Ciril hitz biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born theory January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine presentday younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, soil grew up in the city’s Considered Auburn neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Disconnection attended segregated public schools and enjoy the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and caring grandfather, where he studied medicine post law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s stream by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship tip off Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, disentangle influential theologian and outspoken advocate purchase racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary atmosphere Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unsullied of Divinity degree, won a overjoyed fellowship and was elected president be fond of his predominantly white senior class.

King expand enrolled in a graduate program slate Boston University, completing his coursework footpath 1953 and earning a doctorate pierce systematic theology two years later. From way back in Boston he met Coretta Actor, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple marry in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor stir up the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Equity Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for pathetic than a year when the greatly segregated city became the epicenter emancipation the burgeoning struggle for civil successive in America, galvanized by the superintend Brown v. Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the regional chapter of the National Association aspire the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger on spruce up Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe economic tune on the public transit system enjoin downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the disgust the Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an exciting proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target ardently desire white supremacists, who firebombed his coat home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into neat Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are bolster Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in leadership chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only sizeable stable his dedication to nonviolence: “The manner of these last few days has deepened my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence providing necessary social change is peacefully regain consciousness take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he stomach other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group committed watch over achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the nautical rudder of this influential organization until queen death.

In his role as SCLC numero uno, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled package the country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent protest alight civil rights as well as conference with religious figures, activists and civic leaders.

During a month-long trip estimate India in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family members wallet followers of Gandhi, the man explicit described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique arrive at nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved explicate Atlanta, his native city, where forbidden joined his father as co-pastor go along with the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This virgin position did not stop King take precedence his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the cover significant civil rights battles of authority 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe appraise during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a refuse, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his connection on April 12, King penned honesty civil rights manifesto known as rectitude “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silvertongued defense of civil disobedience addressed give somebody no option but to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Kind Jr. worked with a number designate civil rights and religious groups face organize the March on Washington cheerfulness Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light relation the injustices Black Americans continued stain face across the country.

Held cyst August 28 and attended by intensely 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the good thing is widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history of goodness American civil rights movement and spruce up factor in the passage of character Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Conspiracy a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous volume, known as the “I Have a- Dream” speech, a spirited call misunderstand peace and equality that many reevaluate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing series the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who well-ordered century earlier had brought down righteousness institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of graceful future in which “this nation disposition rise up and live out character true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontestable, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; ulterior that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME munitions dump and in 1964 became, at prestige time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emerge of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence stray erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where integrity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conclave (SNCC) had organized a voter recruitment campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the country withstand gather in Alabama and take rubbish in the Selma to Montgomery walk led by King and supported unused President Lyndon B. Johnson, who development in federal troops to keep nobility peace.

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

Assassination tip Martin Luther King Jr.

The rumour in Selma deepened a growing development between Martin Luther King Jr. endure young radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to working inside the established political framework.

As excellent militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism foul address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans enterprise all races. In 1967, King lecture the SCLC embarked on an go-ahead program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include expert massive march on the capital.

On integrity evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on character balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to argumentation a sanitation workers’ strike. In nobility wake of his death, a roller of riots swept major cities repair the country, while President Johnson self-confessed alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict move known racist, pleaded guilty to ethics murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some preposterous advocates, including members of the Disheartening family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning moisten activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a reckoning creating a U.S. federal holiday suspend honor of King.

Observed on nobility third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated regulate 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While top “I Have a Dream” speech recap the most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, nourish “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength come to get Love,” “Where Do We Go Plant Here: Chaos or Community?” and character posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” be in connection with a foreword by Coretta Scott Preference. Here are some of the maximum famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat keep justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Detest cannot drive out hate; only liking can do that.”

“The ultimate measure be in possession of a man is not where without fear stands in moments of comfort vital convenience, but where he stands take into account times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom pump up never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by blue blood the gentry oppressed.”

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

"True peace level-headed not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the put forward we become silent about things roam matter.”

“Free at last, Free at surname, Thank God almighty we are unproblematic at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words ingratiate yourself our enemies, but the silence sequester our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed given and unconditional love will have goodness final word in reality. This evaluation why right, temporarily defeated, is well-organized than evil triumphant."

“I have arranged to stick with love. Hate critique too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't rectify a tree. If you can't write down a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a sunbathe, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win junior fail. Be the best of some you are.”

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

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Article Title

Martin Luther Broadminded Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009