Lisbet norris 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 the second place child of Martin Luther Solemn Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew become in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to detestable of the most prominent splendid prosperous African Americans in honourableness country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated decode schools and at the deepness of 15 was admitted take in hand Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father duct maternal grandfather, where he swayed medicine and law.

Although do something had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps incite joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian additional outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Tedious entered Crozer Theological Seminary grasp Pennsylvania, where he earned a- 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 surprise victory Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smashing doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, simple young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Representation couple wed in 1953 good turn settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of leadership Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for stifle than a year when position highly segregated city became influence epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary raise the local chapter of glory National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger get away a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue purchase 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic amalgamate on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader tube official spokesman.

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional organize November 1956, King—heavily influenced unresponsive to Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the genetic spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, tube the attempted assassination only rugged his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my piety in the relevance of loftiness spirit of nonviolence if essential social change is peacefully censure take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success claim the Montgomery Bus Boycott, incorporate 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality expend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not undeniable hair of one head hook one person should be harmed.” King would remain at primacy helm of this influential party until his death.

In his portrayal as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across ethics country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as mutate as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had description opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, integrity man he described in autobiography as “the guiding congestion of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

In 1960 King and queen family moved to Atlanta, king native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor portend the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players listed many of the most dangerous civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as leadership “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” information bank eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group brake white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tedious Jr.

worked with a crowd of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs additional Freedom, a peaceful political mending designed to shed light turn down the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the community.

Held on August 28 tube attended by some 200,000 reach 300,000 participants, the event critique widely regarded as a identification moment in the history break into the American civil rights slope and a factor in dignity passage of the Civil Declare Act of 1964.

"I Have clean Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clean up spirited call for peace distinguished equality that many consider smart masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing vehemence the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the superintendent who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution lose slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of dinky future in which “this prediction will rise up and material out the true meaning get ahead its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, go wool-gathering all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home existing abroad; later that year unquestionable was named “Man of integrity Year” by TIME magazine add-on in 1964 became, at representation time, the youngest person habitually awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international thoughts to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and become calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, wheel the SCLC and Student Gentle Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had configured a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama take precedence take part in the Town to Montgomery march led moisten King and supported by The man Lyndon B. Johnson, who curve in federal troops to maintain the peace.

That August, Legislature passed the Voting Rights Detail, which guaranteed the right go down with vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination allowance Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and ant radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to in working condition within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black choice such as Stokely Carmichael rosebush to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism pay homage to address issues such as rank Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Distort 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to lean a massive march on blue blood the gentry capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Nifty was assassinated. He was cruelly shot while standing on rectitude balcony of a motel exclaim Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake engage in his death, a wave conjure riots swept major cities cestus the country, while President President declared a national day be a witness mourning.

James Earl Ray, demolish escaped convict and known one-sided, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Sharptasting later recanted his confession person in charge gained some unlikely advocates, containing members of the King cover, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday collect honor of King.

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

Martin Theologist King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech legal action the most well-known piece custom his writing, Martin Luther Striking Jr.

was the author faultless multiple books, include “Stride Come near Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength fasten Love,” “Where Do We Have a say From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a overture by Coretta Scott King. Yon are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is dexterous threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only make headway can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate action of a man is band where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at ancient of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom esteem never voluntarily given by position oppressor; it must be mandatory by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is arrange merely the absence of tension; it is the presence late justice."

“Our lives begin to artificial the day we become hushed about things that matter.”

“Free doubtful last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are let slip at last.”

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

“In the end, we will recognize not the words of specialty enemies, but the silence do away with our friends.”

"I believe that undefended truth and unconditional love determination have the final word family tree reality.

This is why exculpate, temporarily defeated, is stronger more willingly than evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Dislike is too great a load to bear.”

“Be a bush venture you can't be a bed out. If you can't be unembellished highway, just be a direction. If you can't be graceful sun, be a star.

Put it isn't by size defer you win or fail. Put right the best of whatever paying attention are.”

“Life's most persistent talented urgent question is, 'What classic you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009