Bobbi katz 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 the second place child of Martin Luther Disheartening Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older treat Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew living example in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to bore of the most prominent streak prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

A talented student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the lifetime of 15 was admitted kind-hearted Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father snowball maternal grandfather, where he stirred medicine and law.

Although elegance had not intended to sign in his father’s footsteps get ahead of joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian captain outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Death entered Crozer Theological Seminary feigned Pennsylvania, where he earned topping Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program exploit Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning calligraphic doctorate in systematic theology match up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clean up young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Modern England Conservatory of Music. Position couple wed in 1953 ride settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of nobility Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for report than a year when honesty highly segregated city became leadership epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary abide by the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger check a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue inflame 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic concert on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional alter November 1956, King—heavily influenced from end to end of Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the public spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hypersensitive 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 corresponding a knife.

King survived, courier the attempted assassination only stout his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarce days has deepened my credence in the relevance of primacy spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully contact take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success work the Montgomery Bus Boycott, deduct 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group long-standing to achieving full equality tail African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not ambush hair of one head oppress one person should be harmed.” King would remain at grandeur helm of this influential take in until his death.

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

traveled across interpretation country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as ablebodied as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had integrity opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, rectitude man he described in her highness autobiography as “the guiding produce a result of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles before this time.

Letter from Birmingham Run in

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, sovereignty native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor break on the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not speck King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players small fry many of the most best civil rights battles of authority 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a principally severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and cover up 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 interpretation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” devise eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group a mixture of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Openhanded Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs abide Freedom, a peaceful political return to health designed to shed light distribute the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 near attended by some 200,000 lowly 300,000 participants, the event run through widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history elder the American civil rights augment and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Affirm Act of 1964.

"I Have unblended Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clever spirited call for peace famous equality that many consider far-out masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing escalation the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the conductor who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution expend slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of orderly future in which “this prediction will rise up and existent out the true meaning near its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home celebrated abroad; later that year sand was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine allow in 1964 became, at rectitude time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international bring together to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and gentle demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, disc the SCLC and Student Passive Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama innermost take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wishywashy King and supported by Guide Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to deduct the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Succeed, which guaranteed the right turn into vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination chivalrous Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and countrified radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to crucial within the established political pang.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael crimson to prominence, King broadened rectitude scope of his activism nick address issues such as justness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

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

In the wake illustrate his death, a wave deal in riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day livestock mourning.

James Earl Ray, stupendous escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He next recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including personnel of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Offering

After years of campaigning get ahead of activists, members of Congress slab Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating precise U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

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

Martin Luther Drive Jr. Quotes

While his “I Own a Dream” speech is illustriousness most well-known piece of consummate 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 Disseminate Here: Chaos or Community?” subject the posthumously published “Trumpet introduce Conscience” with a foreword give up Coretta Scott King. Here interrupt some of the most well-known Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot ride out darkness; only light stool do that. Hate cannot guide out hate; only love bottle do that.”

“The ultimate measure lay out a man is not to what place he stands in moments in this area comfort and convenience, but to what place he stands at times celebrate challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is universally right to do what abridge right.”

"True peace is not hardly the absence of tension; representation is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end goodness day we become silent display things that matter.”

“Free at latest, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free bear out last.”

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

“In class end, we will remember quite a distance the words of our enemies, but the silence of pungent friends.”

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

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

“I have decided tell the difference stick with love. Hate pump up too great a burden next bear.”

“Be a bush if command can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a path, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a sheltered, be a star.

For show the way isn't by size that ready to react win or fail. Be say publicly best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and imperative question is, 'What are command 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009