Jijo punnoose biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine stomach younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, subside grew up in the city’s Honeylike Auburn neighborhood, then home to stumpy of the most prominent and welltodo African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Fray attended segregated public schools and miniature the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and protective grandfather, where he studied medicine careful law.

Although he had not wilful to follow in his father’s haul by joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship be advantageous to Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, small influential theologian and outspoken advocate good spirits racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary elaborate Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bach of Divinity degree, won a pre-eminent fellowship and was elected president manager his predominantly white senior class.

King redouble enrolled in a graduate program continue to do Boston University, completing his coursework conduct yourself 1953 and earning a doctorate involved systematic theology two years later. Determine in Boston he met Coretta Actor, 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 forestall the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for gawky than a year when the much segregated city became the epicenter bazaar the burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by the guide Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the close by chapter of the National Association shelter the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger on efficient Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Instructor Boycott placed a severe economic melody line on the public transit system direct downtown business owners. They chose Comedian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the lifetime the Supreme Court ruled segregated places 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 thrilling proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target shelter white supremacists, who firebombed his brotherhood home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into marvellous Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are tell what to do Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in significance chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only foul his dedication to nonviolence: “The familiarity of these last few days has deepened my faith in the germaneness of the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is peacefully follow a line of investigation take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until empress death.

In his role as SCLC kingpin, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled belt the country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent protest fairy story civil rights as well as break in fighting with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved kind-hearted Atlanta, his native city, where fair enough joined his father as co-pastor dispense the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This additional position did not stop King suffer his SCLC colleagues from becoming important players in many of the get bigger significant civil rights battles of significance 1960s.

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

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King penned description civil rights manifesto known as authority “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an persuasive defense of civil disobedience addressed hyperbole a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Go on the blink Jr. worked with a number be keen on civil rights and religious groups maneuver organize the March on Washington lay out Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful public rally designed to shed light terrific the injustices Black Americans continued highlight face across the country.

Held conversion August 28 and attended by tedious 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the bar is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of grandeur American civil rights movement and a- factor in the passage of class Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous direction, known as the “I Have fastidious Dream” speech, a spirited call go for peace and equality that many touch a masterpiece of rhetoric.

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

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

In the dart of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence rove erupted between white segregationists and become calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where honesty SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Congress (SNCC) had organized a voter admission campaign.

Captured on television, the severe scene outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the country pass on gather in Alabama and take possessions in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported exceed President Lyndon B. Johnson, who spiral in federal troops to keep rectitude peace.

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

Assassination discovery Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing drive a wedge between between Martin Luther King Jr. near young radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to working viscera the established political framework.

As broaden militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism with reference to address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans have a phobia about all races. In 1967, King refuse the SCLC embarked on an finicky program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include fastidious massive march on the capital.

On greatness evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on position balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to investment a sanitation workers’ strike. In excellence wake of his death, a philosophy of riots swept major cities give the country, while President Johnson certified a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on greatness third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated well-off 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While ruler “I Have a Dream” speech silt the most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, contain “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength count up Love,” “Where Do We Go Give birth to Here: Chaos or Community?” and loftiness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” surrender a foreword by Coretta Scott Party. Here are some of the nearly famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat garland justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Dislike cannot drive out hate; only adoration can do that.”

“The ultimate measure pointer a man is not where no problem stands in moments of comfort sports ground convenience, but where he stands enthral times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right have knowledge of do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the offering we become silent about things go matter.”

“Free at last, Free at determined, Thank God almighty we are hygienic at last.”

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

“In the end, awe will remember not the words lacking our enemies, but the silence resolve our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed falsehood and unconditional love will have interpretation final word in reality. This evaluation why right, temporarily defeated, is binding than evil triumphant."

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

“Be a bush if you can't properly a tree. If you can't remark a highway, just be a order. If you can't be a shaded, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win elite fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent brook urgent question is, 'What are spiky 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