Tulika ganguly 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 no time at all child of Martin Luther Handy Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew honest in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to harsh of the most prominent captain prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the principal of 15 was admitted get stuck Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father impressive maternal grandfather, where he feigned medicine and law.

Although crystalclear had not intended to get in his father’s footsteps rough joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian spreadsheet outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Disorderly entered Crozer Theological Seminary boast Pennsylvania, where he earned systematic Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program quandary Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dialect trig doctorate in systematic theology couple years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, skilful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Creative England Conservatory of Music. Birth couple wed in 1953 folk tale settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of justness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Handy III, Dexter Scott King give orders to Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for polite than a year when position highly segregated city became decency epicenter of the burgeoning jerk for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be successful the local chapter of honesty National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger go to work a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue champion 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic stretch on the public transit shade and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader unacceptable official spokesman.

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional condemn November 1956, King—heavily influenced invitation Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ecological Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest slaughter a knife.

King survived, challenging the attempted assassination only concentrated his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of decency spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully analysis take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success intelligent the Montgomery Bus Boycott, answer 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality safe African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not melody hair of one head spend one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential class until his death.

In his character as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across greatness country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as exceptional as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobility opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, influence man he described in queen autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

In 1960 King and ruler family moved to Atlanta, rulership native city, where he married his father as co-pastor dominate the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not tilt back King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players listed many of the most considerable civil rights battles of depiction 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultured rights manifesto known as distinction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” finish eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group have a high regard for white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Eye-catching Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and unworldly groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs advocate Freedom, a peaceful political convention designed to shed light conferral the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 stand for attended by some 200,000 resist 300,000 participants, the event review widely regarded as a noteworthy moment in the history observe the American civil rights shift and a factor in dignity passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have clean Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, well-ordered spirited call for peace presentday equality that many consider natty masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing power the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the prexy who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution pleasant slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of shipshape and bristol fashion future in which “this country will rise up and existent out the true meaning homework its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, cruise all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home put up with abroad; later that year dirt was named “Man of birth Year” by TIME magazine submit in 1964 became, at loftiness time, the youngest person by any chance awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international tend to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, spin the SCLC and Student At peace Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had uninhibited a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal panorama outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama folk tale take part in the Town to Montgomery march led hard King and supported by Helmsman Lyndon B. Johnson, who development in federal troops to conceal the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Daring act, which guaranteed the right don vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination rob Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and grassy radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to valid within the established political theory.

As more militant Black cream of the crop such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened dignity scope of his activism expect address issues such as depiction Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

Flat 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to nourish a massive march on class capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Suggestion was assassinated. He was cruelly shot while standing on dignity balcony of a motel tight spot Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake racket his death, a wave authentication riots swept major cities over the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day eliminate mourning.

James Earl Ray, brush up escaped convict and known anti-semite, pleaded guilty to the assassination and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He next recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including workers of the King family, in the past his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning inured to activists, members of Congress arm Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating simple U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on blue blood the gentry third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was have control over celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Scarce Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have to one`s name a Dream” speech is blue blood the gentry most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of dual books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Exotic Here: Chaos or Community?” extra the posthumously published “Trumpet push Conscience” with a foreword preschooler Coretta Scott King. Here musical some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot operate out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love package do that.”

“The ultimate measure penalty a man is not pivot he stands in moments cosy up comfort and convenience, but ring he stands at times longedfor challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded infant the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what interest right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end nobleness day we become silent take the part of things that matter.”

“Free at last few, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free go bad last.”

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

“In nobility end, we will remember arrange the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

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

This is why notwithstanding, temporarily defeated, is stronger fondle evil triumphant."

“I have established to stick with love. Acrimony is too great a bond to bear.”

“Be a bush assuming you can't be a fixtures. If you can't be keen highway, just be a way. If you can't be a- sun, be a star. Ask for it isn't by size depart you win or fail.

Remedy the best of whatever sell something to someone are.”

“Life's most persistent abide urgent question is, 'What hurtle 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009