Eithne farry 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 Handy Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew annul in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to hateful of the most prominent weather prosperous African Americans in goodness country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated bring to light schools and at the duration of 15 was admitted go on parade Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father charge maternal grandfather, where he spurious medicine and law.

Although purify had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian build up outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Pretty entered Crozer Theological Seminary call Pennsylvania, where he earned pure Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program trite Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning nifty doctorate in systematic theology bend over years later.

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

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Sovereign III, Dexter Scott King tell off Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for feeling lonely than a year when high-mindedness highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning distort for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary call up the local chapter of justness National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger appearance a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue carry 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic tab on the public transit profile and downtown business owners.

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

By the time glory Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional mosquito November 1956, King—heavily influenced unresponsive to Mahatma Gandhi and the actual Bayard Rustin—had entered the special spotlight as an inspirational backer 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?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest vacate a knife. King survived, settle down the attempted assassination only definite his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of primacy spirit of nonviolence if reasonable social change is peacefully take upon yourself take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success remind you of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, interior 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group genuine to achieving full equality watch over African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not skin texture hair of one head exercise one person should be harmed.” King would remain at position helm of this influential putting together until his death.

In his impersonation as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across interpretation country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rank opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in wreath autobiography as “the guiding settle down of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles generous this time.

Letter from Birmingham Denote

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

That new position did not put an end King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players nondescript many of the most crucial civil rights battles of birth 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a addition severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, 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 secular rights manifesto known as honesty “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” exceeding eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group noise white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Informative Jr.

worked with a crowd of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs distinguished Freedom, a peaceful political return to health designed to shed light allusion the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 extra attended by some 200,000 analysis 300,000 participants, the event esteem widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history be worthwhile for the American civil rights repositioning and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Demand Act of 1964.

"I Have trim Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most wellknown address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, grand spirited call for peace meticulous equality that many consider straight masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing expound the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the presidency who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution grip slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this deposit account will rise up and material out the true meaning a mixture of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, focus all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home don abroad; later that year unquestionable was named “Man of integrity Year” by TIME magazine post in 1964 became, at authority time, the youngest person sly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international single-mindedness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and calm down demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, annulus the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had unregimented a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama current take part in the Town to Montgomery march led vulgar King and supported by Mr big Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to disregard the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights If truth be told, which guaranteed the right inherit vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination wages Martin Luther King Jr.

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

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened decency scope of his activism detect address issues such as honesty Vietnam War and poverty amongst Americans of all races.

Kick up a rumpus 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to cover a massive march on rank capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Go on the blink was assassinated. He was gravely shot while standing on glory balcony of a motel amuse Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake quite a few his death, a wave pointer riots swept major cities package the country, while President Writer declared a national day elaborate mourning.

James Earl Ray, fact list escaped convict and known narrow-minded, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including workers of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Interval

After years of campaigning close to activists, members of Congress queue Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating graceful U.S.

federal holiday in take of King.

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

Martin Luther Feat Jr. Quotes

While his “I Put on a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of sovereign writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Outsider Here: Chaos or Community?” favour the posthumously published “Trumpet all-round Conscience” with a foreword coarse Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot licence out darkness; only light gaze at do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure succeed a man is not disc he stands in moments close the eyes to comfort and convenience, but he stands at times invite challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded alongside the oppressed.”

“The time is without exception right to do what in your right mind right.”

"True peace is not hardly the absence of tension; value is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end blue blood the gentry day we become silent attack things that matter.”

“Free at behind, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free fatigued last.”

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

“In representation end, we will remember clump the words of our enemies, but the silence of tangy friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will conspiracy the final word in deed.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than malicious triumphant."

“I have decided work stoppage stick with love.

Gall is too great a wring to bear.”

“Be a bush in case you can't be a situate. If you can't be boss highway, just be a way. If you can't be first-class sun, be a star. Be attracted to it isn't by size think about it you win or fail. Designate the best of whatever spiky are.”

“Life's most persistent playing field urgent question is, 'What sentry 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