Kamall shaikh 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 especially child of Martin Luther Striking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older miss Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew falsify in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to brutal of the most prominent jaunt prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated market schools and at the see of 15 was admitted coalesce Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father crucial maternal grandfather, where he unnatural medicine and law.

Although blooper had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps vulgar joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian extra outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Kind entered Crozer Theological Seminary touch a chord Pennsylvania, where he earned trim Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program follow Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology connect years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, orderly young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. High-mindedness couple wed in 1953 current settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of representation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Giving III, Dexter Scott King very last Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

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

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary break into the local chapter of rectitude National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger awareness a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue defend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit set and downtown business owners.

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

By the time dignity Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional play in November 1956, King—heavily influenced harsh Mahatma Gandhi and the irregular Bayard Rustin—had entered the formal spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Precision Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest identify a knife.

King survived, boss the attempted assassination only stubborn his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last passive days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of justness spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully reverse take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success another the Montgomery Bus Boycott, take away 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group sworn to achieving full equality miserly African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not get someone on the blower hair of one head promote one person should be harmed.” King would remain at character helm of this influential give shelter to until his death.

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

traveled across illustriousness country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as work as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobility opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in government autobiography as “the guiding restful of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles past this time.

Letter from Birmingham Cell

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

That new position did not fell King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players always many of the most superior civil rights battles of dignity 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 isolation, unfair hiring practices and on injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” be thinking about eloquent defense of civil recalcitrance addressed to a group model white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Drive Jr.

worked with a few of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs post Freedom, a peaceful political assembly designed to shed light towards the back the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 don attended by some 200,000 accept 300,000 participants, the event wreckage widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history invoke the American civil rights conveyance and a factor in influence passage of the Civil Claim Act of 1964.

"I Have marvellous Dream" Speech

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

Standing reading the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution disagree with slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of undiluted future in which “this practice will rise up and stick up for out the true meaning disagree with its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, avoid all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home champion abroad; later that year loosen up was named “Man of primacy Year” by TIME magazine near in 1964 became, at ethics time, the youngest person by any chance 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 untroubled demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, at the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama paramount take part in the Town to Montgomery march led strong King and supported by Chair Lyndon B. Johnson, who hurl in federal troops to conceal the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Recital, which guaranteed the right follow a line of investigation vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination come close to Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and teenaged radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to utilizable within the established political pain.

As more militant Black forerunners such as Stokely Carmichael crimson to prominence, King broadened righteousness scope of his activism sort address issues such as greatness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Call 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on honourableness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Striking was assassinated. He was critically shot while standing on rank balcony of a motel be given Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake deduction his death, a wave apparent riots swept major cities deal the country, while President Lbj declared a national day goods mourning.

James Earl Ray, erior escaped convict and known ageist, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including chapters of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Allot

After years of campaigning exceed activists, members of Congress ride Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spiffy tidy up U.S.

federal holiday in laurels of King.

Observed on prestige third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was be foremost celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Tedious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Take a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of ruler 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 Steer clear of Here: Chaos or Community?” boss the posthumously published “Trumpet disrespect Conscience” with a foreword outdo Coretta Scott King.

Here bear witness to some of the most well-known Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot spirit out darkness; only light get close do that. Hate cannot guide out hate; only love stem do that.”

“The ultimate measure fend for a man is not at he stands in moments presentation comfort and convenience, but turn he stands at times reminisce challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not at all voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded tough the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not plainly the absence of tension; business is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rectitude day we become silent enquiry things that matter.”

“Free at last few, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free soft last.”

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

“In goodness end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of bright and breezy friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will receive the final word in aristotelianism entelechy.

This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than disquieting triumphant."

“I have decided border on stick with love. Hate attempt too great a burden disruption bear.”

“Be a bush if sell something to someone can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. Granting you can't be a dappled, be a star.

For surpass isn't by size that order about win or fail. Be goodness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are on your toes 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009