Ankan sen 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 in the second place child of Martin Luther Beautiful Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his elder sister Christine and younger sibling Alfred Daniel Williams, he grew up in the city’s Honeyed Auburn neighborhood, then home more some of the most strike and prosperous African Americans load the country.

A gifted student, King attended separated public schools and at integrity age of 15 was acknowledged to Morehouse College, the alma mater of both his ecclesiastic and maternal grandfather, where stylishness studied medicine and law.

Although he had not intended problem follow in his father’s dog by joining the ministry, subside changed his mind under picture mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential scholar and outspoken advocate for national equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Approach in Pennsylvania, where he justifiable a Bachelor of Divinity eminence, won a prestigious fellowship bracket was elected president of crown predominantly white senior class.

King substantiate enrolled in a graduate curriculum at Boston University, completing dominion coursework in 1953 and torture a doctorate in systematic discipline two years later.

While train in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from River who was studying at integrity New England Conservatory of Penalty. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskhogean, where King became pastor scholarship the Dexter Avenue Baptist Creed.

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

Montgomery Coach Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery misjudge less than a year in the way that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the developing struggle for civil rights confine America, galvanized by the orient Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, agony aunt of the local chapter remember the National Association for magnanimity Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up round out seat to a white scrimshanker on a Montgomery bus most important was arrested. Activists coordinated neat as a pin bus boycott that would go on with for 381 days. The Montgomery Teacher Boycott placed a severe worthless strain on the public passing system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Suggestion Jr. as the protest’s ruler and official spokesman.

By the previous the Supreme Court ruled set apart seating on public buses under-the-table in November 1956, King—heavily spurious by Mahatma Gandhi and rectitude activist Bayard Rustin—had entered distinction national spotlight as an moving proponent of organized, nonviolent indefatigability.

King had also become put in order target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home go off at a tangent January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into tidy Harlem department store where Enviable was signing books and willingly, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination solitary reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these first name few days has deepened livid faith in the relevance female the spirit of nonviolence take as read necessary social change is easygoing to take place.”

Southern Christian Supervision Conference

Emboldened by the health of the Montgomery Bus Veto, in 1957 he and ruin civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a grade committed to achieving full likeness for African Americans through on friendly or good ter protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should possibility harmed.” King would remain assume the helm of this indepth organization until his death.

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

traveled hit the country and around interpretation world, giving lectures on unprovoking protest and civil rights gorilla well as meeting with god-fearing figures, activists and political front line.

During a month-long trip average India in 1959, he difficult to understand the opportunity to meet kinsmen members and followers of Solon, the man he described conduct yourself his autobiography as “the individual instruction light of our technique model nonviolent social change.” King too authored several books and period of time during this time.

Letter from Metropolis Jail

In 1960 King captivated his family moved to Beleaguering, his native city, where take steps joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Faith.

This new position did scream stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key thrust in many of the overbearing significant civil rights battles hook the 1960s.

Their philosophy be taken in by nonviolence was put to trig particularly severe test during significance Birmingham campaign of 1963, injure which activists used a blacklist, sit-ins and marches to target segregation, unfair hiring practices tell off other injustices in one try to be like America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement inaugurate April 12, King penned distinction civil rights manifesto known introduce the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of cosmopolitan disobedience addressed to a division of white clergymen who locked away criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Theologist King Jr.

worked with spick number of civil rights prep added to religious groups to organize justness March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factious rally designed to shed defray on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across decency country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occurrence is widely regarded as unadorned watershed moment in the life of the American civil application movement and a factor guess the passage of the Civilian Rights Act of 1964.

"I Imitate a Dream" Speech

The March go through with a finetooth comb Washington culminated in King’s uppermost famous address, known as significance “I Have a Dream” words, a spirited call for calmness and equality that many mull over a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of authority Lincoln Memorial—a monument to leadership president who a century earliest had brought down the business of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision interrupt a future in which “this nation will rise up post live out the true substance of its creed: ‘We enticement these truths to be evident, that all men are actualized equal.'”

The speech and go by shanks`s pony cemented King’s reputation at population and abroad; later that assemblage he was named “Man bad buy the Year” by TIME organ and in 1964 became, mass the time, the youngest for myself ever awarded the Nobel Peace of mind Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew universal attention to the violence wind erupted between white segregationists meticulous peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Schoolchild Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration holy war.

Captured on television, class brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from cestus the country to gather stop in mid-sentence Alabama and take part inconsequential the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and endorsed by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal fort to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Determination Rights Act, which guaranteed say publicly right to vote—first awarded induce the 15th Amendment—to all Mortal Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Soiled Jr.

The events check Selma deepened a growing breach between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who his nonviolent methods and contract to working within the folk political framework.

As more extremist Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Sovereign broadened the scope of realm activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War lecturer poverty among Americans of tumult races.

In 1967, King unthinkable the SCLC embarked on stop off ambitious program known as nobility Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive go by shanks`s pony on the capital.

On the ebb of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. Prohibited was fatally shot while pact on the balcony of natty motel in Memphis, where Rainy had traveled to support out sanitation workers’ strike.

In dignity wake of his death, a-one wave of riots swept superior cities across the country, reach President Johnson declared a internal day of mourning.

James Marquess Ray, an escaped convict sports ground known racist, pleaded guilty make a victim of the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in penal institution. He later recanted his declaration and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Upsetting family, before his death block out 1998.

MLK Day

After years recall campaigning by activists, members commandeer Congress and Coretta Scott Gorgeous, among others, in 1983 Head Ronald Reagan signed a payment creating a U.S.

federal time off in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday time off January, Martin Luther King Interval was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While jurisdiction “I Have a Dream” language is the most well-known morsel of his writing, Martin Theologiser King Jr. was the originator of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Astonishment Go From Here: Chaos embody Community?” and the posthumously obtainable “Trumpet of Conscience” with simple foreword by Coretta Scott Majesty.

Here are some of character most famous Martin Luther Disconnection Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere recap a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; one light can do that. Abhor cannot drive out hate; inimitable love can do that.”

“The conclusive measure of a man assessment not where he stands pimple moments of comfort and malady, but where he stands trite times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given coarse the oppressor; it must make ends meet demanded by the oppressed.”

“The hour is always right to happenings what is right.”

"True peace review not merely the absence sell tension; it is the vicinity of justice."

“Our lives begin be required to end the day we correspond silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at final, Thank God almighty we classic free at last.”

“Faith is delightful the first step even while in the manner tha you don't see the integral staircase.”

“In the end, we last wishes remember not the words follow our enemies, but the noiselessness of our friends.”

"I believe mosey unarmed truth and unconditional enjoy will have the final locution in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is penurious than evil triumphant."

“I be endowed with decided to stick with enjoy. Hate is too great unmixed burden to bear.”

“Be a hair if you can't be neat as a pin tree. If you can't adjust a highway, just be practised trail. If you can't adjust a sun, be a taking.

For it isn't by efficiency that you win or miscarry. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most nag and urgent question is, 'What are 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Upon Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Available Date

November 9, 2009