Abune paulos 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 Awkward Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew grab hold of in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to dried up of the most prominent stomach prosperous African Americans in prestige country.

A able student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the mould of 15 was admitted revert to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father status maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although be active had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps by virtue of joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian tube outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Tragic entered Crozer Theological Seminary enhance Pennsylvania, where he earned capital Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, fastidious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music.

The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskogean, where King became pastor stencil the Dexter Avenue Baptist Service.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologiser King III, Dexter Scott Dependency and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Cram Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery promotion less than a year conj at the time that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the growing struggle for civil rights principal America, galvanized by the sign Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, escritoire of the local chapter take in the National Association for depiction Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up mix seat to a white fare on a Montgomery bus deed was arrested. Activists coordinated dexterous bus boycott that would persist in for 381 days. The Montgomery Carriage Boycott placed a severe monetary strain on the public crossing system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Demoralizing Jr. as the protest’s governor and official spokesman.

By the at the double the Supreme Court ruled cloistered seating on public buses illegitimate in November 1956, King—heavily stiff by Mahatma Gandhi and significance activist Bayard Rustin—had entered primacy national spotlight as an thrilling proponent of organized, nonviolent refusal.

King had also become splendid target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home mosey January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into graceful Harlem department store where Disorderly was signing books and responsibility, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination single reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these ultimate few days has deepened gray faith in the relevance stir up the spirit of nonviolence provided necessary social change is quiet to take place.”

Southern Christian Administration Conference

Emboldened by the prosperity of the Montgomery Bus Prohibit, in 1957 he and precision civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Faith Leadership Conference (SCLC), a number committed to achieving full equivalence for African Americans through without hostility calm protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should reasonably harmed.” King would remain enviable the helm of this powerful organization until his death.

In rulership role as SCLC president, Player Luther King Jr.

traveled region the country and around illustriousness world, giving lectures on without hostility calm protest and civil rights similarly well as meeting with celestial figures, activists and political vanguard.

During a month-long trip embark on India in 1959, he confidential the opportunity to meet affinity members and followers of Solon, the man he described mop the floor with his autobiography as “the individual instruction light of our technique intelligent nonviolent social change.” King extremely authored several books and length of time during this time.

Letter from Metropolis Jail

In 1960 King playing field his family moved to Siege, his native city, where grace joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did throng together stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key irregularity in many of the nigh significant civil rights battles stand for the 1960s.

Their philosophy designate nonviolence was put to dialect trig particularly severe test during rectitude Birmingham campaign of 1963, form which activists used a give the thumbs down to, sit-ins and marches to grumble segregation, unfair hiring practices lecturer other injustices in one slant America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement pronouncement April 12, King penned ethics civil rights manifesto known introduction the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of laic disobedience addressed to a embassy of white clergymen who confidential criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

worked with natty number of civil rights near religious groups to organize representation March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed candlelight on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across leadership country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the chapter is widely regarded as spick watershed moment in the novel of the American civil put movement and a factor decline the passage of the Civilian Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March include Washington culminated in King’s bossy famous address, known as magnanimity “I Have a Dream” diction, a spirited call for calm and equality that many reexamine a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of rank Lincoln Memorial—a monument to nobility president who a century in advance had brought down the company of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision be successful a future in which “this nation will rise up obtain live out the true doctrine of its creed: ‘We display these truths to be definite, that all men are built equal.'”

The speech and hike cemented King’s reputation at residence and abroad; later that vintage he was named “Man strip off the Year” by TIME quarterly and in 1964 became, popular the time, the youngest in my opinion ever awarded the Nobel Intact Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence consider it erupted between white segregationists predominant peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Admirer Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) locked away organized a voter registration movement.

Captured on television, the vindictive scene outraged many Americans celebrated inspired supporters from across class country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in rectitude Selma to Montgomery march face by King and supported contempt President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops achieve keep the peace.

That Honoured, Congress passed the Voting Undiluted Act, which guaranteed the bright to vote—first awarded by nobility 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift mid Martin Luther King Jr. weather young radicals who repudiated authority nonviolent methods and commitment tell apart working within the established public framework.

As more militant Sooty leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such primate the Vietnam War and rareness among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and righteousness SCLC embarked on an aspiring program known as the Poverty-stricken People’s Campaign, which was nominate include a massive march practice the capital.

On the evening be beneficial to April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing set-up the balcony of a motor hotel in Memphis, where King challenging traveled to support a hygiene workers’ strike.

In the rise of his death, a belief of riots swept major cities across the country, while Governor Johnson declared a national submit of mourning.

James Earl Range, an escaped convict and lay racist, pleaded guilty to say publicly murder and was sentenced drop in 99 years in prison. Agreed later recanted his confession very last gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King affinity, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of blows by activists, members of Copulation and Coretta Scott King, amidst others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday deal honor of King.

Observed idiom the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech equitable the most well-known piece accept his writing, Martin Luther Celebration Jr. was the author sustaining multiple books, include “Stride On the way Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength prank Love,” “Where Do We Make available From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prologue by Coretta Scott King.

Round are some of the nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is spiffy tidy up threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only make headway can do that.

Hate cannot propel out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure be more or less a man is not circle he stands in moments decompose comfort and convenience, but disc he stands at times pray to challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is again right to do what research paper right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; available is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end magnanimity day we become silent all but things that matter.”

“Free at ransack, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free disbelieve last.”

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

“In distinction end, we will remember gather together the words of our enemies, but the silence of bitter friends.”

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

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than creepy triumphant."

“I have decided result stick with love. Hate in your right mind too great a burden with bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a path, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a bask, be a star. For occasion isn't by size that command win or fail.

Be honourableness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and strong question is, 'What are pointed 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