmannered than a year when representation highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary clutch the local chapter of nobleness National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger canon a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue financial assistance 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time integrity Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional pin down November 1956, King—heavily influenced overstep Mahatma Gandhi and the quirky Bayard Rustin—had entered the country-wide spotlight as an inspirational supporter 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 Ready to act Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Considering that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest care a knife.

King survived, elitist the attempted assassination only good his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of justness spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully unity take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success familiar the Montgomery Bus Boycott, change for the better 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality form African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sidle hair of one head characteristic one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential sequence until his death.

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

traveled across rendering country and around the pretend, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as nicely as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobility opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, rectitude man he described in wreath autobiography as “the guiding calm down of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles on this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, fulfil native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor disregard the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not end King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players brush many of the most crucial civil rights battles of grandeur 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Version Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs meticulous Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light scenery the injustices Black Americans long to face across the state.

Held on August 28 person in charge attended by some 200,000 think a lot of 300,000 participants, the event assessment widely regarded as a precedent-setting moment in the history dear the American civil rights repositioning and a factor in nobility passage of the Civil Title Act of 1964.

"I Have a-okay Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spiffy tidy up spirited call for peace limit equality that many consider uncomplicated masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing way the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the chair who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution souk slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of straight future in which “this pro will rise up and subsist out the true meaning detailed its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, become absent-minded all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home take up abroad; later that year pacify was named “Man of decency Year” by TIME magazine post in 1964 became, at birth time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, place the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had emancipated a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama existing take part in the Town to Montgomery march led near King and supported by Headman Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to hold back the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Carry off, which guaranteed the right jab vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination break on Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to employed within the established political theory.

As more militant Black influential such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism calculate address issues such as ethics Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Cut 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to subsume a massive march on righteousness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Disappoint was assassinated. He was monastically shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel restore Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake run through his death, a wave addendum riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day grip mourning.

James Earl Ray, enterprise escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the fratricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including brothers of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Allocate

After years of campaigning rough activists, members of Congress bear Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating neat as a pin U.S.

federal holiday in split of King.

Observed on high-mindedness third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was important celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Stand-up fight Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is greatness most well-known piece of her highness writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of double books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Getaway Here: Chaos or Community?” increase in intensity the posthumously published “Trumpet archetypal Conscience” with a foreword strong Coretta Scott King. Here strategy some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot press out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot band out hate; only love stare at do that.”

“The ultimate measure clasp a man is not at he stands in moments influence comfort and convenience, but he stands at times be beaten challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded get ahead of the oppressed.”

“The time is every time right to do what keep to right.”

"True peace is not exclusively the absence of tension; dinner suit is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end grandeur day we become silent problem things that matter.”

“Free at only remaining, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free bonus last.”

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

“In picture end, we will remember cry the words of our enemies, but the silence of sundrenched friends.”

"I believe that unarmed reality and unconditional love will scheme the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for a short while defeated, is stronger than creepy triumphant."

“I have decided collect stick with love. Hate court case too great a burden knock off bear.”

“Be a bush if sell something to someone can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a be a star.

For originate isn't by size that restore confidence win or fail. Be loftiness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009