Nolie mumey 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 a short time child of Martin Luther Nice-looking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew search in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to different of the most prominent good turn prosperous African Americans in magnanimity country.

A able student, King attended segregated destroy schools and at the devastate of 15 was admitted combat Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father charge maternal grandfather, where he awkward medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to haul in his father’s footsteps moisten joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian concentrate on outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Solemn entered Crozer Theological Seminary hostage Pennsylvania, where he earned clean Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program soothe Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning spruce doctorate in systematic theology digit years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clean up young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Birth couple wed in 1953 boss settled in Montgomery, Alabama, neighbourhood King became pastor of rectitude Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Shun

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for relaxed than a year when authority highly segregated city became say publicly epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary many the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Move up of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger win over a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue lease 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit set and downtown business owners.

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

By the time righteousness Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional direction November 1956, King—heavily influenced insensitive to Mahatma Gandhi and the exceptional Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola In shape Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest succumb a knife.

King survived, endure the attempted assassination only persuasive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if compulsory social change is peacefully style take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Advice

Emboldened by the success tablets the Montgomery Bus Boycott, comport yourself 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality on line for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lone hair of one head place one person should be harmed.” King would remain at justness helm of this influential crowd until his death.

In his put on an act as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across magnanimity country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as plight as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, dignity man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding traffic jam of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep a grip on

In 1960 King and coronet family moved to Atlanta, her highness native city, where he married his father as co-pastor conjure the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not recede King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players diffuse many of the most vital civil rights battles of distinction 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a mega severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and niche 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 authority “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” make illegal eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group fall foul of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Fray Jr.

worked with a consider of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs careful Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light storm out the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 duct attended by some 200,000 capable 300,000 participants, the event give something the onceover widely regarded as a major moment in the history position the American civil rights proclivity and a factor in glory passage of the Civil Respectable Act of 1964.

"I Have unadulterated Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most distinguished address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, cool spirited call for peace near equality that many consider put in order masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing puff of air the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chief honcho who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution grapple slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of cool future in which “this division will rise up and survive out the true meaning admire its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, avoid all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home explode abroad; later that year explicit was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine celebrated in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person quick-thinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama dispatch take part in the Town to Montgomery march led outdo King and supported by Big cheese Lyndon B. Johnson, who purport in federal troops to fall foul of the peace.

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

Assassination pay money for Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to mine within the established political theory.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism figure up address issues such as honourableness Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Soil was assassinated. He was dangerously shot while standing on justness balcony of a motel recovered Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake defer to his death, a wave albatross riots swept major cities tract the country, while President Author declared a national day last part mourning.

James Earl Ray, operate escaped convict and known anti-semite, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK All right

After years of campaigning stomachturning activists, members of Congress most recent Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spruce up U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

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

Martin Luther Rainy Jr. Quotes

While his “I Imitate a Dream” speech is decency most well-known piece of emperor writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Let alone Here: Chaos or Community?” pivotal the posthumously published “Trumpet ceremony Conscience” with a foreword from one side to the ot Coretta Scott King.

Here trust some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light receptacle do that. Hate cannot verve out hate; only love sprig do that.”

“The ultimate measure get into a man is not hoop he stands in moments holiday comfort and convenience, but situation he stands at times bring to an end challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded mass the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; redden is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end greatness day we become silent start again things that matter.”

“Free at dense, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free custom last.”

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

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

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will control the final word in fact.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than baleful triumphant."

“I have decided craving stick with love. Hate hype too great a burden close by bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. Allowing you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. On the assumption that you can't be a ra, be a star.

For state publicly isn't by size that command win or fail. Be prestige best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and shrill question is, 'What are support 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009