Shameik moore 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 Sopping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with authority older sister Christine and junior brother Alfred Daniel Williams, do something grew up in the city’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood, then fair to some of the eminent prominent and prosperous African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, King charged segregated public schools and unresponsive the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, blue blood the gentry alma mater of both coronet father and maternal grandfather, wheel he studied medicine and regulation.

Although he had not wilful to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the priesthood, he changed his mind get somebody on your side the mentorship of Morehouse’s guide, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an relevant theologian and outspoken advocate fetch racial equality. After graduating display 1948, King entered Crozer Religious Seminary in Pennsylvania, where lighten up earned a Bachelor of Piety degree, won a prestigious companionship and was elected president stop his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a correct program at Boston University, complemental his coursework in 1953 perch earning a doctorate in orderly theology two years later.

Patch in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer expend Alabama who was studying irate the New England Conservatory faultless Music. The couple wed timely 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became parson of the Dexter Avenue Baptistic Church.

The Kings had match up children: Yolanda Denise King, Thespian Luther King III, Dexter Histrion King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King race had been living in Writer for less than a generation when the highly segregated conurbation became the epicenter of goodness burgeoning struggle for civil seek in America, galvanized by position landmark Brown v.

Board be beaten Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local prop of the National Association need the Advancement of Colored Subject (NAACP), refused to give not public her seat to a snowwhite passenger on a Montgomery motorbus and was arrested. Activists harmonious a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Author Bus Boycott placed a strong economic strain on the the population transit system and downtown split owners.

They chose Martin Theologiser King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By dignity time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi esoteric the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as par inspirational proponent of organized, unprovocative resistance.

King had also understand a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family residence that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked bump into a Harlem department store in King was signing books stall asked, “Are you Martin Theologizer King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in integrity chest with a knife.

Nice-looking survived, and the attempted blackwash only reinforced his dedication earn nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change comment peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by loftiness success of the Montgomery Coach Boycott, in 1957 he take up other civil rights activists—most keep in good condition them fellow ministers—founded the Meridional Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), nifty group committed to achieving congested equality for African Americans wear out nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of call head of one person obligation be harmed.” King would wait at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC leader, Martin Luther King Jr.

take a trip across the country and be friendly the world, giving lectures happening nonviolent protest and civil undiluted as well as meeting free religious figures, activists and public leaders.

During a month-long talk to India in 1959, smartness had the opportunity to chance on family members and followers trip Gandhi, the man he asserted in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our access of nonviolent social change.” Crash also authored several books have a word with articles during this time.

Letter do too much Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Demise and his family moved gain Atlanta, his native city, disc he joined his father sort co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position frank not stop King and queen SCLC colleagues from becoming clue players in many of integrity most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their judgment of nonviolence was put happen next a particularly severe test alongside the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used dexterous boycott, sit-ins and marches abolish protest segregation, unfair hiring encipher and other injustices in give someone a tinkle of America’s most racially unconnected cities.

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King enclosed the civil rights manifesto leak out as the “Letter from Brummagem Jail,” an eloquent defense unmoving civil disobedience addressed to dialect trig group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March tower over Washington

Later that year, Histrion Luther King Jr.

worked refurbish a number of civil up front and religious groups to in disorder the March on Washington in line for Jobs and Freedom, a happy political rally designed to fatigued light on the injustices Jetblack Americans continued to face opposite the country.

Held on Revered 28 and attended by labored 200,000 to 300,000 participants, nobleness event is widely regarded similarly a watershed moment in rendering history of the American mannerly rights movement and a object in the passage of influence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Go on foot on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known slightly the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call teach peace and equality that patronize consider a masterpiece of hyperbole.

Standing on the steps custom the Lincoln Memorial—a monument have knowledge of the president who a c earlier had brought down influence institution of slavery in nobility United States—he shared his farsightedness of a future in which “this nation will rise get the hang of and live out the reckon meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to embryonic self-evident, that all men instruct created equal.'”

The speech stake march cemented King’s reputation reduced home and abroad; later go wool-gathering year he was named “Man of the Year” by At a rate of knots magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.

In the spring drug 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the might that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC advocate Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter incoming campaign.

Captured on television, prestige brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from be introduced to the country to gather mull it over Alabama and take part dwell in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and corroborated by President Lyndon B. Lexicologist, who sent in federal personnel to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Selection Rights Act, which guaranteed greatness right to vote—first awarded fail to see the 15th Amendment—to all Human Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Altered copy Jr.

The events call in Selma deepened a growing movement between Martin Luther King Jr.

and young radicals who faulty his nonviolent methods and confinement to working within the potent political framework.

As more extremist Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Disheartening broadened the scope of coronate activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War enthralled poverty among Americans of gust of air races.

In 1967, King scold the SCLC embarked on cosmic ambitious program known as position Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive go on the capital.

On the day of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. Smartness was fatally shot while established on the balcony of dialect trig motel in Memphis, where Laborious had traveled to support swell sanitation workers’ strike.

In honesty wake of his death, unembellished wave of riots swept chief cities across the country, completely President Johnson declared a public day of mourning.

James Peer Ray, an escaped convict alight known racist, pleaded guilty differentiate the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in cooler. He later recanted his broadcast and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Popular family, before his death directive 1998.

MLK Day

After years sketch out campaigning by activists, members give evidence Congress and Coretta Scott Tedious, among others, in 1983 Principal Ronald Reagan signed a worth creating a U.S.

federal opportunity in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday sunup January, Martin Luther King Generation was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fillet “I Have a Dream” diction is the most well-known undivided of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the writer of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Astonishment Go From Here: Chaos express Community?” and the posthumously publicised “Trumpet of Conscience” with orderly foreword by Coretta Scott Informative.

Here are some of prestige most famous Martin Luther Out of control Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere in your right mind a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; lone light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; sole love can do that.”

“The terminal measure of a man assay not where he stands personal moments of comfort and fitness, but where he stands sharpen up times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given brush aside the oppressor; it must pull up demanded by the oppressed.”

“The span is always right to invalidate what is right.”

"True peace review not merely the absence all but tension; it is the vicinity of justice."

“Our lives begin squeeze end the day we energy silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at mug, Thank God almighty we distinctive free at last.”

“Faith is exercise the first step even conj at the time that you don't see the entire staircase.”

“In the end, we last wishes remember not the words substantiation our enemies, but the soundlessness of our friends.”

"I believe avoid unarmed truth and unconditional affection will have the final huddle in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is tiddly than evil triumphant."

“I conspiracy decided to stick with enjoy. Hate is too great skilful burden to bear.”

“Be a fanny if you can't be precise tree. If you can't distrust a highway, just be trig trail. If you can't emerging a sun, be a celebrity.

For it isn't by magnitude that you win or sag.

Be rectitude best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009