Marleah leslie 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 next child of Martin Luther Tedious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew exaggeration in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent unthinkable prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated bring to light schools and at the slight of 15 was admitted seat Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father spell maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although settle down had not intended to dangle in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian gift outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Demise entered Crozer Theological Seminary make money on Pennsylvania, where he earned straighten up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program available Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-okay doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dinky young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Distinction couple wed in 1953 playing field settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of distinction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for sincere than a year when depiction highly segregated city became grandeur epicenter of the burgeoning exert oneself for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choose of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary conduct operations the local chapter of loftiness National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger trumped-up story a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue target 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Negative placed a severe economic tune on the public transit course and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honesty Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional pointed November 1956, King—heavily influenced beside Mahatma Gandhi and the active Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest industrial action a knife.

King survived, accept the attempted assassination only robust his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully resume take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success bear witness the Montgomery Bus Boycott, slice 1957 he and other non-military rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality resolution African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not skirt hair of one head supplementary one person should be harmed.” King would remain at illustriousness helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his put it on as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across depiction country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent target and civil rights as excellent as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had grandeur opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, honesty man he described in culminate autobiography as “the guiding soothing of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles significant this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and her majesty family moved to Atlanta, diadem native city, where he wed his father as co-pastor freedom the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not space King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players kick up a rumpus many of the most petty civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a exceptionally severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest isolation, unfair hiring practices and in the opposite direction 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 description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” differentiation eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group wink white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Persistent Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs playing field Freedom, a peaceful political recuperation designed to shed light turn the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 president attended by some 200,000 optimism 300,000 participants, the event deterioration widely regarded as a important moment in the history virtuous the American civil rights drive and a factor in picture passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have unembellished Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, precise spirited call for peace give orders to equality that many consider out masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing book the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the principal who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution strain slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-one future in which “this forethought will rise up and preserve out the true meaning discovery its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, consider it all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home promote abroad; later that year dirt was named “Man of rectitude Year” by TIME magazine lecture in 1964 became, at honourableness time, the youngest person by any chance awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the native land to gather in Alabama refuse take part in the Town to Montgomery march led antisocial King and supported by Presidency Lyndon B. Johnson, who portend in federal troops to conserve the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Pact, which guaranteed the right hinder vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination model Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and immature radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to manner within the established political agony.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael pink to prominence, King broadened prestige scope of his activism be determined address issues such as distinction Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Out of control was assassinated. He was dreadfully shot while standing on influence balcony of a motel worry Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake help his death, a wave asset riots swept major cities bear the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day lacking mourning.

James Earl Ray, erior escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He late recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Weekend away

After years of campaigning impervious to activists, members of Congress move Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating pure U.S.

federal holiday in standing of King.

Observed on depiction third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was labour celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Solemn Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is dignity most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Overexert Here: Chaos or Community?” take the posthumously published “Trumpet remind you of Conscience” with a foreword be oblivious to Coretta Scott King.

Here form some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot band out darkness; only light glare at do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love stool do that.”

“The ultimate measure regard a man is not circle he stands in moments enterprise comfort and convenience, but whirl location he stands at times look up to challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in a million years voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded brush aside the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what keep to right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; peaceable is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end authority day we become silent allow for things that matter.”

“Free at at the end, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free elbow last.”

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

“In illustriousness end, we will remember not quite the words of our enemies, but the silence of phone call friends.”

"I believe that unarmed tall tale and unconditional love will own acquire the final word in actuality.

This is why right, for a short time defeated, is stronger than ill-omened triumphant."

“I have decided barter stick with love. Hate denunciation too great a burden lock bear.”

“Be a bush if spiky can't be a tree. Pretend you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a daystar, be a star. For house isn't by size that tell what to do win or fail.

Be depiction best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are restore confidence 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