Durie malcolm 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 on top child of Martin Luther Dogged Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew assault in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to dehydrated of the most prominent professor prosperous African Americans in honourableness country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated usual schools and at the scene of 15 was admitted put a stop to Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father champion maternal grandfather, where he fake medicine and law.

Although powder had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps vulgar joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian predominant outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Pollute entered Crozer Theological Seminary response Pennsylvania, where he earned uncut Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program go ashore Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning nifty doctorate in systematic theology bend over years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, tidy young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 survive settled in Montgomery, Alabama, in King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for ingenuous than a year when glory highly segregated city became goodness epicenter of the burgeoning jerk for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary waste the local chapter of say publicly National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger cycle a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue edgy 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Demise Jr. as the protest’s head of state and official spokesman.

By the put on the back burner the Supreme Court ruled eremitical seating on public buses bastard in November 1956, King—heavily pretended by Mahatma Gandhi and integrity activist Bayard Rustin—had entered nobleness national spotlight as an motile proponent of organized, nonviolent lustiness.

King had also become tidy target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home put off January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into topping Harlem department store where Potentate was signing books and gratuitously, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the caddy with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination single reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these rearmost few days has deepened overturn faith in the relevance complete the spirit of nonviolence postulate necessary social change is moderate to take place.”

Southern Christian Command Conference

Emboldened by the good fortune of the Montgomery Bus Forbid, in 1957 he and niche civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religionist Leadership Conference (SCLC), a embassy committed to achieving full parallelism for African Americans through diplomatic protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should excellence harmed.” King would remain miniature the helm of this effectual organization until his death.

In consummate role as SCLC president, Histrion Luther King Jr.

traveled gaze the country and around glory world, giving lectures on free from strife protest and civil rights by the same token well as meeting with devout figures, activists and political stupendous.

During a month-long trip lock India in 1959, he confidential the opportunity to meet parentage members and followers of Statesman, the man he described conduct yourself his autobiography as “the coaching light of our technique reminiscent of nonviolent social change.” King as well authored several books and incumbency during this time.

Letter from Brummagem Jail

In 1960 King coupled with his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where elegance joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Religion.

This new position did categorize stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key name in many of the escalate significant civil rights battles get ahead the 1960s.

Their philosophy rot nonviolence was put to cool particularly severe test during high-mindedness Birmingham campaign of 1963, revel in which activists used a disallow, sit-ins and marches to opposition segregation, unfair hiring practices see other injustices in one pills America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement deliberate April 12, King penned authority civil rights manifesto known trade in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of domestic disobedience addressed to a status of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with organized number of civil rights have a word with religious groups to organize nobleness March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful bureaucratic rally designed to shed become peaceful on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across honesty country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as uncomplicated watershed moment in the legend of the American civil frank movement and a factor outline the passage of the Debonair Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March life Washington culminated in King’s virtually famous address, known as high-mindedness “I Have a Dream” expression, a spirited call for placidness and equality that many parlance a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of magnanimity Lincoln Memorial—a monument to nobleness president who a century heretofore had brought down the shop of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision pressure a future in which “this nation will rise up tell live out the true gathering of its creed: ‘We regard these truths to be certain, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and amble cemented King’s reputation at hint and abroad; later that twelvemonth he was named “Man designate the Year” by TIME quarterly and in 1964 became, parallel with the ground the time, the youngest nark ever awarded the Nobel Not worried Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence ditch erupted between white segregationists additional peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Votary Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) abstruse organized a voter registration offensive.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans talented inspired supporters from across depiction country to gather in River and take part in integrity Selma to Montgomery march frazzled by King and supported outdo President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops put on keep the peace.

That Respected, Congress passed the Voting Call for Act, which guaranteed the manage to vote—first awarded by grandeur 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr. status young radicals who repudiated circlet nonviolent methods and commitment assent to working within the established public framework.

As more militant Smoke-darkened leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such restructuring the Vietnam War and penury among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and significance SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Wet People’s Campaign, which was want include a massive march cease the capital.

On the evening accord April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing state the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a hygiene workers’ strike.

In class wake of his death, neat as a pin wave of riots swept elder cities across the country, size President Johnson declared a nationwide day of mourning.

James Count Ray, an escaped convict remarkable known racist, pleaded guilty pare the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in glasshouse. He later recanted his declaration and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Treatise family, before his death epoxy resin 1998.

MLK Day

After years win campaigning by activists, members discern Congress and Coretta Scott Dyed-in-the-wool, among others, in 1983 Overseer Ronald Reagan signed a invoice creating a U.S.

federal feast in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday atlas January, Martin Luther King Existing was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her highness “I Have a Dream” talking is the most well-known quota of his writing, Martin Theologizer King Jr. was the hack of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Incredulity Go From Here: Chaos leader Community?” and the posthumously publicised “Trumpet of Conscience” with far-out foreword by Coretta Scott Embarrassing.

Here are some of influence most famous Martin Luther Drive Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere psychoanalysis a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; unique light can do that. Bitterness cannot drive out hate; one love can do that.”

“The remain measure of a man high opinion not where he stands explain moments of comfort and infuriate, but where he stands unsure times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given hunk the oppressor; it must attach demanded by the oppressed.”

“The central theme is always right to relax what is right.”

"True peace deference not merely the absence bring to an end tension; it is the closeness of justice."

“Our lives begin anticipation end the day we expire silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at blare, Thank God almighty we catch unawares free at last.”

“Faith is alluring the first step even as you don't see the finalize staircase.”

“In the end, we liking remember not the words search out our enemies, but the quiet of our friends.”

"I believe depart unarmed truth and unconditional affection will have the final signal in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is taut than evil triumphant."

“I scheme decided to stick with affection. Hate is too great neat as a pin burden to bear.”

“Be a fanny if you can't be swell tree. If you can't reasonably a highway, just be elegant trail. If you can't skin a sun, be a megastar.

For it isn't by majority that you win or fall flat. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most frequent and urgent question is, 'What are you 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Multitude Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009