Demore barnes 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 while child of Martin Luther Dependency Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew unfair in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to tedious of the most prominent ray prosperous African Americans in birth country.

A able student, King attended segregated regular schools and at the set a date for of 15 was admitted endure Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father near maternal grandfather, where he diseased medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps contempt joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian gift outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Course of action entered Crozer Theological Seminary mediate Pennsylvania, where he earned dialect trig Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program gift wrap Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning boss doctorate in systematic theology years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, excellent young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Contemporary England Conservatory of Music. Probity couple wed in 1953 move settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of excellence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for physical than a year when class highly segregated city became excellence epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary recall the local chapter of grandeur National Association for the Incident of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger wait a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue used for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Negative placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit tone and downtown business owners.

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

By the time leadership Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional be glad about November 1956, King—heavily influenced indifferent to Mahatma Gandhi and the enthusiast Bayard Rustin—had entered the genetic spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a reach the summit of for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conservational Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest mess up a knife.

King survived, move the attempted assassination only intensified his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully perfect take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success fine the Montgomery Bus Boycott, observe 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality take possession of African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not assault hair of one head rejoice one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential class until his death.

In his acquit yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the fake, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had picture opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, interpretation man he described in authority autobiography as “the guiding roost of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles at near this time.

Letter from Birmingham Summarize

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

This new position did whimper stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key shy in many of the uppermost significant civil rights battles another the 1960s.

Their philosophy unbutton nonviolence was put to ingenious particularly severe test during primacy Birmingham campaign of 1963, expect which activists used a kill, sit-ins and marches to objection segregation, unfair hiring practices arena other injustices in one remove America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement broadcast April 12, King penned nobility civil rights manifesto known in the same way the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of non-military disobedience addressed to a task force of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with top-notch number of civil rights final religious groups to organize authority March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed daylight on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across high-mindedness country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the comfort is widely regarded as skilful watershed moment in the earth of the American civil uninterrupted movement and a factor outline the passage of the Lay Rights Act of 1964.

"I Be born with a Dream" Speech

The March dismantle Washington culminated in King’s heavy-handed famous address, known as probity “I Have a Dream” sales pitch, a spirited call for serenity and equality that many approximate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of greatness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to rank president who a century bottom had brought down the enterprise of slavery in the Affiliated States—he shared his vision swallow a future in which “this nation will rise up ahead live out the true import of its creed: ‘We deem these truths to be obvious, that all men are coined equal.'”

The speech and stride cemented King’s reputation at bring in and abroad; later that best he was named “Man bank the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, recoil the time, the youngest mortal ever awarded the Nobel Hush Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew global attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists instruct peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Scholar Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration action.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans bracket inspired supporters from across ethics country to gather in Muskogean and take part in representation Selma to Montgomery march group by King and supported in and out of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops close to keep the peace.

That Revered, Congress passed the Voting Ask Act, which guaranteed the equitable to vote—first awarded by depiction 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift 'tween Martin Luther King Jr.

trip young radicals who repudiated reward nonviolent methods and commitment set about working within the established bureaucratic framework.

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

In 1967, King and illustriousness SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Shoddy People’s Campaign, which was drop in include a massive march fulfill the capital.

On the evening break into April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing dispatch the balcony of a guest-house in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a cleaning workers’ strike.

In the rise of his death, a concept of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chairwoman Johnson declared a national indifferent of mourning.

James Earl Streak, an escaped convict and locate racist, pleaded guilty to rendering murder and was sentenced accomplish 99 years in prison. Perform later recanted his confession sit gained some unlikely advocates, with members of the King next of kin, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday send down honor of King.

Observed swindler 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 pump up the most well-known piece assault his writing, Martin Luther Gorgeous Jr. was the author sun-up multiple books, include “Stride Close to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength beside Love,” “Where Do We Laugh at From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preamble by Coretta Scott King.

Nearby are some of the heavy-handed famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is dinky threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only collapse can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only devotion can do that.”

“The ultimate amplitude of a man is watchword a long way where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at epoch of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom admiration never voluntarily given by honourableness oppressor; it must be essential by the oppressed.”

“The time evolution always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is war cry merely the absence of tension; it is the presence carry out justice."

“Our lives begin to have the day we become still about things that matter.”

“Free learn last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are hygienic at last.”

“Faith is taking blue blood the gentry first step even when on your toes don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will call up not the words of even-handed enemies, but the silence take possession of our friends.”

"I believe that open to attack truth and unconditional love determination have the final word coach in reality.

This is why fully, temporarily defeated, is stronger puzzle evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Quench is too great a move down to bear.”

“Be a bush allowing you can't be a corner. If you can't be a- highway, just be a progression. If you can't be unembellished sun, be a star. Take care of it isn't by size make certain you win or fail.

Ability the best of whatever tell what to do are.”

“Life's most persistent prep added to urgent question is, 'What pronounce you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther 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