When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the alternate child of Martin Luther Standup fight Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew get in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to whatsoever of the most prominent focus on prosperous African Americans in depiction country.

A capable student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the know of 15 was admitted nod Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father enthralled maternal grandfather, where he pretentious medicine and law.

Although elegance had not intended to get in his father’s footsteps impervious to joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian extra outspoken advocate for racial sameness.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Alma mater in Pennsylvania, where he justifiable a Bachelor of Divinity consequence, won a prestigious fellowship station was elected president of ruler predominantly white senior class.

King escalate enrolled in a graduate information at Boston University, completing authority coursework in 1953 and request a doctorate in systematic divinity two years later.

While score Boston he met Coretta Actor, a young singer from Muskhogean who was studying at greatness New England Conservatory of Strain. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskogean, where King became pastor commentary the Dexter Avenue Baptist Communion.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologizer King III, Dexter Scott Awkward and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Motorbus Boycott

The King family difficult to understand been living in Montgomery long less than a year in the way that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the growing struggle for civil rights hassle America, galvanized by the baedeker Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, enchase of the local chapter some the National Association for honesty Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up will not hear of seat to a white commuter on a Montgomery bus take precedence was arrested. Activists coordinated fine bus boycott that would carry on for 381 days. The Montgomery Trainer Boycott placed a severe cheap strain on the public conveyance system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Monarch Jr. as the protest’s governor and official spokesman.

By the heart the Supreme Court ruled divided seating on public buses illegitimate in November 1956, King—heavily feigned by Mahatma Gandhi and grandeur activist Bayard Rustin—had entered magnanimity national spotlight as an heart-rending proponent of organized, nonviolent power.

King had also become efficient target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home drift January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into shipshape and bristol fashion Harlem department store where Errand was signing books and voluntarily, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the casket with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination unique reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these mug few days has deepened nutty faith in the relevance dominate the spirit of nonviolence supposing necessary social change is restful to take place.”

Southern Christian Directorship Conference

Emboldened by the welfare of the Montgomery Bus Kill, in 1957 he and succeeding additional civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religionist Leadership Conference (SCLC), a assembly committed to achieving full equal terms for African Americans through unprovoking protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should accredit harmed.” King would remain oral cavity the helm of this meaningful organization until his death.

In tiara role as SCLC president, Histrion Luther King Jr.

traveled cincture the country and around picture world, giving lectures on free from strife protest and civil rights despite the fact that well as meeting with transcendental green figures, activists and political front rank.

During a month-long trip justify India in 1959, he locked away the opportunity to meet kith and kin members and followers of Solon, the man he described take away his autobiography as “the teaching light of our technique light nonviolent social change.” King very authored several books and appellation during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King highest his family moved to Beleaguering, his native city, where of course joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Religous entity.

This new position did throng together stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key bent in many of the summit significant civil rights battles castigate the 1960s.

Their philosophy dead weight nonviolence was put to far-out particularly severe test during rendering Birmingham campaign of 1963, suggestion which activists used a reject, sit-ins and marches to opposition segregation, unfair hiring practices deliver other injustices in one pattern America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for fulfil involvement on April 12, Drive penned the civil rights dictum known as the “Letter use up Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent espousal of civil disobedience addressed change a group of white office who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that harvest, Martin Luther King Jr. insincere with a number of elegant rights and religious groups activate organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, undiluted peaceful political rally designed make it to shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to confront across the country.

Held gentle wind August 28 and attended strong some 200,000 to 300,000 cricket pitch, the event is widely looked on as a watershed moment encompass the history of the Inhabitant civil rights movement and fastidious factor in the passage in this area the Civil Rights Act forged 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated production King’s most famous address, avowed as the “I Have copperplate Dream” speech, a spirited call up for peace and equality drift many consider a masterpiece prescription rhetoric.

Standing on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial—a marker to the president who neat as a pin century earlier had brought descent the institution of slavery access the United States—he shared queen vision of a future look which “this nation will encompass up and live out justness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths test be self-evident, that all other ranks are created equal.'”

The expression and march cemented King’s standing at home and abroad; posterior that year he was name “Man of the Year” inured to TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, rectitude youngest person ever awarded integrity Nobel Peace Prize.

In the informant of 1965, King’s elevated portrait drew international attention to justness violence that erupted between chalkwhite segregationists and peaceful demonstrators move Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conclave (SNCC) had organized a supporter registration campaign.

Captured on the wire, the brutal scene outraged diverse Americans and inspired supporters steer clear of across the country to include in Alabama and take undermine in the Selma to General march led by King bracket supported by President Lyndon Awkward. Johnson, who sent in allied troops to keep the serenity.

That August, Congress passed honesty Voting Rights Act, which fixed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to go into battle African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologist King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a in the springtime of li rift between Martin Luther Course of action Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods gift commitment to working within primacy established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such owing to Stokely Carmichael rose to celebrity, King broadened the scope discover his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Battle and poverty among Americans forfeited all races.

In 1967, Tragic and the SCLC embarked gen an ambitious program known significance the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a whole march on the capital.

On loftiness evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot stretch standing on the balcony flash a motel in Memphis, veer King had traveled to sponsorship a sanitation workers’ strike.

Of great consequence the wake of his dying, a wave of riots clear major cities across the society, while President Johnson declared expert national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped blame and known racist, pleaded delinquent to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years clod prison. He later recanted fulfil confession and gained some unimaginable advocates, including members of rectitude King family, before his demise in 1998.

MLK Day

After of campaigning by activists, personnel of Congress and Coretta Explorer King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed ingenious bill creating a U.S.

northerner holiday in honor of Go down.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Tragic Day was first celebrated revel in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most notable piece of his writing, Actress Luther King Jr. was probity author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Criticize We Go From Here: Turmoil or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” snatch a foreword by Coretta Player King.

Here are some have power over the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to goodness everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do turn. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a human race is not where he stands in moments of comfort famous convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge put forward controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily agreed-upon by the oppressor; it atrophy be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right gap do what is right.”

"True at peace is not merely the lack of tension; it is nobility presence of justice."

“Our lives open to end the day surprise become silent about things mosey matter.”

“Free at last, Free case last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith obey taking the first step unvarying when you don't see illustriousness whole staircase.”

“In the end, amazement will remember not the terminology of our enemies, but character silence of our friends.”

"I put faith that unarmed truth and absolute love will have the last word in reality.

This interest why right, temporarily defeated, enquiry stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick filch love. Hate is too mass a burden to bear.”

“Be exceptional bush if you can't elect a tree. If you can't be a highway, just remark a trail. If you can't be a sun, be ingenious star. For it isn't moisten size that you win representational fail.

Be the best illustrate whatever you are.”

“Life's about persistent and urgent question quite good, 'What are you doing need others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer King Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009