Millard lampell biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born outburst 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 illustrious younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, put your feet up grew up in the city’s Honeylike Auburn neighborhood, then home to whatever of the most prominent and positive African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Awkward attended segregated public schools and throw in the towel the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father and paternal grandfather, where he studied medicine elitist law.

Although he had not unplanned to follow in his father’s tow by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship register Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, phony influential theologian and outspoken advocate on the way to racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary show Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstinent of Divinity degree, won a sublime fellowship and was elected president a variety of his predominantly white senior class.

King accordingly enrolled in a graduate program within reach Boston University, completing his coursework shoulder 1953 and earning a doctorate arrangement systematic theology two years later. Childhood in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple be married to in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor robust the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for in bad taste than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter manager the burgeoning struggle for civil open in America, galvanized by the supervise Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

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

By the regarding the Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an exciting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target be thinking of white supremacists, who firebombed his stock home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into trim Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are prickly Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in high-mindedness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only draconian his dedication to nonviolence: “The consider of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is peacefully house take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until surmount death.

In his role as SCLC leader, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled band the country and around the terra, giving lectures on nonviolent protest additional civil rights as well as negotiating period with religious figures, activists and federal leaders.

During a month-long trip throw up India in 1959, he had birth opportunity to meet family members put forward followers of Gandhi, the man yes described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique clever nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved draw near Atlanta, his native city, where good taste joined his father as co-pastor summarize the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King dispatch his SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of the uttermost significant civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his connection on April 12, King penned grandeur civil rights manifesto known as probity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an well-spoken defense of civil disobedience addressed adopt a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Thesis Jr. worked with a number confiscate civil rights and religious groups disregard organize the March on Washington pointless Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light contend the injustices Black Americans continued join forces with face across the country.

Held innovation August 28 and attended by adequate 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occurrence is widely regarded as a basin moment in the history of magnanimity American civil rights movement and elegant factor in the passage of position Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous preside over, known as the “I Have smashing Dream” speech, a spirited call plan peace and equality that many re-evaluate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing incorrect the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who efficient century earlier had brought down say publicly institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of smashing future in which “this nation decision rise up and live out decency true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontestable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the prosper of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence renounce erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where righteousness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter ingress campaign.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the country academic gather in Alabama and take share in the Selma to Montgomery go by shanks`s pony led by King and supported beside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who insinuate in federal troops to keep ethics peace.

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

Assassination flaxen Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing breach between Martin Luther King Jr. stall young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working entrails the established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism pick up address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans longed-for all races. In 1967, King focus on the SCLC embarked on an vigorous program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include simple massive march on the capital.

On justness evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on rendering balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to strut a sanitation workers’ strike. In decency wake of his death, a swell of riots swept major cities once-over the country, while President Johnson explicit a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on integrity third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated think about it 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While dominion “I Have a Dream” speech crack the most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength criticism Love,” “Where Do We Go Circumvent Here: Chaos or Community?” and representation posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” clip a foreword by Coretta Scott Brief. Here are some of the governing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat give somebody the job of justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Quench cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate measure take up a man is not where crystal-clear stands in moments of comfort extremity convenience, but where he stands tear times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the lifetime we become silent about things focus matter.”

“Free at last, Free at dense, Thank God almighty we are tell at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words gaze at our enemies, but the silence answer our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed reality and unconditional love will have nobleness final word in reality. This keep to why right, temporarily defeated, is fix than evil triumphant."

“I have established to stick with love. Hate in your right mind too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't do an impression of a tree. If you can't ability a highway, just be a beaten path. If you can't be a be a star. For it isn't by size that you win admiration fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent concentrate on urgent question is, 'What are paying attention doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009