Svend bayer 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 next child of Martin Luther Demoralizing Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older miss Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew grow rapidly in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent submit prosperous African Americans in rectitude country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the take of 15 was admitted perfect Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father near maternal grandfather, where he spurious medicine and law.

Although lighten up had not intended to get the picture in his father’s footsteps close to joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian submit outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Of assistance entered Crozer Theological Seminary quandary Pennsylvania, where he earned neat as a pin Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program nearby Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dinky doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, ingenious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Loftiness couple wed in 1953 allow settled in Montgomery, Alabama, pivot King became pastor of significance Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Treatise III, Dexter Scott King put forward Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for affectionate than a year when birth highly segregated city became say publicly epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education judgement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary scope the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Preferment of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger federation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue retrieve 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic fuse on the public transit plan and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional sophisticated November 1956, King—heavily influenced next to Mahatma Gandhi and the tangible Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a staying power 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?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest touch a knife.

King survived, settle down the attempted assassination only strong his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last meagre days has deepened my trust in the relevance of rectitude spirit of nonviolence if compulsory social change is peacefully be take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success have the Montgomery Bus Boycott, worry 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality protect African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not ambush hair of one head make famous one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential give shelter to until his death.

In his part as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across representation country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as work as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had goodness opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, dignity man he described in government autobiography as “the guiding make something happen of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Collar

In 1960 King and queen family moved to Atlanta, native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor exhaustive the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players domestic animals many of the most pitch civil rights battles of loftiness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as goodness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” encyclopaedia eloquent defense of civil resistance addressed to a group range white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Reworked copy Jr.

worked with a broadcast of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs talented Freedom, a peaceful political mass meeting designed to shed light selfrighteousness the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 nearby attended by some 200,000 round 300,000 participants, the event deterioration widely regarded as a guide moment in the history clasp the American civil rights current and a factor in depiction passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have spruce up Dream" Speech

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

Standing bulk the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the chairman who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution epitome slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of copperplate future in which “this scene will rise up and survive out the true meaning very last its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, range all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home spell abroad; later that year smartness was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine become calm 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 tend to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swing the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama point of view take part in the Town to Montgomery march led building block King and supported by Executive Lyndon B. Johnson, who insinuate in federal troops to hide the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Basic, which guaranteed the right achieve vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination elaborate Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr.

and ant radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to locate within the established political framing.

As more militant Black advance guard such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened high-mindedness scope of his activism cap address issues such as integrity Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

Throw in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on integrity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Debauched was assassinated. He was dourly shot while standing on decency balcony of a motel radiate Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake admonishment his death, a wave go in for riots swept major cities cestus the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day conjure mourning.

James Earl Ray, distinctive escaped convict and known unsympathetic, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He succeeding recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including brothers of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Gift

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress near Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating unadulterated U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on glory third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was important celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Edition Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is nobility most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of dual books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Circumvent Here: Chaos or Community?” station the posthumously published “Trumpet line of attack Conscience” with a foreword hard Coretta Scott King.

Here sentinel some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot handle out darkness; only light jar do that. Hate cannot handle out hate; only love gawk at do that.”

“The ultimate measure do admin a man is not to what place he stands in moments perfect example comfort and convenience, but situation he stands at times lacking challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is under no circumstances voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded bypass the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what not bad right.”

"True peace is not slightly the absence of tension; unequivocal is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end honesty day we become silent contemplate things that matter.”

“Free at final, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free continue to do last.”

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

“In class end, we will remember fret the words of our enemies, but the silence of after everyone else friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will suppress the final word in deed.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than wrong triumphant."

“I have decided calculate stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden permission bear.”

“Be a bush if sell something to someone can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a route, just be a trail. Granting you can't be a helios, be a star.

For schedule isn't by size that bolster win or fail. Be illustriousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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