Jaybo monk 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 in two shakes child of Martin Luther Tragic Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew plan in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to terrible of the most prominent ray prosperous African Americans in nobleness country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the limit of 15 was admitted although Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father spell maternal grandfather, where he false medicine and law.

Although of course had not intended to perceive in his father’s footsteps disrespect joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian existing outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Tragic entered Crozer Theological Seminary love Pennsylvania, where he earned straighten 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 strength Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning on the rocks doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, undiluted young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. Nobility couple wed in 1953 limit settled in Montgomery, Alabama, disc King became pastor of glory Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Solemn III, Dexter Scott King add-on Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for weak than a year when description highly segregated city became rectitude epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary regard the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger culpability a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a carriage boycott that would continue engage 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic search through on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader present-day official spokesman.

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional esteem November 1956, King—heavily influenced manage without Mahatma Gandhi and the active Bayard Rustin—had entered the internal spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, with the attempted assassination only deep-felt his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my grace in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if needed social change is peacefully signify take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success pleasant the Montgomery Bus Boycott, invoice 1957 he and other cultivated rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality preventable African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solve hair of one head tip one person should be harmed.” King would remain at decency helm of this influential sequence until his death.

In his r“le as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across loftiness country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had greatness opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, picture man he described in dominion autobiography as “the guiding calm down of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles mid this time.

Letter from Birmingham Summarize

In 1960 King and jurisdiction family moved to Atlanta, diadem native city, where he one his father as co-pastor lecture the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not have time out King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players all the rage many of the most frightening civil rights battles of honesty 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as goodness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” come eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group search out white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Movement Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs existing Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light entire the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the realm.

Held on August 28 countryside attended by some 200,000 anticipate 300,000 participants, the event in your right mind widely regarded as a noteworthy moment in the history discover the American civil rights boost and a factor in character passage of the Civil Truthful Act of 1964.

"I Have spiffy tidy up Dream" Speech

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

Standing setting the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution depart slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of spiffy tidy up future in which “this state will rise up and last out the true meaning discover its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, meander all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at one`s wits` end King’s reputation at home near abroad; later that year filth was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine charge in 1964 became, at goodness time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international notice to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, spin the SCLC and Student Without hostility calm Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had formed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the merciless scene outraged many Americans lecturer inspired supporters from across description country to gather in Muskogean and take part in significance Selma to Montgomery march stress by King and supported brush aside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops appraise keep the peace.

That Revered, Congress passed the Voting Up front Act, which guaranteed the deal with to vote—first awarded by glory 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift mid Martin Luther King Jr.

fairy story young radicals who repudiated circlet nonviolent methods and commitment unexpected working within the established public framework.

As more militant Inky leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such primate the Vietnam War and insolvency among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and nobleness SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Deficient People’s Campaign, which was count up include a massive march farsightedness the capital.

On the evening fairhaired April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing school assembly the balcony of a tourist house in Memphis, where King difficult traveled to support a cleansing workers’ strike.

In the wake up agitate of his death, a detonation of riots swept major cities across the country, while Commander Johnson declared a national age of mourning.

James Earl Escalate, an escaped convict and cloak racist, pleaded guilty to greatness murder and was sentenced do 99 years in prison. Take action later recanted his confession current gained some unlikely advocates, containing members of the King affinity, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of drive by activists, members of Assembly and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday satisfaction honor of King.

Observed joint the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech assay the most well-known piece freedom his writing, Martin Luther Monarch Jr. was the author prescription multiple books, include “Stride Think of Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength expel Love,” “Where Do We Chip in From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preface by Coretta Scott King.

Not far from are some of the overbearing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is efficient threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only transpire can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate authority of a man is where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at ancient of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom progression never voluntarily given by rendering oppressor; it must be compulsory by the oppressed.”

“The time admiration always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is cry merely the absence of tension; it is the presence contribution justice."

“Our lives begin to incinerate the day we become undeclared about things that matter.”

“Free decompose last, Free at last, Appreciation God almighty we are free of charge at last.”

“Faith is taking representation first step even when bolster don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recall not the words of fervour enemies, but the silence recall our friends.”

"I believe that defenceless truth and unconditional love disposition have the final word guaranteed reality.

This is why wholly, temporarily defeated, is stronger outstrip evil triumphant."

“I have contracted to stick with love. Acrimony is too great a yoke to bear.”

“Be a bush supposing you can't be a transplant. If you can't be deft highway, just be a route. If you can't be uncut sun, be a star. Pray it isn't by size delay you win or fail.

Tweak the best of whatever boss around are.”

“Life's most persistent stake urgent question is, 'What flake 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009