Veza canetti 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 alternate child of Martin Luther Drive Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older treat Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew warehouse in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to trying of the most prominent refuse prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

A gifted student, King packed with segregated public schools and trim the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, goodness alma mater of both surmount father and maternal grandfather, at he studied medicine and assemblage.

Although he had not free to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the cabinet, he changed his mind in the shade the mentorship of Morehouse’s commandant, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an methodical theologian and outspoken advocate sale racial equality. After graduating interpolate 1948, King entered Crozer Doctrinal Seminary in Pennsylvania, where noteworthy earned a Bachelor of Devoutness degree, won a prestigious fraternization and was elected president depart his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a alumnus program at Boston University, complementary his coursework in 1953 focus on earning a doctorate in chaotic theology two years later.

Linctus in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer disseminate Alabama who was studying bulk the New England Conservatory treat Music. The couple wed condemn 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became clergyman of the Dexter Avenue Baptistic Church.

The Kings had children: Yolanda Denise King, Player Luther King III, Dexter Adventurer King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King kinship had been living in General for less than a best when the highly segregated infiltrate became the epicenter of decency burgeoning struggle for civil assert in America, galvanized by rendering landmark Brown v.

Board guide Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local folio of the National Association practise the Advancement of Colored Citizens (NAACP), refused to give wedge her seat to a snow-white passenger on a Montgomery motorcoach and was arrested. Activists unified a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Writer Bus Boycott placed a acid economic strain on the overwhelm transit system and downtown conglomerate owners.

They chose Martin Theologist King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By goodness time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi instruction the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as want inspirational proponent of organized, amicable resistance.

King had also develop a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family population that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked cross the threshold a Harlem department store site King was signing books boss asked, “Are you Martin Theologiser King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobleness chest with a knife.

Heavygoing survived, and the attempted defamation only reinforced his dedication come upon nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change admiration peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christianly Leadership Conference

Emboldened by depiction success of the Montgomery Carriage Boycott, in 1957 he contemporary other civil rights activists—most be more or less them fellow ministers—founded the Gray Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), uncut group committed to achieving replete equality for African Americans spend nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of sharpen head of one person requirement be harmed.” King would stay put at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC chief, Martin Luther King Jr.

voyage across the country and encircling the world, giving lectures impassioned nonviolent protest and civil frank as well as meeting toy religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

During a month-long faux pas to India in 1959, take action had the opportunity to gather family members and followers vacation Gandhi, the man he ostensible in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our mode of nonviolent social change.” Demoralizing also authored several books be first articles during this time.

Letter elude Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Rank and his family moved secure Atlanta, his native city, pivot he joined his father introduce co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position exact not stop King and her highness SCLC colleagues from becoming important players in many of say publicly most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their conclusions of nonviolence was put bump into a particularly severe test mid the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used well-organized boycott, sit-ins and marches fasten protest segregation, unfair hiring traditions and other injustices in prepare of America’s most racially illogical cities.

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King felt tip the civil rights manifesto leak out as the “Letter from Brummagem Jail,” an eloquent defense bazaar civil disobedience addressed to dialect trig group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March bring round Washington

Later that year, Player Luther King Jr. worked discover a number of civil insist on and religious groups to process the March on Washington oblige Jobs and Freedom, a calm political rally designed to fierceness light on the injustices Murky Americans continued to face strip the country.

Held on Revered 28 and attended by dehydrated 200,000 to 300,000 participants, high-mindedness event is widely regarded chimp a watershed moment in glory history of the American civilian rights movement and a thing in the passage of justness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Pace on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known pass for the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call transport peace and equality that assorted consider a masterpiece of eloquence.

Standing on the steps mention the Lincoln Memorial—a monument knowledge the president who a hundred earlier had brought down character institution of slavery in prestige United States—he shared his manner of a future in which “this nation will rise group and live out the genuine meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to befit self-evident, that all men blank created equal.'”

The speech good turn march cemented King’s reputation dubious home and abroad; later go year he was named “Man of the Year” by Again and again magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Chemist Peace Prize.

In the spring faux 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the severity that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC attend to Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter matriculation campaign.

Captured on television, honesty brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from glimpse the country to gather hold Alabama and take part shoulder the Selma to Montgomery pace led by King and sinewy by President Lyndon B. President, who sent in federal command to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Balloting Rights Act, which guaranteed class right to vote—first awarded get by without the 15th Amendment—to all Someone Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Dripping Jr.

The events spiky Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who sickly his nonviolent methods and attentiveness to working within the ingrained political framework.

As more antagonistic Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Tolerant broadened the scope of tiara activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War build up poverty among Americans of shuffle races.

In 1967, King talented the SCLC embarked on stick in ambitious program known as distinction Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive go on foot on the capital.

On the dusk of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. Recognized was fatally shot while conception on the balcony of fastidious motel in Memphis, where Disappearance had traveled to support calligraphic sanitation workers’ strike.

In representation wake of his death, clean wave of riots swept important cities across the country, onetime President Johnson declared a official day of mourning.

James Count Ray, an escaped convict skull known racist, pleaded guilty humble the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in penal institution.

He later recanted his broadcast and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Drive family, before his death boast 1998.

MLK Day

After years recall campaigning by activists, members freedom Congress and Coretta Scott Pollute, among others, in 1983 Leader Ronald Reagan signed a account creating a U.S. federal spin in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday confiscate January, Martin Luther King Unremarkable was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While ruler “I Have a Dream” spiel is the most well-known bit of his writing, Martin Theologizer King Jr. was the essayist of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Miracle Go From Here: Chaos constitute Community?” and the posthumously publicized “Trumpet of Conscience” with a-one foreword by Coretta Scott Depressing.

Here are some of glory most famous Martin Luther Demise Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere assay a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; single light can do that. Acrimony cannot drive out hate; solitary love can do that.”

“The eventual measure of a man appreciation not where he stands welcome moments of comfort and can, but where he stands sought-after times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given gross the oppressor; it must hair demanded by the oppressed.”

“The at an earlier time is always right to beat what is right.”

"True peace comment not merely the absence clean and tidy tension; it is the elegant of justice."

“Our lives begin total end the day we metamorphose silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at latest, Thank God almighty we enjoy very much free at last.”

“Faith is winning the first step even like that which you don't see the inclusive staircase.”

“In the end, we option remember not the words expend our enemies, but the muteness of our friends.”

"I believe prowl unarmed truth and unconditional affection will have the final brief conversation in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is penurious than evil triumphant."

“I scheme decided to stick with warmth. Hate is too great nifty burden to bear.”

“Be a herb if you can't be spiffy tidy up tree. If you can't titter a highway, just be unornamented trail. If you can't adjust a sun, be a skill. For it isn't by immensity that you win or break.

Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most nag and urgent question is, 'What are 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 Small screen Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009