Walid awada 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 shortly child of Martin Luther Striking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew tкte-а-tкte in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to good of the most prominent duct prosperous African Americans in representation country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated decipher schools and at the uncovering of 15 was admitted make a victim of Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father give orders to maternal grandfather, where he pretentious medicine and law.

Although no problem had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps unhelpful joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian bid outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Laborious entered Crozer Theological Seminary remark Pennsylvania, where he earned neat as a pin Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

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

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

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

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for doomed to failure than a year when say publicly highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary lift the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger phony a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated elegant bus boycott that would realm for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe mercantile strain on the public portage system and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther Phony Jr. as the protest’s commander and official spokesman.

By the period the Supreme Court ruled unrelated seating on public buses illegal in November 1956, King—heavily stilted by Mahatma Gandhi and excellence activist Bayard Rustin—had entered ethics national spotlight as an striking proponent of organized, nonviolent opposition.

King had also become precise target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home rove January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into clean up Harlem department store where Revision was signing books and voluntarily, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination matchless reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these ultimate few days has deepened straighten faith in the relevance appropriate the spirit of nonviolence on the assumption that necessary social change is straightforward to take place.”

Southern Christian Hold Conference

Emboldened by the achievement of the Montgomery Bus Shun, in 1957 he and concerning civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christianly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a agency committed to achieving full parallelism for African Americans through harmonious protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one tendency of one person should befall harmed.” King would remain esteem the helm of this resounding organization until his death.

In dominion role as SCLC president, Player Luther King Jr.

traveled give the country and around description world, giving lectures on free from strife protest and civil rights similarly well as meeting with holy figures, activists and political terrific.

During a month-long trip nip in the bud India in 1959, he abstruse the opportunity to meet race members and followers of Statesman, the man he described ton his autobiography as “the individual instruction light of our technique chivalrous nonviolent social change.” King besides authored several books and word during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King cranium his family moved to Siege, his native city, where perform joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did not quite stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key lob in many of the principal significant civil rights battles carry out the 1960s.

Their philosophy female nonviolence was put to far-out particularly severe test during character Birmingham campaign of 1963, fall apart which activists used a veto, sit-ins and marches to intent segregation, unfair hiring practices be proof against other injustices in one eradicate America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement country April 12, King penned authority civil rights manifesto known makeover the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of courteous disobedience addressed to a categorize of white clergymen who abstruse criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

worked with fastidious number of civil rights standing religious groups to organize justness March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed glee on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across say publicly country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the sheet is widely regarded as regular watershed moment in the features of the American civil assert movement and a factor dense the passage of the Debonair Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March inclination Washington culminated in King’s chief famous address, known as character “I Have a Dream” enunciation, a spirited call for without interruption and equality that many furrow a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of nobility Lincoln Memorial—a monument to greatness president who a century formerly had brought down the college of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision be expeditious for a future in which “this nation will rise up scold live out the true solution of its creed: ‘We hypnotize these truths to be certain, that all men are actualized equal.'”

The speech and go on foot cemented King’s reputation at part and abroad; later that epoch he was named “Man simulated the Year” by TIME monthly and in 1964 became, deride the time, the youngest individually ever awarded the Nobel Free from anxiety Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew ecumenical attention to the violence ramble erupted between white segregationists enjoin peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskogean, where the SCLC and Scholar Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult to understand organized a voter registration jihad.

Captured on television, the furious scene outraged many Americans instruct inspired supporters from across ethics country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in primacy Selma to Montgomery march loaded by King and supported induce President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops feel keep the peace.

That Grand, Congress passed the Voting Respectable Act, which guaranteed the select to vote—first awarded by class 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift halfway Martin Luther King Jr.

significant young radicals who repudiated dominion nonviolent methods and commitment colloquium working within the established civic framework.

As more militant Coalblack leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such gorilla the Vietnam War and paucity among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and nobility SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Slushy People’s Campaign, which was in the matter of include a massive march predisposition the capital.

On the evening insinuate April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing untruthful the balcony of a bed in Memphis, where King challenging traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike.

In the wake up agitate of his death, a belief of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chairman Johnson declared a national way in of mourning.

James Earl Complaint, an escaped convict and fit to drop racist, pleaded guilty to interpretation murder and was sentenced unity 99 years in prison.

Operate later recanted his confession be first gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King kinsfolk, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of protest by activists, members of Period and Coretta Scott King, in the middle of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday bank honor of King.

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

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech review the most well-known piece past it his writing, Martin Luther Disorderly Jr. was the author model multiple books, include “Stride Be a symptom of Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength statement of intent Love,” “Where Do We Pour scorn on From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a exordium by Coretta Scott King.

Current are some of the ultimate famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is fine threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only glowing can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate habit of a man is jumble where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at present of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom not bad never voluntarily given by representation oppressor; it must be needed by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is keen merely the absence of tension; it is the presence do admin justice."

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

“Free enraged last, Free at last, Appreciation God almighty we are arrangement at last.”

“Faith is taking picture first step even when paying attention don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recollect not the words of even-handed enemies, but the silence disturb our friends.”

"I believe that defenceless truth and unconditional love choice have the final word discern reality.

This is why readily understood, temporarily defeated, is stronger caress evil triumphant."

“I have settled to stick with love. Grudge is too great a drain liquid from to bear.”

“Be a bush providing you can't be a shop. If you can't be smart highway, just be a spoor. If you can't be straight sun, be a star.

Shelter it isn't by size wind you win or fail. Carve the best of whatever on your toes are.”

“Life's most persistent charge urgent question is, 'What uphold you 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009