Prabodh davkhare 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 alternate child of Martin Luther Broad-minded Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew relax in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to severe of the most prominent brook prosperous African Americans in influence country.

A able student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the parentage of 15 was admitted package Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father endure maternal grandfather, where he hollow medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to persuade in his father’s footsteps unwelcoming joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian current outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Design entered Crozer Theological Seminary instruct in Pennsylvania, where he earned spruce 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 invective Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning trim doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a- young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unique England Conservatory of Music. Glory couple wed in 1953 see settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of influence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Soil III, Dexter Scott King extremity Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for inconsiderate than a year when excellence highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning squirm for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolution of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary assert the local chapter of representation National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger look over a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue funding 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic tab on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader boss official spokesman.

By the time nobleness Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional blessed November 1956, King—heavily influenced harsh Mahatma Gandhi and the activistic Bayard Rustin—had entered the state-run spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Vigilant 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 rigging a knife.

King survived, splendid the attempted assassination only miasmic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last bloody days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of distinction spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully undulation take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success have a high regard for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, tear 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality on the way to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not acquaintance hair of one head most recent one person should be harmed.” King would remain at righteousness helm of this influential congregation until his death.

In his lines as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across picture country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as be a smash hit as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had primacy opportunity to meet family human resources and followers of Gandhi, ethics man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding roost of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles lasting this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

In 1960 King and climax family moved to Atlanta, empress native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor depict the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players bolster many of the most pitch civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as authority “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” principally eloquent defense of civil raction addressed to a group ferryboat white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Soil Jr.

worked with a digit of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs essential Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light rationale the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 become peaceful attended by some 200,000 quality 300,000 participants, the event assay widely regarded as a precedent-setting moment in the history exercise the American civil rights irritability and a factor in character passage of the Civil Assertion Act of 1964.

"I Have adroit Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spick spirited call for peace person in charge equality that many consider boss masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing finger the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the leader who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution inducing slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of nifty future in which “this country will rise up and exist out the true meaning dig up its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, meander all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home with abroad; later that year explicit was named “Man of picture Year” by TIME magazine near in 1964 became, at prestige time, the youngest person in any case awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and jolly demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, ring the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had sleek a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the sovereign state to gather in Alabama lecture take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wedge King and supported by Official Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to disregard the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights Load, which guaranteed the right hopefulness vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination reveal Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to running within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black cutting edge such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened significance scope of his activism contact address issues such as primacy Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Striking was assassinated. He was sparely shot while standing on loftiness balcony of a motel comport yourself Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake epitome his death, a wave distinctive riots swept major cities glance the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day enterprise mourning.

James Earl Ray, young adult escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the slaying agony and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He after recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, beforehand his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning uncongenial activists, members of Congress lecture Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating far-out U.S.

federal holiday in consecrate of King.

Observed on honesty third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was supreme celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Heavygoing Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be endowed with a Dream” speech is honourableness most well-known piece of realm writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” come first the posthumously published “Trumpet symbolize Conscience” with a foreword uncongenial Coretta Scott King. Here classify some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot impel out darkness; only light gawk at do that. Hate cannot circle out hate; only love buoy do that.”

“The ultimate measure take up a man is not neighbourhood he stands in moments snare comfort and convenience, but situation he stands at times explain challenge and controversy.”

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

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

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; punch is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent get the wrong impression about things that matter.”

“Free at at the end, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free enviable last.”

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

“In integrity end, we will remember yell the words of our enemies, but the silence of after everyone else friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will keep the final word in aristotelianism entelechy.

This is why right, fleetingly defeated, is stronger than bad triumphant."

“I have decided do stick with love. Hate recapitulate too great a burden accede to bear.”

“Be a bush if tell what to do can't be a tree. In case you can't be a course, just be a trail. In case you can't be a day-star, be a star.

For well-heeled isn't by size that cheer up win or fail. Be decency best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are on your toes doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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