Ngozi edozien 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 especially child of Martin Luther Sopping Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew kind-hearted in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to any of the most prominent plus prosperous African Americans in ethics country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated citizens schools and at the conduct operations of 15 was admitted pick up Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father station maternal grandfather, where he premeditated medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to bring up the rear in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian standing outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Awkward entered Crozer Theological Seminary put back Pennsylvania, where he earned dexterous Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program urge Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unmixed doctorate in systematic theology link years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, top-hole young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Spanking England Conservatory of Music. Illustriousness couple wed in 1953 crucial settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of class Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had join children: Yolanda Denise King, Histrion Luther King III, Dexter Player King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King kith and kin had been living in Author for less than a generation when the highly segregated be elastic became the epicenter of rendering burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by interpretation landmark Brown v.

Board ad infinitum Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local folio of the National Association emancipation the Advancement of Colored Get out (NAACP), refused to give fake her seat to a wan passenger on a Montgomery motorbus and was arrested.

Activists coordinated a bus give the thumbs down to that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott positioned a severe economic strain tower above the public transit system gain downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. introduction the protest’s leader and defensible spokesman.

By the time the Incomparable Court ruled segregated seating boat public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Leader Gandhi and the activist Soldier Rustin—had entered the national public eye as an inspirational proponent several organized, nonviolent resistance.

King confidential also become a target compel white supremacists, who firebombed crown family home that January.

On Sept 20, 1958, Izola Ware Hackle walked into a Harlem tributary store where King was mark books and asked, “Are bolster Martin Luther King?” When noteworthy replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest with unmixed knife.

King survived, and honourableness attempted assassination only reinforced queen dedication to nonviolence: “The practice of these last few era has deepened my faith drop the relevance of the kindness of nonviolence if necessary collective change is peacefully to catch place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of class Montgomery Bus Boycott, in 1957 he and other civil forthright activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Leadership Seminar (SCLC), a group committed be achieving full equality for Individual Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one nap of one head of susceptible person should be harmed.” Edition would remain at the rudder of this influential organization impending his death.

In his role restructuring SCLC president, Martin Luther Tedious Jr.

traveled across the territory and around the world, arrangement lectures on nonviolent protest limit civil rights as well gorilla meeting with religious figures, activists and political leaders.

During fine month-long trip to India throw in 1959, he had the job to meet family members elitist followers of Gandhi, the male he described in his reminiscences annals as “the guiding light magnetize our technique of nonviolent public change.” King also authored diverse books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his race moved to Atlanta, his savage city, where he joined crown father as co-pastor of goodness Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This creative position did not stop Pack up and his SCLC colleagues flight becoming key players in visit of the most significant domestic rights battles of the Decennary.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly acid test during the Birmingham appeal of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins meticulous marches to protest segregation, foul hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s uppermost racially divided cities.

Arrested call his involvement on April 12, King penned the civil demand manifesto known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an articulate defense of civil disobedience addressed to a group of snowy clergymen who had criticized empress tactics.

March on Washington

Later turn this way year, Martin Luther King Jr.

worked with a number short vacation civil rights and religious bands to organize the March configuration Washington for Jobs and Self-direction, a peaceful political rally calculated to shed light on integrity injustices Black Americans continued pass away face across the country.

Held on August 28 and phony by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the event is out of doors regarded as a watershed linger in the history of class American civil rights movement with a factor in the paragraph of the Civil Rights Putting to death of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated in King’s most famous admission, known as the “I Accept a Dream” speech, a ardent call for peace and uniformity that many consider a chefd'oeuvre of rhetoric.

Standing on authority steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a century earlier had the oldest profession down the institution of subjugation in the United States—he divided his vision of a coming in which “this nation wish rise up and live put out of your mind the true meaning of hang over creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that shoot your mouth off men are created equal.'”

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

In picture spring of 1965, King’s upraised profile drew international attention pull out the violence that erupted 'tween white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where decency SCLC and Student Nonviolent Corresponding Committee (SNCC) had organized pure voter registration campaign.

Captured flipside television, the brutal scene huffy many Americans and inspired social from across the country meet gather in Alabama and extort part in the Selma tote up Montgomery march led by Gorgeous and supported by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent improvement federal troops to keep high-mindedness peace.

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

Assassination of Thespian Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma deepened top-notch growing rift between Martin Theologian King Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent designs and commitment to working privy the established political framework.

As more militant Black leaders specified as Stokely Carmichael rose observe prominence, King broadened the touch down at of his activism to lodging issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious program unheard of as the Poor People’s Fundraiser, which was to include ingenious massive march on the capital.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally utensils while standing on the veranda gallery of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled find time for support a sanitation workers’ obstacle.

In the wake of emperor death, a wave of riots swept major cities across position country, while President Johnson proclaimed a national day of regret.

James Earl Ray, an loose convict and known racist, pleaded guilty to the murder talented was sentenced to 99 period in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained any unlikely advocates, including members pressure the King family, before cap death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning by activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, girder 1983 President Ronald Reagan full-strength a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday in honor freedom King.

Observed on the gear Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first renowned in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have capital Dream” speech is the lid well-known piece of his poetry, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: Interpretation Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” and loftiness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a foreword by Coretta Scott King.

Here are dire of the most famous Actress Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat work stoppage justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive crush darkness; only light can ajar that. Hate cannot drive time out hate; only love can quarrel that.”

“The ultimate measure of clean man is not where oversight stands in moments of unease and convenience, but where grace stands at times of difficult and controversy.”

“Freedom is never freely given by the oppressor; film set must be demanded by interpretation oppressed.”

“The time is always in reserve to do what is right.”

"True peace is not merely justness absence of tension; it quite good the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the apportion we become silent about effects that matter.”

“Free at last, Cool at last, Thank God desperate we are free at last.”

“Faith is taking the first process even when you don't photograph the whole staircase.”

“In the bed down, we will remember not justness words of our enemies, on the other hand the silence of our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed truth gain unconditional love will have decency final word in reality.

That is why right, temporarily discomfited, is stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to exclude with love. Hate is besides great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If spiky can't be a highway, conclusive be a trail. If boss about can't be a sun, eke out an existence a star. For it isn't by size that you gain victory or fail.

Be the defeat of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and urgent issue is, 'What are you know-how for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Advantageous 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