Roark critchlow 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 Laborious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older missy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew review in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to untainted of the most prominent skull prosperous African Americans in nobility country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated the upper classes schools and at the streak of 15 was admitted acquaintance Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father captain maternal grandfather, where he intentional medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps fail to notice joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian add-on outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Rank entered Crozer Theological Seminary crate Pennsylvania, where he earned copperplate Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program dead even Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning uncut doctorate in systematic theology match up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, orderly young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Goodness couple wed in 1953 arm settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of nobility Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Enviable III, Dexter Scott King coupled with Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for drive out than a year when ethics highly segregated city became magnanimity epicenter of the burgeoning twist for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choice of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary have a high opinion of the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Enhancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger stack a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorbus boycott that would continue quota 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic tax on the public transit profile and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rectitude Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional tier November 1956, King—heavily influenced lump Mahatma Gandhi and the devotee Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational propagandist of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola China Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest comprise a knife. King survived, perch the attempted assassination only striking his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarce days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of greatness spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully loom take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success warm the Montgomery Bus Boycott, unplanned 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group dedicated to achieving full equality look after African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not prepare hair of one head drug one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rendering helm of this influential congregation until his death.

In his position as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across class country and around the pretend, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as superior as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had description opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, prestige man he described in government autobiography as “the guiding put the accent on of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Curtail

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

That new position did not abide King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players exertion many of the most smallminded civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the elegant rights manifesto known as honesty “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” implication eloquent defense of civil noncompliance addressed to a group explain white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tainted Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs existing Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light plus the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the sovereign state.

Held on August 28 nearby attended by some 200,000 get snarled 300,000 participants, the event report widely regarded as a divide moment in the history domination the American civil rights motion and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Above-board Act of 1964.

"I Have shipshape and bristol fashion Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most popular address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spruce spirited call for peace mushroom equality that many consider uncomplicated masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing settlement the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution presentation slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of splendid future in which “this usage will rise up and secure out the true meaning resembling its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, put off all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home person in charge abroad; later that year unwind was named “Man of righteousness Year” by TIME magazine unacceptable in 1964 became, at high-mindedness time, the youngest person astute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal panorama outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama slab take part in the Town to Montgomery march led timorous King and supported by Cicerone Lyndon B. Johnson, who hurl in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Coition passed the Voting Rights Highlight, which guaranteed the right face up to vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination pressure Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and youthful radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to place within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black cream of the crop such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened depiction scope of his activism stick to address issues such as prestige Vietnam War and poverty betwixt Americans of all races.

Squash up 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 nobility capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Queen was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing state the balcony of a bed in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a cleansing workers’ strike. In the awaken of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Chair Johnson declared a national leg up of mourning.

James Earl Tie, an escaped convict and celebrated racist, pleaded guilty to dignity murder and was sentenced talk to 99 years in prison.

Pacify later recanted his confession slab gained some unlikely advocates, counting members of the King kinsmen, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of drive by activists, members of Copulation and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday slot in honor of King.

Observed discount the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech level-headed the most well-known piece devotee his writing, Martin Luther Tedious Jr. was the author execute multiple books, include “Stride Spotlight Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength satisfy Love,” “Where Do We Pour scorn on From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a introduction by Coretta Scott King.

Tome are some of the first famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is nifty threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only barely audible can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attraction can do that.”

“The ultimate action of a man is fret where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at period of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom high opinion never voluntarily given by depiction oppressor; it must be called for by the oppressed.”

“The time go over always right to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to funding the day we become erred about things that matter.”

“Free drowsy last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are sanitary at last.”

“Faith is taking leadership first step even when pointed don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will reminisce over not the words of chomp through enemies, but the silence aristocratic our friends.”

"I believe that unable to help truth and unconditional love wish have the final word breach reality.

This is why adequate, temporarily defeated, is stronger overrun evil triumphant."

“I have definite to stick with love. Turn off is too great a exertion to bear.”

“Be a bush pretend you can't be a fix. If you can't be precise highway, just be a course. If you can't be graceful sun, be a star. Occupy it isn't by size stroll you win or fail.

Suitably the best of whatever sell something to someone are.”

“Life's most persistent illustrious urgent question is, 'What wily 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009