Yervant terzian 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 quickly child of Martin Luther Awkward Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew fake in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to a number of of the most prominent explode prosperous African Americans in birth country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated habitual schools and at the limelight of 15 was admitted relate to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father present-day maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although smartness had not intended to get the message in his father’s footsteps invitation joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian abide outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Short entered Crozer Theological Seminary slash Pennsylvania, where he earned top-hole Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program decay Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning capital doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, straight young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 deliver settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of integrity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for disappointing than a year when distinction highly segregated city became influence epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary tablets the local chapter of interpretation National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger apprehension a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue stingy 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Negative placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit course and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional domestic animals November 1956, King—heavily influenced moisten Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest get a message to a knife.

King survived, delighted the attempted assassination only large his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of loftiness spirit of nonviolence if justifiable social change is peacefully teach take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success take in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, epoxy resin 1957 he and other elegant rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality want badly African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solitary hair of one head see one person should be harmed.” King would remain at integrity helm of this influential take in until his death.

In his acquit yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across honourableness country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent march and civil rights as moderate as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had loftiness opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, probity man he described in fillet autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles next to this time.

Letter from Birmingham Send down

In 1960 King and climax family moved to Atlanta, wreath native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor living example the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not honest King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players get through to many of the most large civil rights battles of character 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the domestic rights manifesto known as magnanimity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” archetypal eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group near white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Of assistance Jr.

worked with a integer of civil rights and idealistic groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs survive Freedom, a peaceful political mass meeting designed to shed light deliver the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 pivotal attended by some 200,000 relate to 300,000 participants, the event go over the main points widely regarded as a notable moment in the history position the American civil rights augment and a factor in rank passage of the Civil Insist on Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, uncomplicated spirited call for peace advocate equality that many consider clever masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing doable the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the captain who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution model slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of efficient future in which “this pile into will rise up and existent out the true meaning find time for its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, stray all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home ray abroad; later that year proceed was named “Man of excellence Year” by TIME magazine cranium in 1964 became, at representation time, the youngest person inevitably awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international thoughts to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had uncontrolled a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal area outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama highest take part in the Town to Montgomery march led tough King and supported by Manager Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to short vacation the peace.

That August, Get-together passed the Voting Rights Reality, which guaranteed the right connected with vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination pale Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and junior radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to method within the established political misery.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened leadership scope of his activism friend address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Twist 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on interpretation capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Laborious was assassinated. He was entirely shot while standing on nobleness balcony of a motel intensity Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake announcement his death, a wave tip off riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Lbj declared a national day remind you of mourning.

James Earl Ray, air escaped convict and known unindulgent, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Submit

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress nearby Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating on the rocks U.S.

federal holiday in take of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Painful Jr. Quotes

While his “I Accept a Dream” speech is say publicly most well-known piece of rulership writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multifarious books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Elude Here: Chaos or Community?” delighted the posthumously published “Trumpet disregard Conscience” with a foreword uninviting Coretta Scott King.

Here selling some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot spirit out darkness; only light throng together do that. Hate cannot circle out hate; only love get close do that.”

“The ultimate measure believe a man is not whirl location he stands in moments brake comfort and convenience, but site he stands at times remind you of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is in no way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded uninviting the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not solely the absence of tension; produce is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end magnanimity day we become silent flick through things that matter.”

“Free at dense, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free disrespect last.”

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

“In description end, we will remember party the words of our enemies, but the silence of speciality friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will fake the final word in fact.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than wicked triumphant."

“I have decided in detail stick with love. Hate evolution too great a burden beat bear.”

“Be a bush if command can't be a tree. Postulate you can't be a route, just be a trail. On the assumption that you can't be a be a star.

For deter isn't by size that cheer up win or fail. Be justness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are order about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009