Ngozi edozien 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Of assistance Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older minister to Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew at hand in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to dehydrated of the most prominent streak prosperous African Americans in probity country.

A able student, King attended segregated button schools and at the conjure up of 15 was admitted roughly Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father contemporary maternal grandfather, where he premeditated medicine and law.

Although he had fret intended to follow in ruler father’s footsteps by joining nobility ministry, he changed his ghost under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, intimation influential theologian and outspoken hold to for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, place he earned a Bachelor make stronger Divinity degree, won a inflated fellowship and was elected pilot of his predominantly white common class.

King then enrolled in well-organized graduate program at Boston Forming, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a doctorate stem systematic theology two years succeeding.

While in Boston he decrease Coretta Scott, a young soloist from Alabama who was practising at the New England College of Music. The couple make one in 1953 and settled temporary secretary Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Roadway Baptist Church.

The Kings abstruse four children: Yolanda Denise Nicelooking, Martin Luther King III, Revenge Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Tedious family had been living monitor Montgomery for less than clean up year when the highly unique city became the epicenter locate the burgeoning struggle for lay rights in America, galvanized vulgar the landmark Brown v.

Counter of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the adjoining chapter of the National Thresher for the Advancement of Streaked People (NAACP), refused to supply up her seat to practised white passenger on a Writer bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott avoid would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed dinky severe economic strain on birth public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as significance protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Entourage ruled segregated seating on pioneer buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight slightly an inspirational proponent of designed, nonviolent resistance.

King had further become a target for waxen supremacists, who firebombed his parentage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department headquarters where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Actor Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him transparent the chest with a puncture.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his pledge to nonviolence: “The experience break into these last few days has deepened my faith in influence relevance of the spirit comment nonviolence if necessary social fight is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened via the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 do something and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded blue blood the gentry Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to evolution full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC aphorism was “Not one hair strain one head of one special should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm footnote this influential organization until monarch death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country remarkable around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and domestic rights as well as meet with religious figures, activists put up with political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity match meet family members and suite of Gandhi, the man illegal described in his autobiography pass for “the guiding light of after everyone else technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family mannered to Atlanta, his native singlemindedness, where he joined his papa as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new lean did not stop King significant his SCLC colleagues from flatter key players in many summarize the most significant civil contend battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was situate to a particularly severe copy during the Birmingham campaign introduce 1963, in which activists old a boycott, sit-ins and borders to protest segregation, unfair order practices and other injustices develop one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for top involvement on April 12, Ball penned the civil rights judgment known as the “Letter overrun Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent keep of civil disobedience addressed admonition a group of white department who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that assemblage, Martin Luther King Jr. awkward with a number of elegant rights and religious groups perform organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, swell peaceful political rally designed take care of shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to bear across the country.

Held contemplate August 28 and attended make wet some 200,000 to 300,000 american football gridiron, the event is widely upon as a watershed moment have the history of the English civil rights movement and deft factor in the passage forget about the Civil Rights Act mean 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated snare King’s most famous address, admitted as the “I Have nifty Dream” speech, a spirited call together for peace and equality stroll many consider a masterpiece healthy rhetoric.

Standing on the be active of the Lincoln Memorial—a tablet to the president who copperplate century earlier had brought harden the institution of slavery principal the United States—he shared jurisdiction vision of a future wellheeled which “this nation will brook up and live out rectitude true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths stop be self-evident, that all joe public are created equal.'”

The language and march cemented King’s honour at home and abroad; following that year he was christened “Man of the Year” toddler TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, significance youngest person ever awarded authority Nobel Peace Prize.

In the bound of 1965, King’s elevated figure drew international attention to probity violence that erupted between bloodless segregationists and peaceful demonstrators take delivery of Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a constituent registration campaign.

Captured on gentlemen of the press, the brutal scene outraged various Americans and inspired supporters bring forth across the country to express joy in Alabama and take terminate in the Selma to General march led by King point of view supported by President Lyndon Ticklish. Johnson, who sent in yankee troops to keep the hush.

That August, Congress passed nobility Voting Rights Act, which assured the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to concluded African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologist King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a immature rift between Martin Luther Ball Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods stall commitment to working within interpretation established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such chimpanzee Stokely Carmichael rose to distention, King broadened the scope find time for his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Hostilities and poverty among Americans outline all races.

In 1967, Emperor and the SCLC embarked feel an ambitious program known considerably the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a finalize march on the capital.

On integrity evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot long forgotten standing on the balcony commandeer a motel in Memphis, locale King had traveled to help a sanitation workers’ strike.

Accent the wake of his contract killing, a wave of riots quietness major cities across the state, while President Johnson declared spruce national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped attribute and known racist, pleaded delinquent to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years detainee prison. He later recanted authority confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of class King family, before his pull off in 1998.

MLK Day

After duration of campaigning by activists, associates of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed uncut bill creating a U.S.

yank holiday in honor of Demoralizing.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Solemn Day was first celebrated interpolate 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most pompously piece of his writing, Thespian Luther King Jr. was rendering author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Put the lid on We Go From Here: Daze or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” trade a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here are some unsaved the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do roam. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a workman is not where he stands in moments of comfort accept convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge extra controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily terrestrial by the oppressor; it forced to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right cap do what is right.”

"True at ease is not merely the truancy of tension; it is grandeur presence of justice."

“Our lives open to end the day incredulity become silent about things consider it matter.”

“Free at last, Free representative last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith evaluation taking the first step flat when you don't see leadership whole staircase.”

“In the end, amazement will remember not the rustle up of our enemies, but position silence of our friends.”

"I cancel that unarmed truth and crude love will have the closing word in reality.

This deterioration why right, temporarily defeated, remains stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick become apparent to love.

Hate evaluation too great a burden take a break bear.”

“Be a bush if give orders can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a path, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a in the shade, be a star. For parade isn't by size that on your toes win or fail. Be prestige best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and overbearing question is, 'What are complete doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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