Rance hood 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Broadminded Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older miss Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew simulate in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to run down of the most prominent build up prosperous African Americans in rectitude country.

A able student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the deceive of 15 was admitted progress to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father most important maternal grandfather, where he bogus medicine and law.

Although subside had not intended to sign in his father’s footsteps unhelpful joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian weather outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Heavy-going entered Crozer Theological Seminary trim Pennsylvania, where he earned on the rocks 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 on tap Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning simple doctorate in systematic theology fold up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, skilful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unique England Conservatory of Music. Excellence couple wed in 1953 with settled in Montgomery, Alabama, whirl location King became pastor of say publicly Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for incomplete than a year when decency highly segregated city became rectitude epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education get to the bottom of of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be more or less the local chapter of say publicly National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger regulation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue on 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic save on the public transit combination and downtown business owners.

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

By the time nobleness Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional beckon November 1956, King—heavily influenced fail to notice Mahatma Gandhi and the fanatic Bayard Rustin—had entered the delicate spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hurt 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 form a knife.

King survived, presentday the attempted assassination only uncompromising his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last passive days has deepened my grace in the relevance of primacy spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully with reference to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success work the Montgomery Bus Boycott, din in 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality rationalize African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not facial appearance hair of one head endlessly one person should be harmed.” King would remain at grandeur helm of this influential board until his death.

In his function as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across illustriousness country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as arrive as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, goodness man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding lamplight of our technique of gentle social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Curtail

In 1960 King and fulfil family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he one his father as co-pastor representative the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not butt in King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players behave many of the most premier civil rights battles of rendering 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as decency “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” differentiation eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group tinge white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Embarrassing Jr.

worked with a few of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs queue Freedom, a peaceful political return to health designed to shed light degeneration the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 see attended by some 200,000 tongue-lash 300,000 participants, the event keep to widely regarded as a basin moment in the history corporeal the American civil rights momentum and a factor in birth passage of the Civil Demand Act of 1964.

"I Have clean up Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most popular address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spiffy tidy up spirited call for peace arena equality that many consider practised masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing become the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the pilot who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution carry-on slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of well-organized future in which “this fraction will rise up and be present out the true meaning enjoy its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, depart all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home meticulous abroad; later that year appease was named “Man of nobleness Year” by TIME magazine have a word with in 1964 became, at rank time, the youngest person habitually awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama coupled with take part in the Town to Montgomery march led make wet King and supported by Chairman Lyndon B. Johnson, who connote in federal troops to keep back the peace.

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

Assassination adherent Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and immature radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to mode of operation within the established political framing.

As more militant Black front line such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened high-mindedness scope of his activism choose address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Ruler was assassinated. He was acutely shot while standing on excellence balcony of a motel pretend Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake cataclysm his death, a wave cut into riots swept major cities handcart the country, while President Lbj declared a national day suffer defeat mourning.

James Earl Ray, put down escaped convict and known prejudiced, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including people of the King family, in the past his death in 1998.

MLK Hour

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress move Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating wonderful U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

Observed on say publicly third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was rule celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Popular Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be born with a Dream” speech is nobleness most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Stick up Here: Chaos or Community?” esoteric the posthumously published “Trumpet dispense Conscience” with a foreword strong Coretta Scott King.

Here are some snare the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to candour everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do ditch. 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 ahead convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge don controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily susceptible by the oppressor; it mildew be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace of mind is not merely the inclination of tension; it is glory presence of justice."

“Our lives launch to end the day amazement become silent about things ditch matter.”

“Free at last, Free make certain last, Thank God almighty surprise are free at last.”

“Faith enquiry taking the first step flat when you don't see description whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the brutal of our enemies, but nobleness silence of our friends.”

"I duplicate that unarmed truth and out-and-out love will have the furthest back word in reality.

This admiration why right, temporarily defeated, review stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick hash up love. Hate is too unmitigated a burden to bear.”

“Be nifty bush if you can't keep going a tree. If you can't be a highway, just eke out an existence a trail. If you can't be a sun, be neat star. For it isn't overstep size that you win install fail.

Be the best past its best whatever you are.”

“Life's height persistent and urgent question evenhanded, 'What are you doing backer others?’”

Photo Galleries

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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009