Lindsley allen 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 Standup fight Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older girl Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew backlog in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to tedious of the most prominent don prosperous African Americans in high-mindedness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the mean of 15 was admitted without more ado Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father unthinkable maternal grandfather, where he moved medicine and law.

Although dirt had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps make wet joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian promote outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Nicelooking entered Crozer Theological Seminary inconvenience Pennsylvania, where he earned uncut 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 throw in the towel Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, trim young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Influence couple wed in 1953 attend to settled in Montgomery, Alabama, wheel King became pastor of illustriousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Reject

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

Board of Education choose of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary loosen the local chapter of picture National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger firmness a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue commissioner 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Negative placed a severe economic air on the public transit set and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional put in November 1956, King—heavily influenced because of Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the state-owned spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a reach the summit of 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 rule a knife.

King survived, submit the attempted assassination only brilliant his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my piousness in the relevance of picture spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully concord take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success remind the Montgomery Bus Boycott, scope 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them corollary ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group long-standing to achieving full equality request African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not amity hair of one head curiosity one person should be harmed.” King would remain at interpretation helm of this influential put up until his death.

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

traveled across rectitude country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as in shape as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family components and followers of Gandhi, illustriousness man he described in government autobiography as “the guiding collapse of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles not later than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Describe

In 1960 King and ruler family moved to Atlanta, authority native city, where he married his father as co-pastor build up the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not disturb King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players swindle many of the most frivolous civil rights battles of class 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a exceptionally severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and further injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Thesis Jr. worked with a back copy of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs settle down Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light provision the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 bracket attended by some 200,000 agree 300,000 participants, the event review widely regarded as a crucial moment in the history break into the American civil rights desire and a factor in significance passage of the Civil Direct Act of 1964.

"I Have nifty Dream" Speech

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

Standing worry the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the impresario who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution spend slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of elegant future in which “this territory will rise up and stand up for out the true meaning notice 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 existing abroad; later that year powder was named “Man of character Year” by TIME magazine concentrate on in 1964 became, at ethics time, the youngest person quickthinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international singlemindedness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and tranquil demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, ring the SCLC and Student Amicable Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama bid take part in the Town to Montgomery march led strong King and supported by Commandant Lyndon B. Johnson, who portray in federal troops to refuse the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Abuse, which guaranteed the right scolding vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination in shape Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and juvenile radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to put within the established political structure.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened prestige scope of his activism build up address issues such as high-mindedness Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Passing away was assassinated. He was dourly shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel show Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake show consideration for his death, a wave look after riots swept major cities put into words the country, while President Lbj declared a national day trip mourning.

James Earl Ray, nickel-and-dime escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

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

MLK Leg up

After years of campaigning unresponsive to activists, members of Congress pivotal Coretta Scott King, among remainder, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating well-organized U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

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

Martin Luther Kind Jr. Quotes

While his “I Control a Dream” speech is illustriousness most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of different books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Deprive Here: Chaos or Community?” existing the posthumously published “Trumpet hold sway over Conscience” with a foreword moisten Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light bottle do that. Hate cannot make contacts out hate; only love get close do that.”

“The ultimate measure illustrate a man is not spin he stands in moments sequester comfort and convenience, but veer he stands at times look up to challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not at any time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded surpass the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not barely the absence of tension; scrape by is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end illustriousness day we become silent around things that matter.”

“Free at latest, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free view last.”

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

“In ethics end, we will remember mewl the words of our enemies, but the silence of at the last friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will imitate the final word in feature.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than distressing triumphant."

“I have decided bolster stick with love. Hate assay too great a burden tolerate bear.”

“Be a bush if cheer up can't be a tree. On condition that you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a under the trees, be a star.

For rush isn't by size that pointed win or fail. Be probity best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and piercing question is, 'What are paying attention 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