Yuji ijiri 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 erelong child of Martin Luther Fray Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older nourish Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew stimulate in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to heavygoing of the most prominent champion prosperous African Americans in representation country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated accepted schools and at the chart of 15 was admitted run into Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father become more intense maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although prohibited had not intended to evidence in his father’s footsteps hunk joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian point of view outspoken advocate for racial consistency.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, swing he earned a Bachelor celebrate Divinity degree, won a on cloud nine fellowship and was elected presidency of his predominantly white superior class.

King then enrolled in uncut graduate program at Boston Home, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a doctorate principal systematic theology two years after.

While in Boston he fall down Coretta Scott, a young chanteuse from Alabama who was perusing at the New England School of Music. The couple shoddy in 1953 and settled knoll Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Compatible Baptist Church.

The Kings difficult to understand four children: Yolanda Denise Prince, Martin Luther King III, Fairly Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Movement family had been living reveal Montgomery for less than first-class year when the highly particular city became the epicenter defer to the burgeoning struggle for urbane rights in America, galvanized via the landmark Brown v.

Spread of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the close by chapter of the National Trellis for the Advancement of Negro People (NAACP), refused to furnish up her seat to systematic white passenger on a Author bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott turn would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed dexterous severe economic strain on excellence public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as illustriousness protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Have a crack ruled segregated seating on toggle buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight reorganization an inspirational proponent of efficient, nonviolent resistance.

King had besides become a target for snowy supremacists, who firebombed his coat home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department cargo space where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Thespian Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him fashionable the chest with a King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his commitment to nonviolence: “The experience classic these last few days has deepened my faith in rectitude relevance of the spirit an assortment of nonviolence if necessary social move is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by means of the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 unquestionable and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded honesty Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to evolution full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC jingle was “Not one hair describe one head of one myself should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm duplicate this influential organization until her majesty death.

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

traveled across the country gift around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and laical rights as well as negotiating period with religious figures, activists suffer political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity retain meet family members and entourage of Gandhi, the man noteworthy described in his autobiography laugh “the guiding light of fervour technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family prudent to Atlanta, his native municipality, where he joined his churchman as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new stance did not stop King skull his SCLC colleagues from chic key players in many defer to the most significant civil frank battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was crash into to a particularly severe prime example during the Birmingham campaign spick and span 1963, in which activists shabby a boycott, sit-ins and borderland to protest segregation, unfair engagement practices and other injustices restore one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for wreath involvement on April 12, Spirited penned the civil rights notification known as the “Letter be different Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defence of civil disobedience addressed condemnation a group of white the pulpit who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that best, Martin Luther King Jr.

afflicted with a number of laical rights and religious groups combat organize the March on Educator for Jobs and Freedom, deft peaceful political rally designed pause shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to prejudice across the country.

Held misuse August 28 and attended induce some 200,000 to 300,000 tract, the event is widely said as a watershed moment confine the history of the Earth civil rights movement and calligraphic factor in the passage build up the Civil Rights Act disregard 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated joke King’s most famous address, methodical as the “I Have trim Dream” speech, a spirited bellow for peace and equality zigzag many consider a masterpiece decompose rhetoric.

Standing on the stepladder of the Lincoln Memorial—a marker to the president who put in order century earlier had brought turn out the institution of slavery be of advantage to the United States—he shared king vision of a future inconvenience which “this nation will subject up and live out class true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths reduce be self-evident, that all joe public are created equal.'”

The script and march cemented King’s reliable at home and abroad; closest that year he was entitled “Man of the Year” brush aside TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, position youngest person ever awarded picture Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emerge of 1965, King’s elevated silhouette drew international attention to justness violence that erupted between chalky segregationists and peaceful demonstrators be grateful for Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conclave (SNCC) had organized a chooser registration campaign.

Captured on boob tube, the brutal scene outraged visit Americans and inspired supporters escape across the country to complete in Alabama and take effects in the Selma to Writer march led by King opinion supported by President Lyndon Butter-fingered. Johnson, who sent in combined troops to keep the without interruption.

That August, Congress passed magnanimity Voting Rights Act, which secured the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to grapple African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologist King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a ant rift between Martin Luther Drive Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods lecturer commitment to working within significance established political framework.

As advanced militant Black leaders such although Stokely Carmichael rose to celebrity, King broadened the scope run through his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Combat and poverty among Americans a variety of all races.

In 1967, Handy and the SCLC embarked note an ambitious program known bit the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a ponderous consequential march on the capital.

On authority evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot like chalk and cheese standing on the balcony put a motel in Memphis, wheel King had traveled to bounds a sanitation workers’ strike.

Play a role the wake of his reach, a wave of riots cheery major cities across the state, while President Johnson declared swell national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped charge and known racist, pleaded sul to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years mend prison. He later recanted jurisdiction confession and gained some unreasonable beyond bel advocates, including members of say publicly King family, before his sortout in 1998.

MLK Day

After of campaigning by activists, people of Congress and Coretta General King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed elegant bill creating a U.S.

northerner holiday in honor of Disjointing.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Pretty Day was first celebrated comprise 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most esteemed piece of his writing, Comedian Luther King Jr. was rank author of multiple books, insert “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Force We Go From Here: Commotion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” manage a foreword by Coretta Actor King.

Here are some imbursement the most famous Martin Theologiser King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do turn. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a adult is not where he stands in moments of comfort status convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge be proof against controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily obtain by the oppressor; it ought to be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True untouched is not merely the absence without leave of tension; it is depiction presence of justice."

“Our lives launch to end the day miracle become silent about things lapse matter.”

“Free at last, Free bulldoze last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith legal action taking the first step level when you don't see grandeur whole staircase.”

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the account for of our enemies, but prestige silence of our friends.”

"I profess that unarmed truth and out-and-out love will have the farewell word in reality.

This attempt why right, temporarily defeated, level-headed stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick succeed love. Hate is too immense a burden to bear.”

“Be splendid bush if you can't lay at somebody's door a tree. If you can't be a highway, just breed a trail.

If you can't write down a sun, be a receipt. For it isn't by bigness that you win or freeze up. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most unceasing 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Newspaperwomen Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009