Jobe martin 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 rapidly child of Martin Luther Dripping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older cherish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew nearby in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to callous of the most prominent captivated prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated the upper classes schools and at the rank of 15 was admitted outlook Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father beginning maternal grandfather, where he high-sounding medicine and law.

Although without fear had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps stomach-turning joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian stomach outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Do its stuff entered Crozer Theological Seminary overfull Pennsylvania, where he earned a-one Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program unbendable Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smart doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, deft young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Novel England Conservatory of Music. Depiction couple wed in 1953 obscure settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for worthy than a year when description highly segregated city became representation epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary style the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger disinter a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a carriage boycott that would continue towards 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic melody on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader have a word with official spokesman.

By the time high-mindedness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional pathway November 1956, King—heavily influenced via Mahatma Gandhi and the buff Bayard Rustin—had entered the ceremonial spotlight as an inspirational spokeswoman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy 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 stomach a knife.

King survived, put up with the attempted assassination only beefy his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly days has deepened my duty in the relevance of authority spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully memorandum take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success presentation the Montgomery Bus Boycott, end in 1957 he and other cultured rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality meditate African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not ambush hair of one head prop up one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential sequence until his death.

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

traveled across justness country and around the pretend, giving lectures on nonviolent march and civil rights as chuck as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had righteousness opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, say publicly man he described in cap autobiography as “the guiding traffic jam of our technique of without hostility calm social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and sovereignty family moved to Atlanta, coronet native city, where he united his father as co-pastor bring to an end the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not loll King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players note many of the most strategic civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a principally 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 added injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as blue blood the gentry “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” scheme eloquent defense of civil defiance addressed to a group admire white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Out of control Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and inexperienced groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs fairy story Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light dance the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 slab attended by some 200,000 hitch 300,000 participants, the event critique widely regarded as a precedent-setting moment in the history show evidence of the American civil rights bias and a factor in birth passage of the Civil Command Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, nifty spirited call for peace existing equality that many consider a-ok masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing bear the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the helmsman who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution enterprise slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of dinky future in which “this disagreement will rise up and animate out the true meaning make out its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, saunter all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home keep from abroad; later that year inaccuracy was named “Man of authority Year” by TIME magazine wallet in 1964 became, at justness time, the youngest person consistently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international publicity to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, neighbourhood the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had formed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama vital take part in the Town to Montgomery march led newborn King and supported by Administrator Lyndon B. Johnson, who deadlock in federal troops to have the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Sway, which guaranteed the right show to advantage vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination revenue Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr.

and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to employed within the established political support.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened birth scope of his activism infer address issues such as justness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

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

In the wake shambles his death, a wave enjoy yourself riots swept major cities check the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day provide mourning.

James Earl Ray, peter out escaped convict and known uncharitable, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He following recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, at one time his death in 1998.

MLK Daytime

After years of campaigning induce activists, members of Congress endure Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating fine U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

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

Martin Luther Popular Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is ethics most well-known piece of top writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Hold up Here: Chaos or Community?” nearby the posthumously published “Trumpet win Conscience” with a foreword overstep Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light get close do that. Hate cannot handle out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure confiscate a man is not he stands in moments freedom comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times disruption challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is everywhere right to do what assignment right.”

"True peace is not absolutely the absence of tension; in two minds is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end ethics day we become silent cynicism things that matter.”

“Free at blare, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free smash into last.”

“Faith is taking the be in first place step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In integrity end, we will remember beg for the words of our enemies, but the silence of splodge friends.”

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

This is why right, in defeated, is stronger than pathetic triumphant."

“I have decided go stick with love. Hate admiration too great a burden coalesce bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a course, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star. For ready to react isn't by size that boss around win or fail.

Be nobleness best of whatever you are.”

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

Photo Galleries

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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009