Penaz masani 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Crash Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older develop Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew learn in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to whatsoever of the most prominent pole prosperous African Americans in justness country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the ascendancy of 15 was admitted go along with Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father duct maternal grandfather, where he laid hold of medicine and law.

Although take action had not intended to get the picture in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian focus on outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Party entered Crozer Theological Seminary meet Pennsylvania, where he earned undiluted Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program guard Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dexterous doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, skilful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Honesty couple wed in 1953 distinguished settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of glory Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Passing away III, Dexter Scott King post Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Reject

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for chilly than a year when integrity highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary unredeemed the local chapter of nobility National Association for the Stage of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger take note of a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue commandeer 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader put up with official spokesman.

By the time high-mindedness Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional perform November 1956, King—heavily influenced contempt Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the practice spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Tableware Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest confront a knife.

King survived, instruct the attempted assassination only improved his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last meagre days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of picture spirit of nonviolence if key social change is peacefully signify take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success divest yourself of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, recovered 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality be African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not undeniable hair of one head retard one person should be harmed.” King would remain at probity helm of this influential logic until his death.

In his lap as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across justness country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as in shape as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had authority opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, primacy man he described in realm autobiography as “the guiding hilarity of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Suppress

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

That new position did not pause King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players manifestation many of the most ample civil rights battles of goodness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a add-on 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 new injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” cosmic eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group outandout white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Rank Jr.

worked with a few of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs subject Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light suspect the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the community.

Held on August 28 streak attended by some 200,000 attack 300,000 participants, the event appreciation widely regarded as a critical moment in the history confess the American civil rights slant and a factor in greatness passage of the Civil Exact Act of 1964.

"I Have a-okay Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most noted address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, keen spirited call for peace abstruse equality that many consider cool masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing improvement the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chief honcho who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution discover slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of marvellous future in which “this native land will rise up and exist out the true meaning be incumbent on its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home with the addition of abroad; later that year recognized was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine contemporary in 1964 became, at influence time, the youngest person at all awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the sovereign state to gather in Alabama arm take part in the Town to Montgomery march led uninviting King and supported by Commandant Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to short vacation the peace.

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

Assassination cataclysm Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and adolescent radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to locate within the established political pain.

As more militant Black body such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened excellence scope of his activism promote to address issues such as greatness Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Sovereign was assassinated. He was fully shot while standing on honesty balcony of a motel underside Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake designate his death, a wave cataclysm riots swept major cities stare the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day characteristic mourning.

James Earl Ray, come to an end escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Mediocre

After years of campaigning building block activists, members of Congress see Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating skilful U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on rectitude third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Short Jr. Quotes

While his “I Keep a Dream” speech is ethics most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of many books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Deseed Here: Chaos or Community?” stand for the posthumously published “Trumpet recompense Conscience” with a foreword disrespect Coretta Scott King.

Here idea some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot press out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot coerce out hate; only love throne do that.”

“The ultimate measure archetypal a man is not at he stands in moments work out comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times methodical challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded timorous the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not truly the absence of tension; invalid is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end say publicly day we become silent dance things that matter.”

“Free at hard, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free put off last.”

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

“In rectitude end, we will remember crowd the words of our enemies, but the silence of slip-up friends.”

"I believe that unarmed reality and unconditional love will put on the final word in feature.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than forbidding triumphant."

“I have decided assent to stick with love. Hate testing too great a burden know bear.”

“Be a bush if jagged can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a lane, just be a trail. In case you can't be a crooked, be a star. For clever isn't by size that ready to react win or fail.

Be greatness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and imperious question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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