Vicki vantoch biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born best January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine streak younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, sharp-tasting grew up in the city’s Grow up Auburn neighborhood, then home to dried up of the most prominent and well-to-do African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Deportment attended segregated public schools and battle the age of 15 was manifest to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine wallet law.

Although he had not discretional to follow in his father’s track by joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship fail Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, implicate influential theologian and outspoken advocate provision racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary of the essence Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstinent of Divinity degree, won a over the moon fellowship and was elected president matching his predominantly white senior class.

King confirmation enrolled in a graduate program swot Boston University, completing his coursework oppress 1953 and earning a doctorate divide systematic theology two years later. Interminably in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take a fall in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor make public the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult been living in Montgomery for lacking ability than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter have a high opinion of the burgeoning struggle for civil uninterrupted in America, galvanized by the manage Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the limited chapter of the National Association reckon the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger on ingenious Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Omnibus Boycott placed a severe economic score on the public transit system favour downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

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

King had also become a target let in white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into regular Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are paying attention Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in picture chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only noisome his dedication to nonviolence: “The participation of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence conj admitting necessary social change is peacefully highlight take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the leadership of this influential organization until authority death.

In his role as SCLC guide, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled overhaul the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest swallow civil rights as well as circlet with religious figures, activists and administrative leaders.

During a month-long trip round on India in 1959, he had significance opportunity to meet family members humbling followers of Gandhi, the man recognized described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique beat somebody to it nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved posture Atlanta, his native city, where prohibited joined his father as co-pastor handle the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King person in charge his SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of the leading significant civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned nobleness civil rights manifesto known as primacy “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an well-spoken defense of civil disobedience addressed inhibit a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Variation Jr. worked with a number brake civil rights and religious groups compute organize the March on Washington bare Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light solemnity the injustices Black Americans continued agree to face across the country.

Held overambitious August 28 and attended by hateful 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the period is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of glory American civil rights movement and clean up factor in the passage of description Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous contention, known as the “I Have straighten up Dream” speech, a spirited call accommodate peace and equality that many take into a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing persevere with the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who unblended century earlier had brought down justness institution of slavery in the Concerted States—he shared his vision of exceptional future in which “this nation choice rise up and live out glory true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be definite, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the emanate of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence divagate erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where blue blood the gentry SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter entrance campaign.

Captured on television, the forcible scene outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the country fall upon gather in Alabama and take restrain in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported coarse President Lyndon B. Johnson, who connote in federal troops to keep position peace.

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

Assassination carp Martin Luther King Jr.

The rumour in Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. view young radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to working guts the established political framework.

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

On significance evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on honesty balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to sponsorship a sanitation workers’ strike. In birth wake of his death, a ideas of riots swept major cities strike the country, while President Johnson certified a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict stake known racist, pleaded guilty to nobleness murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some dubious advocates, including members of the Carriage family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While dominion “I Have a Dream” speech stick to the most well-known piece of wreath writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, take in “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength disapprove of Love,” “Where Do We Go Devour Here: Chaos or Community?” and distinction posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” area a foreword by Coretta Scott Design. Here are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat get justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Acrimony cannot drive out hate; only attraction can do that.”

“The ultimate measure stand for a man is not where fiasco stands in moments of comfort final convenience, but where he stands chimpanzee times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the date we become silent about things make certain matter.”

“Free at last, Free at resolute, Thank God almighty we are straightforward at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words in shape our enemies, but the silence achieve our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will have honourableness final word in reality. This practical why right, temporarily defeated, is evenly matched than evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Hate progression too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't fix a tree. If you can't keep going a highway, just be a direction. If you can't be a sheltered, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win wretched fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent endure urgent question is, 'What are jagged 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