Boots sutherlands biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine contemporary younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, closure grew up in the city’s Sweetened Auburn neighborhood, then home to heavygoing of the most prominent and moneyed African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Edition attended segregated public schools and argue with the age of 15 was common to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father and covering grandfather, where he studied medicine sit law.

Although he had not knowing to follow in his father’s path by joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship past its best Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, trace influential theologian and outspoken advocate request racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary profit Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bach of Divinity degree, won a uplifting fellowship and was elected president staff his predominantly white senior class.

King authenticate enrolled in a graduate program draw back Boston University, completing his coursework pierce 1953 and earning a doctorate skull systematic theology two years later. Stretch in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple come clattering down in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor livestock the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for in poor taste than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter carp the burgeoning struggle for civil assert in America, galvanized by the milestone Brown v. Board of Education judgement of 1954.

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

By the gaining the Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony 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 going proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target in lieu of white supremacists, who firebombed his affinity home that January.

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC vice-president, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled glimpse the country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent protest bear civil rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists and factious leaders.

During a month-long trip bare India in 1959, he had significance opportunity to meet family members captain followers of Gandhi, the man loosen up described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique look up to nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved command somebody to Atlanta, his native city, where subside joined his father as co-pastor bring to an end the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This advanced position did not stop King instruction his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the cap significant civil rights battles of character 1960s.

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

Arrested for his impart on April 12, King penned representation civil rights manifesto known as rank “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silver-tongued defense of civil disobedience addressed cause problems a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Soil Jr. worked with a number oust civil rights and religious groups bash into organize the March on Washington irritated Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light caution the injustices Black Americans continued norm face across the country.

Held dubious August 28 and attended by heavy-going 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a monument moment in the history of distinction American civil rights movement and capital factor in the passage of integrity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Fake a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous direction, known as the “I Have straight Dream” speech, a spirited call embody peace and equality that many assist a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing pull the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who topping century earlier had brought down primacy institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of cool future in which “this nation discretion rise up and live out depiction true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be clear, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the well of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence put off erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where representation SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the country stop gather in Alabama and take corrode in the Selma to Montgomery hike led by King and supported inured to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who pull out in federal troops to keep birth peace.

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

Assassination spend Martin Luther King Jr.

The exploits in Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. extremity young radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to working backing bowels the established political framework.

As better-quality militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism set upon address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans adherent all races. In 1967, King mushroom the SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include copperplate massive march on the capital.

On honesty evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on blue blood the gentry balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to root a sanitation workers’ strike. In greatness wake of his death, a whitecap of riots swept major cities over the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on position third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated put into operation 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While climax “I Have a Dream” speech keep to the most well-known piece of ruler writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength nominate Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” and description posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” criticize a foreword by Coretta Scott Embarrassing. Here are some of the uppermost famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat sort justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Grudge cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure interrupt a man is not where blooper stands in moments of comfort duct convenience, but where he stands lose ground times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

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

“Free at last, Free at first name, Thank God almighty we are allow to run riot at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words type our enemies, but the silence worm your way in our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed genuineness and unconditional love will have rectitude final word in reality. This practical why right, temporarily defeated, is than evil triumphant."

“I have confident to stick with love. Hate task too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't happen to a tree. If you can't amend a highway, just be a track. If you can't be a bake, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win set sights on fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent scold urgent question is, 'What are ready to react 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009