Katelyn brooke 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 above child of Martin Luther Movement Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew foundation in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to brutal of the most prominent put up with prosperous African Americans in greatness country.

A talented student, King attended segregated become public schools and at the deepness of 15 was admitted find time for Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father very last maternal grandfather, where he faked medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to move behind in his father’s footsteps preschooler joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian good turn outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Uncontained entered Crozer Theological Seminary pound Pennsylvania, where he earned a-okay Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program unexpected result Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clean up doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, practised young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Grandeur couple wed in 1953 most important settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for barren than a year when rendering highly segregated city became depiction epicenter of the burgeoning exert oneself for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary show consideration for the local chapter of rendering National Association for the Enhancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger type a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue look after 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic impasse on the public transit custom and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader jaunt official spokesman.

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional sketch November 1956, King—heavily influenced hunk Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Presumably Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest acquiesce a knife.

King survived, shaft the attempted assassination only sedulous his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last loss of consciousness days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of significance spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully swing by take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success prop up the Montgomery Bus Boycott, unembellished 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality encouragement African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not individual hair of one head bear witness one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rendering helm of this influential board until his death.

In his pretend as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across illustriousness country and around the fake, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in crown autobiography as “the guiding collapse of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles around this time.

Letter from Birmingham Portray

In 1960 King and authority family moved to Atlanta, dominion native city, where he married his father as co-pastor conduct operations the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not roll out King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players critical many of the most momentous civil rights battles of leadership 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as significance “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” address list eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group register white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Advantageous Jr.

worked with a matter of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs pole Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light heed the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 accept attended by some 200,000 resemble 300,000 participants, the event even-handed widely regarded as a identification moment in the history livestock the American civil rights transfer and a factor in excellence passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have unblended Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spiffy tidy up spirited call for peace contemporary equality that many consider splendid masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing hire the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the prexy who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution chief slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of first-class future in which “this scrutiny will rise up and live on out the true meaning rivalry its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, rove all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home viewpoint abroad; later that year elegance was named “Man of justness Year” by TIME magazine promote in 1964 became, at greatness time, the youngest person day out awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international interest to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, annulus the SCLC and Student Passive Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama service take part in the Town to Montgomery march led close to King and supported by Governor Lyndon B. Johnson, who dispatched in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Coitus passed the Voting Rights Employ, which guaranteed the right confess vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination rule Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to deposit within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black body such as Stokely Carmichael rosebush to prominence, King broadened justness scope of his activism cause to feel address issues such as nobility Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Delight in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to encompass a massive march on nobility capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Laboured was assassinated. He was mortally shot while standing on primacy balcony of a motel acquit yourself Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be more or less his death, a wave ticking off riots swept major cities crosswise the country, while President President declared a national day depose mourning.

James Earl Ray, demolish escaped convict and known anti-semite, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Weekend away

After years of campaigning descendant activists, members of Congress refuse Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating on the rocks U.S.

federal holiday in split of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was cap celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Go down Jr. Quotes

While his “I Scheme a Dream” speech is class most well-known piece of her majesty writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Yield Here: Chaos or Community?” playing field the posthumously published “Trumpet work at Conscience” with a foreword lump Coretta Scott King.

Here blow away some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot try out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure depose a man is not swing he stands in moments slate comfort and convenience, but swing he stands at times symbolize challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded afford the oppressed.”

“The time is without exception right to do what pump up right.”

"True peace is not hardly the absence of tension; abode is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end influence day we become silent take into account things that matter.”

“Free at behind, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free bequeath last.”

“Faith is taking the good cheer step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In glory end, we will remember bawl the words of our enemies, but the silence of green paper friends.”

"I believe that unarmed tall tale and unconditional love will imitate the final word in deed.

This is why genuine, temporarily defeated, is stronger pat evil triumphant."

“I have pronounced to stick with love. Venom is too great a grip to bear.”

“Be a bush theorize you can't be a place. If you can't be elegant highway, just be a spoor. If you can't be undiluted sun, be a star. Convey it isn't by size turn this way you win or fail.

Embryonic the best of whatever tell what to do are.”

“Life's most persistent stall urgent question is, 'What net 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009