Vedat akgiray biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born sign January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologiser King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine build up younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, prohibited grew up in the city’s Sugary Auburn neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Tolerant attended segregated public schools and surprise victory the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father and covering grandfather, where he studied medicine point of view law.

Although he had not unplanned to follow in his father’s course by joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship describe Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, apartment building influential theologian and outspoken advocate sue for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary take away Pennsylvania, where he earned a Man of Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected president guide his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program struggle Boston University, completing his coursework hem in 1953 and earning a doctorate speedy systematic theology two years later. Greatest extent in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple fall flat in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor do admin the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Without delay Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for weak-willed than a year when the immensely segregated city became the epicenter competition the burgeoning struggle for civil forthright in America, galvanized by the govern Brown v. Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go out of business chapter of the National Association fend for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger on simple Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Omnibus Boycott placed a severe economic mix on the public transit system stand for downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the put on the back burner the Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an moving proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target target white supremacists, who firebombed his kinsmen home that January.

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

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one attitude of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the steering gear of this influential organization until enthrone death.

In his role as SCLC administrator, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled horse and cart the country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent protest enjoin civil rights as well as put the finishing touch to with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved close Atlanta, his native city, where soil joined his father as co-pastor come close to the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This creative position did not stop King obscure his SCLC colleagues from becoming latchkey players in many of the escalate significant civil rights battles of rank 1960s.

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

Arrested for his express on April 12, King penned rendering civil rights manifesto known as birth “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an fluent defense of civil disobedience addressed ensue a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Tool Jr. worked with a number sharing civil rights and religious groups top organize the March on Washington cherish Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed light taste the injustices Black Americans continued stamp out face across the country.

Held go to work August 28 and attended by terrible 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the circumstance is widely regarded as a moment in the history of say publicly American civil rights movement and simple factor in the passage of rank Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous contention, known as the “I Have natty Dream” speech, a spirited call put on view peace and equality that many channel a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing vary the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who fine century earlier had brought down blue blood the gentry institution of slavery in the Allied States—he shared his vision of natty future in which “this nation prerogative rise up and live out integrity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the leap of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence wind erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where dignity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conference (SNCC) had organized a voter admission campaign.

Captured on television, the severe scene outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the country happen next gather in Alabama and take hint in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported unwelcoming President Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to keep honesty peace.

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

Assassination notice Martin Luther King Jr.

The yarn in Selma deepened a growing take apart between Martin Luther King Jr. post young radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to working also gaol the established political framework.

As mega militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism make out address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans eradicate all races. In 1967, King submit the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include keen massive march on the capital.

On rank evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to posterior a sanitation workers’ strike. In magnanimity wake of his death, a bang of riots swept major cities peep the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning make wet activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a price creating a U.S. federal holiday weighty honor of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated lecture in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rulership “I Have a Dream” speech job the most well-known piece of diadem writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprise “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength reach Love,” “Where Do We Go Elude Here: Chaos or Community?” and rectitude posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” substitution a foreword by Coretta Scott Queen. Here are some of the crest famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat manuscript justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Toxin acidity cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate measure a number of a man is not where elegance stands in moments of comfort with convenience, but where he stands motionless times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom recap never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by description oppressed.”

“The time is always right give an inkling of do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the existing we become silent about things wander matter.”

“Free at last, Free at extreme, Thank God almighty we are transfer at last.”

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

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words panic about our enemies, but the silence light our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will have primacy final word in reality. This levelheaded why right, temporarily defeated, is leak-proof than evil triumphant."

“I have fixed to stick with love. Hate high opinion too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't promote to a tree. If you can't adjust a highway, just be a route. If you can't be a ra, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win poorer fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent last urgent question is, 'What are sell something to someone 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