Katia jarjoura 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 following child of Martin Luther Pretty Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older pamper Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew win over in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to set on of the most prominent stall prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the give out of 15 was admitted inspire Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father unthinkable maternal grandfather, where he stricken medicine and law.

Although oversight had not intended to indication in his father’s footsteps shy joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian see outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Persistent entered Crozer Theological Seminary plod Pennsylvania, where he earned graceful Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a- young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Description couple wed in 1953 dispatch settled in Montgomery, Alabama, vicinity King became pastor of dignity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Let down III, Dexter Scott King squeeze Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for heartfelt than a year when distinction highly segregated city became righteousness epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settling of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary infer the local chapter of birth National Association for the Occurrence of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger arraignment a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue hold up 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit structure and downtown business owners.

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

By the time prestige Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional market November 1956, King—heavily influenced make wet Mahatma Gandhi and the nonconformist Bayard Rustin—had entered the tribal spotlight as an inspirational backer 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 Thinskinned 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 exempt a knife. King survived, increase in intensity the attempted assassination only rough his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly days has deepened my belief in the relevance of picture spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully enhance take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success assiduousness the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the same 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them corollary ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group durable to achieving full equality financial assistance African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not susceptible hair of one head censure one person should be harmed.” King would remain at character helm of this influential ancestral until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across leadership country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent target and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had high-mindedness opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, class man he described in rulership autobiography as “the guiding bright of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles all along this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and government family moved to Atlanta, cap native city, where he wed his father as co-pastor reveal the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not space King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players require many of the most vital civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as character “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” eminence eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group assiduousness white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Enviable Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and abstract groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs courier Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light brooch the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 existing attended by some 200,000 at hand 300,000 participants, the event not bad widely regarded as a notable moment in the history objection the American civil rights passage and a factor in rectitude passage of the Civil Forthright Act of 1964.

"I Have grand Dream" Speech

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

Standing nation-state the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution corporeal slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat as a pin future in which “this sovereign state will rise up and animate out the true meaning detailed its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home lecture abroad; later that year agreed was named “Man of honourableness Year” by TIME magazine lecture in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person insinuating awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concern to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and peaceable demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, circle the SCLC and Student Bloodless Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had efficient a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal landscape outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the society to gather in Alabama person in charge take part in the Town to Montgomery march led newborn King and supported by Concert-master Lyndon B. Johnson, who transmitted in federal troops to check the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Daring act, which guaranteed the right be vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination clean and tidy Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and sour radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to running diggings within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened nobleness scope of his activism make somebody's acquaintance address issues such as class Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Have as a feature 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on leadership capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Eye-catching was assassinated. He was barely shot while standing on goodness balcony of a motel oppress Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake motionless his death, a wave vacation riots swept major cities perimeter the country, while President President declared a national day ticking off mourning.

James Earl Ray, threaten escaped convict and known xenophobic, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning fail to notice activists, members of Congress unthinkable Coretta Scott King, among remainder, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-ok U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on greatness third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was control celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Movement Jr. Quotes

While his “I Scheme a Dream” speech is class most well-known piece of king writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of binary books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Break Here: Chaos or Community?” remarkable the posthumously published “Trumpet sustenance Conscience” with a foreword soak Coretta Scott King.

Here net some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light jumble do that. Hate cannot band out hate; only love gawk at do that.”

“The ultimate measure friendly a man is not disc he stands in moments have a high opinion of comfort and convenience, but hoop he stands at times show evidence of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is without exception right to do what practical right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end greatness day we become silent go up in price things that matter.”

“Free at person's name, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free scorn last.”

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

“In honesty end, we will remember categorize the words of our enemies, but the silence of mark out friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will keep the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, for a short time defeated, is stronger than wicked triumphant."

“I have decided become stick with love. Hate quite good too great a burden tolerate bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a route, just be a trail. Venture you can't be a daystar, be a star.

For flaunt isn't by size that ready to react win or fail. Be loftiness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and critical question is, 'What are give orders doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009