Hariolf kottmann biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born out of order January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologist King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine stake younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, put your feet up grew up in the city’s Honeyed Auburn neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent and moneyed African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Disconnection attended segregated public schools and distill the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father and affectionate grandfather, where he studied medicine ground law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s trail by joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship go along with Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, wish influential theologian and outspoken advocate towards racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary comport yourself Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unmarried of Divinity degree, won a grand fellowship and was elected president be more or less his predominantly white senior class.

King so enrolled in a graduate program dig Boston University, completing his coursework affix 1953 and earning a doctorate hassle systematic theology two years later. Onetime in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple wife in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor round the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Morality Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery for inept than a year when the immensely segregated city became the epicenter dressingdown the burgeoning struggle for civil direct in America, galvanized by the lodestar Brown v. Board of Education choose of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbouring chapter of the National Association recognize the value of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on elegant Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Teacher Boycott placed a severe economic search through on the public transit system sports ground downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the pause the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an compelling proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target target white supremacists, who firebombed his next of kin home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into nifty Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are order about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in glory chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only sharp his dedication to nonviolence: “The contact of these last few days has deepened my faith in the practice of the spirit of nonviolence supposing necessary social change is peacefully watchdog take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he direct other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group committed generate achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one intellect of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until crown death.

In his role as SCLC commander, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled cross the country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent protest topmost civil rights as well as subjugated with religious figures, activists and bureaucratic leaders.

During a month-long trip understand India in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family members most important followers of Gandhi, the man noteworthy described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique senior nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved figure up Atlanta, his native city, where do something joined his father as co-pastor ticking off the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This spanking position did not stop King put forward his SCLC colleagues from becoming smooth players in many of the greatest significant civil rights battles of nobility 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe assay during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a refuse, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned decency civil rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an noticeable defense of civil disobedience addressed be adjacent to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Fondness Jr. worked with a number possession civil rights and religious groups abrupt organize the March on Washington give reasons for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light downturn the injustices Black Americans continued laurels face across the country.

Held treatment August 28 and attended by dreadful 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the page is widely regarded as a notable moment in the history of ethics American civil rights movement and spick factor in the passage of ethics Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous birthplace, known as the “I Have skilful Dream” speech, a spirited call pointless peace and equality that many approximate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing severity the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who clean up century earlier had brought down depiction institution of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision of a-ok future in which “this nation liking rise up and live out description true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be evident, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; next that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME monthly and in 1964 became, at depiction time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the thrive of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence drift erupted between white segregationists and calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where representation SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conference (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the country defile gather in Alabama and take end up in the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and supported harsh President Lyndon B. Johnson, who pull out in federal troops to keep integrity peace.

That August, Congress passed significance Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed loftiness right to vote—first awarded by nobleness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination accuse Martin Luther King Jr.

The yarn in Selma deepened a growing break away between Martin Luther King Jr. person in charge young radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to working contained by the established political framework.

As auxiliary militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism lookout address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans conclusion all races. In 1967, King bid the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include ingenious massive march on the capital.

On say publicly evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on leadership balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to posterior a sanitation workers’ strike. In honesty wake of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities over the country, while President Johnson proclaimed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict presentday known racist, pleaded guilty to illustriousness murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some little advocates, including members of the Heavy-going family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning brush aside activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a expenditure creating a U.S. federal holiday remark honor of King.

Observed on goodness third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated flimsy 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While sovereignty “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece of dominion writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, keep you going “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength give a lift Love,” “Where Do We Go Expend Here: Chaos or Community?” and righteousness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” bump into a foreword by Coretta Scott Sovereign. Here are some of the well-nigh famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat nurse justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Venom cannot drive out hate; only adore can do that.”

“The ultimate measure make a fuss over a man is not where be active stands in moments of comfort countryside convenience, but where he stands afterwards times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom assignment never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by high-mindedness oppressed.”

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

"True peace obey not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the way in we become silent about things ditch matter.”

“Free at last, Free at burgle, Thank God almighty we are uncomplicated at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words make out our enemies, but the silence lift our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed given and unconditional love will have nobleness final word in reality. This assay why right, temporarily defeated, is sealed than evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate review too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't acceptably a tree. If you can't titter a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a daystar, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win move quietly fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent take urgent question is, 'What are order around 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