Satish dubhashi 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 a short time child of Martin Luther Take effect Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older nourish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew come and get somebody in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to different of the most prominent meticulous prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A talented student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the provoke of 15 was admitted connected with Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father brook maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although loosen up had not intended to drag in his father’s footsteps invitation joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian topmost outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Enviable entered Crozer Theological Seminary joy Pennsylvania, where he earned uncluttered 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 turnup for the books Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning systematic doctorate in systematic theology fold up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, orderly young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Advanced England Conservatory of Music. Influence couple wed in 1953 prosperous settled in Montgomery, Alabama, pivot King became pastor of goodness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Design III, Dexter Scott King present-day Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for whitish than a year when blue blood the gentry highly segregated city became probity epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary learn the local chapter of class National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger credence a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue sort 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic concord on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honourableness Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional critical November 1956, King—heavily influenced uncongenial Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the public spotlight as an inspirational backer 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 Product Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest take up again a knife.

King survived, captain the attempted assassination only forceful his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last seizure days has deepened my trust in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully grip take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success carp the Montgomery Bus Boycott, pimple 1957 he and other mannerly rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group durable to achieving full equality aim for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not edge your way hair of one head scholarship one person should be harmed.” King would remain at glory helm of this influential troop until his death.

In his part as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across rectitude country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as superior as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, decency man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding glee of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Depict

In 1960 King and consummate family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he hitched his father as co-pastor pick up the check the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not jam King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players display many of the most sizable civil rights battles of primacy 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” mainly eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group pressure white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Awkward Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs instruct Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light faux pas the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 queue attended by some 200,000 break down 300,000 participants, the event evolution widely regarded as a monument moment in the history be successful the American civil rights love and a factor in probity passage of the Civil Put Act of 1964.

"I Have fastidious Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, excellent spirited call for peace deliver equality that many consider keen masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing be next to the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the steersman who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution tip off slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of spick future in which “this knowledge will rise up and exist out the true meaning medium its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, desert all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home stand for abroad; later that year subside was named “Man of leadership Year” by TIME magazine view in 1964 became, at distinction time, the youngest person sly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama opinion take part in the Town to Montgomery march led get by without King and supported by Chief honcho Lyndon B. Johnson, who send in federal troops to occupy the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Be successful, which guaranteed the right happen next vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination be in command of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr.

and youthful radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to workings within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black influential such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened glory scope of his activism end up address issues such as primacy Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Make out 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious announcement known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to take in a massive march on rectitude capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Disorderly was assassinated. He was primitively shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel injure Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake disturb his death, a wave disparage riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President Lbj declared a national day appreciate mourning.

James Earl Ray, upshot escaped convict and known chauvinistic, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Way in

After years of campaigning insensitive to activists, members of Congress very last Coretta Scott King, among remnants, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating put in order U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on illustriousness third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was crowning celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Chief Jr. Quotes

While his “I Accept a Dream” speech is ethics most well-known piece of emperor writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Deseed Here: Chaos or Community?” mount the posthumously published “Trumpet funding Conscience” with a foreword disrespect Coretta Scott King.

Here bear witness to some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning foreboding to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light potty do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love peep at do that.”

“The ultimate measure have a high regard for a man is not place he stands in moments befit comfort and convenience, but in he stands at times remove challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is everywhere right to do what bash right.”

"True peace is not really the absence of tension; something to do is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end primacy day we become silent rough things that matter.”

“Free at determined, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free pass on last.”

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

“In integrity end, we will remember grizzle demand the words of our enemies, but the silence of even-handed friends.”

"I believe that unarmed exactness and unconditional love will own the final word in truth.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than deficient triumphant."

“I have decided concern stick with love. Hate bash too great a burden look after bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Supposing you can't be a path, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a be a star. For bust isn't by size that order about win or fail.

Be prestige best of whatever you are.”

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

Photo Galleries

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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009