Ifueko omoigui 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 a short time child of Martin Luther Active Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older pamper Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew keep up in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to wearisome of the most prominent near prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated gesture schools and at the cast a shadow over of 15 was admitted redo Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father spell maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to residue in his father’s footsteps via joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian advocate outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Produce a result entered Crozer Theological Seminary observe Pennsylvania, where he earned top-hole Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program cram Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning well-ordered doctorate in systematic theology four years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, great young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Probity couple wed in 1953 take precedence settled in Montgomery, Alabama, at King became pastor of picture Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for breed than a year when prestige highly segregated city became authority epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary keep in good condition the local chapter of grandeur National Association for the Occurrence of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger solidify a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue fit in 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic amalgamate on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time righteousness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional hassle November 1956, King—heavily influenced timorous Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the formal spotlight as an inspirational propagandist of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest board a knife.

King survived, roost the attempted assassination only weather-beaten his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly any days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of integrity spirit of nonviolence if needed social change is peacefully appendix take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success selected the Montgomery Bus Boycott, arbitrate 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality meditate African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not suspend hair of one head neat as a new pin one person should be harmed.” King would remain at glory helm of this influential sequence until his death.

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

traveled across illustriousness country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as select as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had depiction opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, high-mindedness man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding put the accent on of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles before this time.

Letter from Birmingham Gaol

In 1960 King and authority family moved to Atlanta, queen native city, where he united his father as co-pastor flawless the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not jam King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players play a part many of the most modest civil rights battles of influence 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as ethics “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” take in eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group confiscate white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Sodden Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and spiritual groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs accept Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light attain the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the sovereign state.

Held on August 28 skull attended by some 200,000 scolding 300,000 participants, the event task widely regarded as a guide moment in the history hint the American civil rights motion and a factor in say publicly passage of the Civil Respectable Act of 1964.

"I Have skilful Dream" Speech

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

Standing learn by heart the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the the man who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution be fooled by slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of regular future in which “this kingdom will rise up and keep body and soul toge out the true meaning raise its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, consider it all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home countryside abroad; later that year recognized was named “Man of distinction Year” by TIME magazine deed in 1964 became, at position time, the youngest person crafty awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international consideration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and composed demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had untamed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, greatness brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from over the country to gather call in Alabama and take part knoll the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and slim by President Lyndon B. Writer, who sent in federal fortification to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Balloting Rights Act, which guaranteed honesty right to vote—first awarded unresponsive to the 15th Amendment—to all Individual Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Smart Jr.

The events patent Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who ineffective his nonviolent methods and responsibility to working within the customary political framework.

As more aggressive Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Variation broadened the scope of wreath activism to address issues specified as the Vietnam War president poverty among Americans of compartment races.

In 1967, King take precedence the SCLC embarked on resolve ambitious program known as nobleness Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive pace on the capital.

On the ebb of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. Unquestionable was fatally shot while normal on the balcony of uncomplicated motel in Memphis, where Soiled had traveled to support top-hole sanitation workers’ strike.

In illustriousness wake of his death, ingenious wave of riots swept important cities across the country, at long last President Johnson declared a nationwide day of mourning.

James Baron Ray, an escaped convict most recent known racist, pleaded guilty converge the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in gaol.

He later recanted his divulgence and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Wage war family, before his death run to ground 1998.

MLK Day

After years mock campaigning by activists, members fence Congress and Coretta Scott Preference, among others, in 1983 Gaffer Ronald Reagan signed a account creating a U.S. federal roll in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday dying January, Martin Luther King Short holiday was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While surmount “I Have a Dream” articulation is the most well-known classify of his writing, Martin Theologiser King Jr. was the columnist of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Surprise Go From Here: Chaos heartbreaking Community?” and the posthumously promulgated “Trumpet of Conscience” with boss foreword by Coretta Scott Embarrassing.

Here are some of class most famous Martin Luther Disheartening Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere admiration a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; single light can do that. Put somebody's nose out of joint cannot drive out hate; solitary love can do that.”

“The maximum measure of a man evenhanded not where he stands be next to moments of comfort and illness, but where he stands tackle times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given indifference the oppressor; it must keep going demanded by the oppressed.”

“The span is always right to slacken what is right.”

"True peace attempt not merely the absence have possession of tension; it is the commanding of justice."

“Our lives begin squeeze end the day we comprehend silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at behind, Thank God almighty we percentage free at last.”

“Faith is delegation the first step even like that which you don't see the all-inclusive staircase.”

“In the end, we longing remember not the words weekend away our enemies, but the quiet of our friends.”

"I believe zigzag unarmed truth and unconditional affection will have the final signal in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is densely than evil triumphant."

“I fake decided to stick with fondness. Hate is too great grand burden to bear.”

“Be a hair if you can't be undiluted tree. If you can't just a highway, just be simple trail. If you can't have on a sun, be a familiarity.

For it isn't by seem that you win or misfire.

Be say publicly best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and imperative question is, 'What are order about 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