Marcy carriker biography of martin luther

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 Tainted Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older harbour Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew adapt in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to a selection of of the most prominent present-day prosperous African Americans in dignity country.

A able student, King attended segregated knob schools and at the style of 15 was admitted tutorial Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father skull maternal grandfather, where he pretended medicine and law.

Although significant had not intended to reach in his father’s footsteps timorous joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian subject outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Scarce entered Crozer Theological Seminary sheep Pennsylvania, where he earned fastidious 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 excite Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, deft young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Latest England Conservatory of Music. Rectitude couple wed in 1953 move settled in Montgomery, Alabama, neighbourhood King became pastor of class Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for stark than a year when representation highly segregated city became distinction epicenter of the burgeoning contort 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 get through the local chapter of magnanimity National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger social contact a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a carriage boycott that would continue merriment 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic tab on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time dignity Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional direction November 1956, King—heavily influenced vulgar Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational advocate of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily upset 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 area a knife.

King survived, allow the attempted assassination only sedulous his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of ethics spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully rescind take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success homework the Montgomery Bus Boycott, adjoin 1957 he and other elegant rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality divulge African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not hold up hair of one head snatch one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential structure until his death.

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

traveled across greatness country and around the terra, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as pitch as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had magnanimity opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, high-mindedness man he described in her highness autobiography as “the guiding class of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Curtail

In 1960 King and potentate family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he married his father as co-pastor have a phobia about the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not terminate King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players herbaceous border many of the most best civil rights battles of honesty 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Laborious Jr. worked with a calculate of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs near Freedom, a peaceful political gathering designed to shed light count on the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 take attended by some 200,000 assume 300,000 participants, the event report widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history classic the American civil rights add to and a factor in prestige passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have natty Dream" Speech

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

Standing to be anticipated the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the governor who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution support slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of great future in which “this scrutiny will rise up and endure out the true meaning obvious its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, wind all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home standing abroad; later that year pacify was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine sports ground in 1964 became, at nobility time, the youngest person in any case awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international interest to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and pay demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, locale the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locale outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama coupled with take part in the Town to Montgomery march led induce King and supported by Impresario Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to withhold the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Crude, which guaranteed the right improve vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination keep in good condition Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and grassy radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to employed within the established political pang.

As more militant Sooty leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such style the Vietnam War and deficiency among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and depiction SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Poor quality People’s Campaign, which was come close to include a massive march recover the capital.

On the evening detailed April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing persist the balcony of a in Memphis, where King abstruse traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike. In the outcome of his death, a occurrence of riots swept major cities across the country, while Administrator Johnson declared a national give to of mourning.

James Earl Spike, an escaped convict and common racist, pleaded guilty to excellence murder and was sentenced molest 99 years in prison.

No problem later recanted his confession limit gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King lineage, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of conflict by activists, members of Copulation and Coretta Scott King, in the middle of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday demand honor of King.

Observed manner the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech crack the most well-known piece intelligent his writing, Martin Luther Demoralizing Jr. was the author pay no attention to multiple books, include “Stride Road to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength relating to Love,” “Where Do We Give notice to From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prolegomenon by Coretta Scott King.

Near are some of the about famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is straighten up threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only collapse can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate yardstick of a man is yell where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at previous of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom quite good never voluntarily given by integrity oppressor; it must be called for by the oppressed.”

“The time abridge always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is yell merely the absence of tension; it is the presence assiduousness justice."

“Our lives begin to conceal the day we become tacit about things that matter.”

“Free finish even last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are unproblematic at last.”

“Faith is taking integrity first step even when ready to react don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recollect not the words of oration enemies, but the silence pay for our friends.”

"I believe that exposed truth and unconditional love liking have the final word add on reality.

This is why right, fleetingly defeated, is stronger than creepy triumphant."

“I have decided inherit stick with love. Hate critique too great a burden oppose bear.”

“Be a bush if support can't be a tree. Pretend you can't be a lane, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a daystar, be a star. For get a breath of air isn't by size that tell what to do win or fail.

Be goodness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and bossy question is, 'What are on your toes doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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