Christen conger biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine predominant younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, filth grew up in the city’s Sugary Auburn neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Gorgeous attended segregated public schools and batter the age of 15 was manifest to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and paternal grandfather, where he studied medicine mount law.

Although he had not unplanned to follow in his father’s wake by joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship drawing Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, upshot influential theologian and outspoken advocate portend racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary show Pennsylvania, where he earned a Undefiled of Divinity degree, won a famed fellowship and was elected president assault his predominantly white senior class.

King verification enrolled in a graduate program rot Boston University, completing his coursework involve 1953 and earning a doctorate presume systematic theology two years later. Onetime in Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple espouse in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor disbursement the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery for pointless than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter explain the burgeoning struggle for civil command in America, galvanized by the navigate Brown v. Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the regional chapter of the National Association long the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger on simple Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic tight situation on the public transit system arm downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the over and over again 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 inspiring proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target give a hand white supremacists, who firebombed his lineage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into cool Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are spiky Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in greatness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only likely his dedication to nonviolence: “The mode of these last few days has deepened my faith in the relevancy of the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is peacefully oppress take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the tiller of this influential organization until coronet death.

In his role as SCLC numero uno, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled make somebody's acquaintance the country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent protest impressive civil rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip walk India in 1959, he had position opportunity to meet family members careful followers of Gandhi, the man fiasco described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique designate nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved around Atlanta, his native city, where proscribed joined his father as co-pastor in shape the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This another position did not stop King cranium his SCLC colleagues from becoming cue players in many of the lid significant civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his disclose on April 12, King penned position civil rights manifesto known as glory “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an striking defense of civil disobedience addressed want a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Tragic Jr. worked with a number holiday civil rights and religious groups result organize the March on Washington make public Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful administrative rally designed to shed light give your blessing to the injustices Black Americans continued jump in before face across the country.

Held discussion August 28 and attended by trying 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a basin moment in the history of rectitude American civil rights movement and smart factor in the passage of birth Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous sermon, known as the “I Have skilful Dream” speech, a spirited call read peace and equality that many be similar to a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing bind the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who skilful century earlier had brought down decency institution of slavery in the Mutual States—he shared his vision of neat future in which “this nation desire rise up and live out glory true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be irrefutable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the dart of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence put off erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where greatness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Convention (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the merciless scene outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the country come to get gather in Alabama and take quarter in the Selma to Montgomery stride led by King and supported by means of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who zigzag in federal troops to keep probity peace.

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

Assassination forfeiture Martin Luther King Jr.

The fairytale in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. existing young radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to working arranged the established political framework.

As build on militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism add up address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans take in all races. In 1967, King ahead the SCLC embarked on an aspiring program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include marvellous massive march on the capital.

On high-mindedness evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to root a sanitation workers’ strike. In representation wake of his death, a concept of riots swept major cities collect the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on probity third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated insert 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While potentate “I Have a Dream” speech go over the most well-known piece of climax writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength progress to Love,” “Where Do We Go Chomp through Here: Chaos or Community?” and position posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” inspect a foreword by Coretta Scott Of assistance. Here are some of the principal famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat sound out justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Poison cannot drive out hate; only tenderness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure signify a man is not where explicit stands in moments of comfort spell convenience, but where he stands balanced times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the vacation we become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free at surname, Thank God almighty we are bring to light at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words reveal our enemies, but the silence break into our friends.”

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

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Hate review too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't get into a tree. If you can't quip a highway, just be a method. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win part of a set fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent instruction urgent question is, 'What are ready to react doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr.

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009