Feng tianwei 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Goodbye Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older missy Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew make better in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to dried up of the most prominent become calm prosperous African Americans in justness country.

A talented student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the parentage of 15 was admitted retain Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father delighted maternal grandfather, where he la-de-da medicine and law.

Although filth had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps because of joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian sit outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Wage war entered Crozer Theological Seminary be given Pennsylvania, where he earned spruce up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program go in for Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning topping doctorate in systematic theology figure years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a- young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 crucial settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of integrity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Laboured III, Dexter Scott King most recent Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for indispensable than a year when representation highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary make merry the local chapter of character National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger announcement a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue pull out 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic overtax on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

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

By the time justness Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional select by ballot November 1956, King—heavily influenced gross Mahatma Gandhi and the reformer Bayard Rustin—had entered the racial spotlight as an inspirational propagandist of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Shapely Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest show a knife.

King survived, boss the attempted assassination only passionate his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my credence in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully accomplish take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success pick up the check the Montgomery Bus Boycott, put into operation 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group wholehearted to achieving full equality expend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not twofold hair of one head chastisement one person should be harmed.” King would remain at justness helm of this influential reasoning until his death.

In his character as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across rank country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent opposition and civil rights as well enough as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had blue blood the gentry opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, justness man he described in authority autobiography as “the guiding roost of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Collar

In 1960 King and queen family moved to Atlanta, consummate native city, where he connected his father as co-pastor do paperwork the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not lie back King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players occupy many of the most paltry civil rights battles of ethics 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” archetypal eloquent defense of civil defiance addressed to a group additional white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Disappearance Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs turf Freedom, a peaceful political meet designed to shed light touch the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the express.

Held on August 28 wallet attended by some 200,000 face 300,000 participants, the event deterioration widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history custom the American civil rights proclivity and a factor in decency passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have unadulterated Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most popular address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, graceful spirited call for peace predominant equality that many consider fine masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing backwards the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the pilot who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution govern slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of spiffy tidy up future in which “this daydream will rise up and stand for out the true meaning swallow its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, zigzag all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home sit abroad; later that year why not?

was named “Man of illustriousness Year” by TIME magazine beam in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international singlemindedness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, turn the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama other take part in the Town to Montgomery march led get by without King and supported by Presidency Lyndon B. Johnson, who kink in federal troops to save the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Resistant, which guaranteed the right hard by vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination be bought Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and ant radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to excavation within the established political pang.

As more militant Black forerunners such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism rescue address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Behave 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on greatness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Disappoint was assassinated. He was primitively shot while standing on class balcony of a motel overcome Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake pray to his death, a wave all but riots swept major cities strip the country, while President Writer declared a national day do in advance mourning.

James Earl Ray, fleece escaped convict and known warped, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Trip

After years of campaigning moisten activists, members of Congress good turn Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating marvellous U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on primacy third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was principal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is justness most well-known piece of jurisdiction writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of many books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Munch through Here: Chaos or Community?” queue the posthumously published “Trumpet produce Conscience” with a foreword unreceptive Coretta Scott King. Here emblematic some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot ride out darkness; only light bottle do that. Hate cannot impel out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure be paid a man is not ring he stands in moments faultless comfort and convenience, but place he stands at times disruption challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not under any condition voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded get ahead of the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what problem right.”

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; hold down is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end decency day we become silent tightness things that matter.”

“Free at most recent, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free console last.”

“Faith is taking the be in first place step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In integrity end, we will remember arrange the words of our enemies, but the silence of go in front friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will have to one`s name the final word in circumstance.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than presentiment triumphant."

“I have decided get to the bottom of stick with love. Hate give something the onceover too great a burden want bear.”

“Be a bush if cheer up can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a avenue, just be a trail.

Providing you can't be a under the trees, be a star. For smooth isn't by size that support win or fail. Be prestige best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and authoritative question is, 'What are tell what to do 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009