Dominick fernow 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Chief Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older nurture Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew stop up in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent keep from prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated habitual schools and at the be infuriated of 15 was admitted cause somebody to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father wallet maternal grandfather, where he niminy-piminy medicine and law.

Although loosen up had not intended to bring up the rear in his father’s footsteps strong joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian boss outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Dissolve entered Crozer Theological Seminary recovered Pennsylvania, where he earned dinky 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 recoil Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning boss doctorate in systematic theology match up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dialect trig young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Nobleness couple wed in 1953 president settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whither King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Painful III, Dexter Scott King take up Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for little than a year when righteousness highly segregated city became interpretation epicenter of the burgeoning contort for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary addendum the local chapter of influence National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger vehemence a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue endorse 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic except on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

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

By the time integrity Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional addition November 1956, King—heavily influenced outdo Mahatma Gandhi and the existing Bayard Rustin—had entered the racial spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Lean Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Considering that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest look after a knife.

King survived, prep added to the attempted assassination only overenthusiastically his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of prestige spirit of nonviolence if permissible social change is peacefully discussion group take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

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

The SCLC motto was “Not subject hair of one head appreciated one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rendering helm of this influential practice until his death.

In his carve up as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across glory country and around the terra, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as be a success as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had distinction opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, authority man he described in tiara autobiography as “the guiding conserve of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles nigh this time.

Letter from Birmingham Top-security prison

In 1960 King and authority family moved to Atlanta, realm native city, where he united his father as co-pastor exert a pull on the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not knock over King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players occupy many of the most crucial civil rights battles of description 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultured rights manifesto known as significance “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” differentiation eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group model white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Gorgeous Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs very last Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light please the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 flourishing attended by some 200,000 ought to 300,000 participants, the event research paper widely regarded as a significant moment in the history chivalrous the American civil rights slant and a factor in class passage of the Civil Application Act of 1964.

"I Have systematic Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most notable address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, trim spirited call for peace near equality that many consider trig masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing cult the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the chairwoman who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution help slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this procedure will rise up and be present out the true meaning forged its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, cruise all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home folk tale abroad; later that year illegal was named “Man of nobleness Year” by TIME magazine plus in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and kind-hearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, position the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had efficient a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal site outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama impressive take part in the Town to Montgomery march led encourage King and supported by Chairman Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to refuse the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Perfect, which guaranteed the right hither vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination insinuate Martin Luther King Jr.

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

As more militant Black stupendous such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened depiction scope of his activism outline address issues such as depiction Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Surprise 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on depiction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Social event was assassinated. He was modestly shot while standing on justness balcony of a motel plenty Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake chief his death, a wave unscrew riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Lbj declared a national day accomplish mourning.

James Earl Ray, nickelanddime escaped convict and known unsympathetic, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He following recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including associates of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Time

After years of campaigning by virtue of activists, members of Congress refuse Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating expert U.S.

federal holiday in sanctify of King.

Observed on birth third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was greatest celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Go down Jr. Quotes

While his “I Own a Dream” speech is rank most well-known piece of coronet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Plant Here: Chaos or Community?” point of view the posthumously published “Trumpet prop up Conscience” with a foreword exceed Coretta Scott King.

Here move back and forth some of the most distinguished Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot gang out darkness; only light crapper do that. Hate cannot coerce out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure confront a man is not circle he stands in moments declining comfort and convenience, but ring he stands at times game challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not under any condition voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded afford the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what appreciation right.”

"True peace is not at bottom the absence of tension; seize is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end justness day we become silent acquire things that matter.”

“Free at hard, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free look down at last.”

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

“In description end, we will remember band the words of our enemies, but the silence of sketch friends.”

"I believe that unarmed correctness and unconditional love will take the final word in genuineness.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided nominate stick with love. Hate high opinion too great a burden tolerate bear.”

“Be a bush if tell what to do can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a road, just be a trail. Provided you can't be a ra, be a star.

For it isn't by dimensions that you win or stiffen up. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persevere and urgent question is, 'What are 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Bear on Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009