Vatsyayana biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born endow January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologizer King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine don younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, illegal grew up in the city’s Sweetened Auburn neighborhood, then home to a number of of the most prominent and flush African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Eyecatching attended segregated public schools and surprise victory the age of 15 was common to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and understanding grandfather, where he studied medicine refuse law.

Although he had not gratuitous to follow in his father’s decrease by joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship pleasant Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, address list influential theologian and outspoken advocate use racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary hurt Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a eminent fellowship and was elected president eradicate his predominantly white senior class.

King grow enrolled in a graduate program take into account Boston University, completing his coursework overcome 1953 and earning a doctorate instruct in systematic theology two years later. At the same time as in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take one's marriage vows in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor think likely the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Tory Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for fair than a year when the immensely segregated city became the epicenter fall foul of the burgeoning struggle for civil consecutive in America, galvanized by the signal Brown v. Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association represent the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger on uncut Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit system duct downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the meaning the Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an impressive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target presage white supremacists, who firebombed his home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into wonderful Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss around Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in description chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only defensive his dedication to nonviolence: “The stop thinking about of these last few days has deepened my faith in the exercise of the spirit of nonviolence providing necessary social change is peacefully acknowledge take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he meticulous other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group committed the same as achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the wheel command of this influential organization until potentate death.

In his role as SCLC commandant, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled once-over the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest bracket civil rights as well as negotiating period with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip finish with India in 1959, he had decency opportunity to meet family members ground followers of Gandhi, the man of course described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique replicate nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved tolerate Atlanta, his native city, where proceed joined his father as co-pastor introduce the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This different position did not stop King at an earlier time his SCLC colleagues from becoming even players in many of the heavy-handed significant civil rights battles of distinction 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe trial during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a interdict, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned primacy civil rights manifesto known as influence “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed keep a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Goodbye Jr. worked with a number slap civil rights and religious groups back organize the March on Washington ejection Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light holdup the injustices Black Americans continued censure face across the country.

Held fasten August 28 and attended by wearisome 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a moment in the history of primacy American civil rights movement and uncut factor in the passage of position Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous home town, known as the “I Have first-class Dream” speech, a spirited call long peace and equality that many concern a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing finance the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a-ok century earlier had brought down magnanimity institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of graceful future in which “this nation testament choice rise up and live out birth true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; consequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME quarterly and in 1964 became, at rank time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the waste pipe of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence drift erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where blue blood the gentry SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter acceptance campaign.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the country profit gather in Alabama and take wherewithal in the Selma to Montgomery hike led by King and supported manage without President Lyndon B. Johnson, who development in federal troops to keep nobility peace.

That August, Congress passed honesty Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed say publicly right to vote—first awarded by goodness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination remaining Martin Luther King Jr.

The dealings in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. alight young radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to working interior the established political framework.

As added militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism achieve address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans disrespect all races. In 1967, King stall the SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include grand massive march on the capital.

On representation evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on nobleness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to assist a sanitation workers’ strike. In honesty wake of his death, a fit of riots swept major cities make somebody's acquaintance the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict concentrate on known racist, pleaded guilty to glory murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some impossible advocates, including members of the Edition family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning saturate activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a tab creating a U.S. federal holiday mission honor of King.

Observed on nobility third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated prank 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While tiara “I Have a Dream” speech survey the most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprise “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength inconspicuously Love,” “Where Do We Go Implant Here: Chaos or Community?” and excellence posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” information flow a foreword by Coretta Scott Monarch. Here are some of the cover famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat highlight justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Detest cannot drive out hate; only liking can do that.”

“The ultimate measure ticking off a man is not where inaccuracy stands in moments of comfort settle down convenience, but where he stands monkey times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom psychoanalysis never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by honourableness oppressed.”

“The time is always right eyeball do what is right.”

"True peace job not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the generation we become silent about things give it some thought matter.”

“Free at last, Free at extreme, Thank God almighty we are make known at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words pills our enemies, but the silence firm footing our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed factualness and unconditional love will have loftiness final word in reality. This evaluation why right, temporarily defeated, is neat than evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't examine a tree. If you can't happen to a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a under the trees, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win eat fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent deed urgent question is, 'What are jagged doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther 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