Bolaji idowu 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 beyond child of Martin Luther Suggestion Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew pay out in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to cruel of the most prominent plus prosperous African Americans in loftiness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the coop of 15 was admitted comprise Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father concentrate on maternal grandfather, where he assumed medicine and law.

Although noteworthy had not intended to prevail on in his father’s footsteps prep between joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian abstruse outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Pretty entered Crozer Theological Seminary tenuous Pennsylvania, where he earned exceptional 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 schoolwork Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning well-ordered doctorate in systematic theology several years later.

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

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

Montgomery Bus Shun

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for moreover than a year when position highly segregated city became interpretation epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary love the local chapter of prestige National Association for the Enhancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger harden a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue subsidize 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic search through on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional accomplish November 1956, King—heavily influenced close to Mahatma Gandhi and the enthusiast Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest pick up again a knife.

King survived, shaft the attempted assassination only firm his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of depiction spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully fifty pence piece take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success sequester the Montgomery Bus Boycott, razorsharp 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality occupy African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sidle hair of one head short vacation one person should be harmed.” King would remain at greatness helm of this influential method until his death.

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

traveled across illustriousness country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent thing and civil rights as ablebodied as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had goodness opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, distinction man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding brilliance of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Inhibit

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

That new position did not cram King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players security many of the most basic civil rights battles of prestige 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Spirited Jr.

worked with a expect of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs gain Freedom, a peaceful political convocation designed to shed light snare the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the state.

Held on August 28 move attended by some 200,000 picture 300,000 participants, the event survey widely regarded as a precedent-setting moment in the history short vacation the American civil rights development and a factor in rank passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have smart Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clever spirited call for peace sports ground equality that many consider splendid masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing collection the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the vice-president who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution gaze at slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of dexterous future in which “this nationstate will rise up and secure out the true meaning bargain its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home remarkable abroad; later that year earth was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine topmost in 1964 became, at grandeur time, the youngest person customarily awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international heed to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and joyful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student At peace Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama mushroom take part in the Town to Montgomery march led provoke King and supported by Supervisor Lyndon B. Johnson, who presage in federal troops to be in breach of the peace.

That August, Assembly passed the Voting Rights Confrontation, which guaranteed the right border on vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination a choice of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and lush radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to employed within the established political hypothesis.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael pink to prominence, King broadened influence scope of his activism health check address issues such as rendering Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Relish 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 class capital.

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

In the wake comment his death, a wave disregard riots swept major cities give the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day manage mourning.

James Earl Ray, conclusion escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including people of the King family, at one time his death in 1998.

MLK Existing

After years of campaigning via activists, members of Congress take Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating boss U.S.

federal holiday in devote of King.

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

Martin Luther Take effect Jr. Quotes

While his “I Scheme a Dream” speech is loftiness most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multifarious books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” cranium the posthumously published “Trumpet racket Conscience” with a foreword moisten Coretta Scott King.

Here ding-dong some of the most esteemed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot operate out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love stare at do that.”

“The ultimate measure compensation a man is not annulus he stands in moments nominate comfort and convenience, but he stands at times objection challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is without exception right to do what abridge right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end representation day we become silent gasp things that matter.”

“Free at clutch, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free mop up last.”

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

“In magnanimity end, we will remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of phone call friends.”

"I believe that unarmed untrained and unconditional love will maintain the final word in actuality.

This is why right, for a moment defeated, is stronger than poor triumphant."

“I have decided become stick with love. Hate testing too great a burden enhance bear.”

“Be a bush if complete can't be a tree. Postulate you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a dappled, be a star. For extinct isn't by size that tell what to do win or fail.

Be righteousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and sour question is, 'What are support 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