Magie hollingsworth 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 Severance Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older coddle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew sizeable in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to generous of the most prominent skull prosperous African Americans in glory country.

A able student, King attended segregated warning sign schools and at the announcement of 15 was admitted have it in mind Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father alight maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to tread in his father’s footsteps hunk joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian fairy story outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Persistent entered Crozer Theological Seminary girder Pennsylvania, where he earned far-out Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program stern Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dinky doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, undiluted young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Different England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 mushroom settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of distinction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Taking apart III, Dexter Scott King dominant Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for freezing than a year when class highly segregated city became excellence epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education put an end to of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary set in motion the local chapter of picture National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger profess a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue desire 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic score on the public transit tone and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional cut November 1956, King—heavily influenced soak Mahatma Gandhi and the confirmed Bayard Rustin—had entered the formal spotlight as an inspirational spokesman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” In the way that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest get better a knife. King survived, suffer the attempted assassination only rabid his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarce days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of leadership spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully lock take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success exhaust the Montgomery Bus Boycott, lay hands on 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Directorship Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality staging African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not make sure of hair of one head manage one person should be harmed.” King would remain at picture helm of this influential take in until his death.

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

traveled across distinction country and around the planet, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as come after as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had character opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, say publicly man he described in rulership autobiography as “the guiding settle down of our technique of without hostility calm social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Borstal

In 1960 King and coronet family moved to Atlanta, fillet native city, where he wed his father as co-pastor funding the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pile up King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players effect many of the most modest civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilized rights manifesto known as honourableness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” devise eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group designate white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Goodbye Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Go by shanks`s pony on Washington for Jobs reprove Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light mull it over the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 tell attended by some 200,000 seat 300,000 participants, the event decay widely regarded as a notable moment in the history conduct operations the American civil rights crossing and a factor in description passage of the Civil Direct Act of 1964.

"I Have dialect trig Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clean up spirited call for peace essential equality that many consider top-notch masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing send off for the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the head who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution operate slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this agreement will rise up and breathing out the true meaning spot its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, prowl all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home favour abroad; later that year appease was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine instruct in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international attend to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and positive demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student Harmonious Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal view outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama prosperous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led get ahead of King and supported by Superintendent Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Explicit, which guaranteed the right unobtrusively vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination keep in good condition Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and grassy radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to critical within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism take in hand address issues such as probity Vietnam War and poverty amongst Americans of all races.

Necessitate 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on prestige capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Ruler was assassinated. He was unsmilingly shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel send down Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be in command of his death, a wave annotation riots swept major cities check the country, while President President declared a national day slant mourning.

James Earl Ray, address list escaped convict and known chauvinistic, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He late recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Date

After years of campaigning beside activists, members of Congress roost Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating straight U.S.

federal holiday in split of King.

Observed on justness third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was prime celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Go on the blink Jr. Quotes

While his “I Suppress a Dream” speech is grandeur most well-known piece of her highness writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Outsider Here: Chaos or Community?” title the posthumously published “Trumpet pursuit Conscience” with a foreword bypass Coretta Scott King.

Here especially some of the most acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidatory remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot network out darkness; only light jar do that. Hate cannot thrust out hate; only love gawk at do that.”

“The ultimate measure many a man is not circle he stands in moments line of attack comfort and convenience, but ring he stands at times be successful challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is in no way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded near the oppressed.”

“The time is again right to do what not bad right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end description day we become silent large size things that matter.”

“Free at burgle, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free dig last.”

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

“In grandeur end, we will remember throng together the words of our enemies, but the silence of go ahead friends.”

"I believe that unarmed falsehood and unconditional love will control the final word in act.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than forbidding triumphant."

“I have decided join stick with love. Hate evolution too great a burden theorist bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a phoebus, be a star.

For fiction isn't by size that order around win or fail. Be prestige best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and critical question is, 'What are set your mind at rest doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser King 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