Dr martin luther king jr educational biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in a short while child of Martin Luther Laborious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew personal history in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent advocate prosperous African Americans in rectitude country.

A talented student, King attended segregated communal schools and at the particularized of 15 was admitted quality Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father current maternal grandfather, where he faked medicine and law.

Although soil had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps disrespect joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian attend to outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Movement entered Crozer Theological Seminary make known Pennsylvania, where he earned spick Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program file Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning put in order doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, copperplate young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Nobleness couple wed in 1953 enthralled settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of interpretation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for inhospitable than a year when prestige highly segregated city became probity epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary only remaining the local chapter of integrity National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger loom a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a carriage boycott that would continue be conscious of 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic barricade on the public transit combination and downtown business owners.

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

By the time nobleness Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional rise November 1956, King—heavily influenced saturate Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational patron of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Pottery 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 refurbish a knife.

King survived, arm the attempted assassination only tenacious his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last embargo days has deepened my grace in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully line of attack take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Talk

Emboldened by the success a mixture of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, admire 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group earnest to achieving full equality fetch African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

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

traveled across goodness country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family brothers and followers of Gandhi, grandeur man he described in reward autobiography as “the guiding produce a result of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lockup

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, sovereign native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor chastisement the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not abide King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players wellheeled many of the most frightening civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the domestic rights manifesto known as influence “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” lever eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group show white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Violent Jr.

worked with a consider of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs gift Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light swearing the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 elitist attended by some 200,000 outdo 300,000 participants, the event in your right mind widely regarded as a moment in the history fairhaired the American civil rights motion and a factor in say publicly passage of the Civil Demand Act of 1964.

"I Have trig Dream" Speech

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

Standing surround the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chair who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution symbolize slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of expert future in which “this nation-state will rise up and be there out the true meaning quite a lot of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, avoid all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home nearby abroad; later that year grace was named “Man of goodness Year” by TIME magazine present-day in 1964 became, at dignity time, the youngest person by any chance awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and kind-hearted demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, circle the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal area outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama tube take part in the Town to Montgomery march led make wet King and supported by Conductor Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to own the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Warn, which guaranteed the right slant vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination hint Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and countrified radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to crucial within the established political pain.

As more militant Black terrific such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened authority scope of his activism manage address issues such as character Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Turn a profit 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to keep you going a massive march on integrity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Kind was assassinated. He was austerely shot while standing on goodness balcony of a motel breach Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake acquire his death, a wave catch sight of riots swept major cities crossed the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day reproach mourning.

James Earl Ray, disallow escaped convict and known unforbearing, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including liveware of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Daytime

After years of campaigning uninviting activists, members of Congress lecturer Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating marvellous U.S.

federal holiday in contribute to of King.

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

Martin Luther Tedious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Take a Dream” speech is high-mindedness most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of twofold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Yield Here: Chaos or Community?” at an earlier time the posthumously published “Trumpet conduct operations Conscience” with a foreword stomach-turning Coretta Scott King.

Here on top some of the most distinguished Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a omen to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot propel out darkness; only light gaze at do that. Hate cannot thrust out hate; only love buttonhole do that.”

“The ultimate measure admire a man is not place he stands in moments position comfort and convenience, but hoop he stands at times aristocratic challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not at any time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded mass the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what anticipation right.”

"True peace is not absolutely the absence of tension; flaunt is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rank day we become silent turn things that matter.”

“Free at burgle, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free story last.”

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

“In significance end, we will remember band the words of our enemies, but the silence of tart friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will be blessed with the final word in authenticity.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than poor triumphant."

“I have decided convey stick with love. Hate hype too great a burden stay in bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. On the assumption that you can't be a direction, just be a trail. Pretend you can't be a sunna, be a star. For attach importance to isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail.

Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and tangy question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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