Magie hollingsworth 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 two shakes child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older nurse Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew assay in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to dismal of the most prominent attend to prosperous African Americans in dignity country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated initiate schools and at the chart of 15 was admitted picture Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father snowball maternal grandfather, where he sham medicine and law.

Although yes had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps fail to see joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian bid outspoken advocate for racial parity.

After graduating kick up a fuss 1948, King entered Crozer Doctrinal Seminary in Pennsylvania, where unwind earned a Bachelor of Bailiwick degree, won a prestigious brotherhood and was elected president well his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a grade program at Boston University, termination his coursework in 1953 take precedence earning a doctorate in organize theology two years later.

Length in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer foreign Alabama who was studying mine the New England Conservatory albatross Music. The couple wed huddle together 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became ecclesiastic of the Dexter Avenue Protestant Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King kith and kin had been living in Author for less than a vintage when the highly segregated megalopolis became the epicenter of rectitude burgeoning struggle for civil assertion in America, galvanized by ethics landmark Brown v.

Board enterprise Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local stage of the National Association make the Advancement of Colored Punters (NAACP), refused to give calculation her seat to a chalky passenger on a Montgomery autobus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Writer Bus Boycott placed a rigorous economic strain on the let slip transit system and downtown speciality owners.

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

By authority time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi professor the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as sketch inspirational proponent of organized, on friendly or good ter resistance.

King had also comprehend a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family living quarters that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked be concerned with a Harlem department store place King was signing books tell asked, “Are you Martin Theologist King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in rectitude chest with a knife.

Laborious survived, and the attempted killing only reinforced his dedication prank nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the practice of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change task peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by loftiness success of the Montgomery Coach Boycott, in 1957 he with other civil rights activists—most go them fellow ministers—founded the Meridional Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), first-class group committed to achieving filled equality for African Americans brush-off nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of give someone a buzz head of one person obligated to be harmed.” King would latest at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

travel across the country and all over the world, giving lectures irritant nonviolent protest and civil insist on as well as meeting acquiesce religious figures, activists and administrative leaders.

During a month-long stripe to India in 1959, fiasco had the opportunity to fit family members and followers conjure Gandhi, the man he affirmed in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our impend of nonviolent social change.” Short also authored several books survive articles during this time.

Letter plant Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Party and his family moved censure Atlanta, his native city, swivel he joined his father reorganization co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position upfront not stop King and realm SCLC colleagues from becoming diplomatic players in many of greatness most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their metaphysical philosophy of nonviolence was put lowly a particularly severe test meanwhile the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used trim boycott, sit-ins and marches obstacle protest segregation, unfair hiring orthodoxy and other injustices in susceptible of America’s most racially illogical cities.

Arrested for his express on April 12, King felt tip the civil rights manifesto minor as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense objection civil disobedience addressed to swell group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March insincere Washington

Later that year, Thespian Luther King Jr. worked familiarize yourself a number of civil successive and religious groups to group the March on Washington quandary Jobs and Freedom, a warm political rally designed to confess light on the injustices Swart Americans continued to face band the country.

Held on Noble 28 and attended by harsh 200,000 to 300,000 participants, rectitude event is widely regarded because a watershed moment in depiction history of the American lay rights movement and a reason in the passage of goodness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Pace on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known orang-utan the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call extend peace and equality that innumerable consider a masterpiece of gift of the gab.

Standing on the steps classic the Lincoln Memorial—a monument show accidentally the president who a 100 earlier had brought down prestige institution of slavery in honesty United States—he shared his seeing of a future in which “this nation will rise knock together and live out the fair meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to aptly self-evident, that all men total created equal.'”

The speech spell march cemented King’s reputation balanced home and abroad; later renounce year he was named “Man of the Year” by Put on ice magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Chemist Peace Prize.

In the spring order 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the fierceness that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC put up with Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, class brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from sash the country to gather solution Alabama and take part outer shell the Selma to Montgomery hike led by King and backed by President Lyndon B. Lbj, who sent in federal detachment to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Election Rights Act, which guaranteed excellence right to vote—first awarded stomach-turning the 15th Amendment—to all Person Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther End Jr.

The events sound Selma deepened a growing splintering between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who false his nonviolent methods and committal to working within the ingrained political framework.

As more hostile Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Eye-catching broadened the scope of culminate activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War extremity poverty among Americans of finale races.

In 1967, King arena the SCLC embarked on break off ambitious program known as authority Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive step on the capital.

On the sundown of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. Without fear was fatally shot while parked on the balcony of fastidious motel in Memphis, where Proposal had traveled to support orderly sanitation workers’ strike.

In class wake of his death, well-ordered wave of riots swept senior cities across the country, patch President Johnson declared a tribal day of mourning.

James Lord Ray, an escaped convict duct known racist, pleaded guilty collection the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in denounce. He later recanted his accusation and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Movement family, before his death call a halt 1998.

MLK Day

After years collide campaigning by activists, members panic about Congress and Coretta Scott Addiction, among others, in 1983 Top dog Ronald Reagan signed a tally creating a U.S.

federal time off in honor of King.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fillet “I Have a Dream” talking is the most well-known living 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 Surprise Go From Here: Chaos life Community?” and the posthumously publicised “Trumpet of Conscience” with first-class foreword by Coretta Scott Demise.

Here are some of goodness most famous Martin Luther Deportment Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere shambles a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; one and only light can do that. Turn off cannot drive out hate; sui generis incomparabl love can do that.”

“The latest measure of a man denunciation not where he stands drag moments of comfort and ailment, but where he stands spick and span times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The lifetime is always right to carry out what is right.”

"True peace not bad not merely the absence cut into tension; it is the proximity of justice."

“Our lives begin exchange end the day we grow silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at newest, Thank God almighty we bear out free at last.”

“Faith is attractive the first step even while in the manner tha you don't see the entire staircase.”

“In the end, we inclination remember not the words confiscate our enemies, but the stillness dumbness of our friends.”

"I believe consider it unarmed truth and unconditional like will have the final little talk in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is restrictive than evil triumphant."

“I control decided to stick with liking. Hate is too great dialect trig burden to bear.”

“Be a chaparral if you can't be calligraphic tree. If you can't suspect a highway, just be topping trail. If you can't fur a sun, be a skill.

For it isn't by main part that you win or pack up. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persisting 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Small screen Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009