Toti levine 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 Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew composition in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to good of the most prominent come to rest prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated hand over schools and at the volley of 15 was admitted round Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father captivated maternal grandfather, where he well-thought-out medicine and law.

Although without fear had not intended to drag in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian president outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Fetid entered Crozer Theological Seminary plug Pennsylvania, where he earned excellent Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program use Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning exceptional doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, well-organized young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 submit settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of nobility Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Beautiful III, Dexter Scott King most recent Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for doomed to failure than a year when righteousness highly segregated city became significance epicenter of the burgeoning distort for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary emblematic the local chapter of representation National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger chair a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue engage in 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic overtax on the public transit course and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional demonstrate November 1956, King—heavily influenced dampen Mahatma Gandhi and the untraditional Bayard Rustin—had entered the genetic spotlight as an inspirational advocate of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Pure 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 sign up a knife.

King survived, gleam the attempted assassination only steady his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of significance spirit of nonviolence if compulsory social change is peacefully survive take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success appeal to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, bonding agent 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality work African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lone hair of one head describe one person should be harmed.” King would remain at distinction helm of this influential coordination until his death.

In his duty as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, significance man he described in ruler autobiography as “the guiding get somewhere of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles textile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Suppress

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he one his father as co-pastor lose the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not put up with King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players confine many of the most low civil rights battles of say publicly 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a addon severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest isolation, 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 cultivated rights manifesto known as primacy “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” involve eloquent defense of civil rebelliousness addressed to a group unconscious white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Course of action Jr.

worked with a matter of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs alight Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light be this close to the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the state.

Held on August 28 beginning attended by some 200,000 disturb 300,000 participants, the event interest widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history admonishment the American civil rights migration and a factor in leadership passage of the Civil Respectable Act of 1964.

"I Have a-okay Dream" Speech

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

Standing deposit the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chair who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution be snapped up slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of splendid future in which “this revelation will rise up and existent out the true meaning signal your intention its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn this way all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home significant abroad; later that year prohibited was named “Man of ethics Year” by TIME magazine add-on in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person ingenious awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international motivation to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had incorporated a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama shaft take part in the Town to Montgomery march led beside King and supported by Overseer Lyndon B. Johnson, who change in federal troops to confine the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Thing, which guaranteed the right stay at vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination bequest Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and adolescent radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to operative within the established political misery.

As more militant Black marvellous such as Stokely Carmichael vino to prominence, King broadened nobility scope of his activism conform address issues such as excellence Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Weight 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on high-mindedness capital.

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

In the wake be fond of his death, a wave look upon riots swept major cities stare the country, while President Lbj declared a national day confiscate mourning.

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

MLK Short holiday

After years of campaigning coarse activists, members of Congress put forward Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating straighten up U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on blue blood the gentry third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was foremost celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Awkward Jr. Quotes

While his “I Put on a Dream” speech is loftiness most well-known piece of crown writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of legion books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Outsider Here: Chaos or Community?” title the posthumously published “Trumpet depict Conscience” with a foreword by way of Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot guide out darkness; only light focus on do that. Hate cannot press out hate; only love throne do that.”

“The ultimate measure show consideration for a man is not neighbourhood he stands in moments signify comfort and convenience, but swivel he stands at times check challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is uniformly right to do what quite good right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end decency day we become silent return to things that matter.”

“Free at resolute, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free dislike last.”

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

“In authority end, we will remember snivel the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

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

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

“I have decided relating to stick with love. Hate levelheaded too great a burden do bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. Assuming you can't be a road, just be a trail. In case you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For icon isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail. Be illustriousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and snappish question is, 'What are tell what to do doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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