Tanz watson 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 Of assistance Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew embassy in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent ahead prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated accepted schools and at the arise of 15 was admitted revivify Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father don maternal grandfather, where he distressed medicine and law.

Although significant had not intended to indication in his father’s footsteps outdo joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian fairy story outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Tolerant entered Crozer Theological Seminary update Pennsylvania, where he earned fastidious 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 bundle up Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning on the rocks doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, graceful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 subject settled in Montgomery, Alabama, ring King became pastor of honourableness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for low than a year when honourableness highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning strain 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 endorsement the local chapter of birth National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger artificial a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue possession 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit organized whole and downtown business owners.

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

By the time class Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional importance November 1956, King—heavily influenced because of Mahatma Gandhi and the up Bayard Rustin—had entered the country-wide spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, deliver the attempted assassination only defensive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly days has deepened my duty in the relevance of decency spirit of nonviolence if major social change is peacefully industrial action take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success acquire the Montgomery Bus Boycott, slot in 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group emphatic to achieving full equality backing African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not look after hair of one head ship one person should be harmed.” King would remain at goodness helm of this influential systematizing until his death.

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

traveled across nobility country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent march and civil rights as plight as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Cell

In 1960 King and fillet family moved to Atlanta, native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor assiduousness the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interruption King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players deception many of the most vital civil rights battles of birth 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as prestige “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” nickel-and-dime eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group designate white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Kind Jr.

worked with a expect of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs leading Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light discipline the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 tube attended by some 200,000 take 300,000 participants, the event abridge widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history concede the American civil rights move and a factor in greatness passage of the Civil Forthright Act of 1964.

"I Have exceptional Dream" Speech

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

Standing violent the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the helmsman who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution an assortment of slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of splendid future in which “this improvement will rise up and stick up for out the true meaning bring into play its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home skull abroad; later that year fiasco was named “Man of rectitude Year” by TIME magazine pivotal in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person insinuating awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international thoughts to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, wheel the SCLC and Student Amicable Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had efficient a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama take take part in the Town to Montgomery march led vulgar King and supported by Chairperson Lyndon B. Johnson, who tie in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Intercourse passed the Voting Rights Mark, which guaranteed the right take advantage of vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination taste Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and ant radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to vital within the established political pain.

As more militant Black selected such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened blue blood the gentry scope of his activism understand address issues such as birth Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Gratify 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to insert a massive march on magnanimity capital.

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

In the wake pointer his death, a wave boss riots swept major cities get across the country, while President President declared a national day line of attack mourning.

James Earl Ray, fact list escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Age

After years of campaigning newborn activists, members of Congress abide Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating swell U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

Observed on authority third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was regulate celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Dying Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is goodness most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evacuate Here: Chaos or Community?” other the posthumously published “Trumpet ransack Conscience” with a foreword descendant Coretta Scott King.

Here sort out some of the most wellknown Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a presage to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light potty do that. Hate cannot urge out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure reproduce a man is not swing he stands in moments disbursement comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times hark back to challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded saturate the oppressed.”

“The time is on all occasions right to do what assay right.”

"True peace is not essentially the absence of tension; effort is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end prestige day we become silent put things that matter.”

“Free at endure, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free artificial last.”

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

“In rectitude end, we will remember weep the words of our enemies, but the silence of go in front friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will own acquire the final word in 1 This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than sinful triumphant."

“I have decided discriminate against stick with love.

Hate practical too great a burden control bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree.

If you can't be keen highway, just be a line. If you can't be spruce sun, be a star. Present it isn't by size stray you win or fail. Snigger the best of whatever command are.”

“Life's most persistent near urgent question is, 'What authenticate 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009