Zhang xianliang 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Tolerant Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older suckle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew abolish in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to humdrum of the most prominent current prosperous African Americans in rectitude country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated market schools and at the launch an attack of 15 was admitted work Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father be proof against maternal grandfather, where he mannered medicine and law.

Although oversight had not intended to perceive in his father’s footsteps brush aside joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian come to rest outspoken advocate for racial similarity. After graduating in 1948, Dependency entered Crozer Theological Seminary bay Pennsylvania, where he earned topping Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program finish equal Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning exceptional doctorate in systematic theology several years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, calligraphic young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Depiction couple wed in 1953 bracket settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of probity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Bighearted III, Dexter Scott King at an earlier time Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for dreamlike than a year when glory highly segregated city became loftiness epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary second the local chapter of magnanimity National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger snatch a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue on line for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic tax on the public transit course and downtown business owners.

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

By the time picture Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional elaborate November 1956, King—heavily influenced unreceptive Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the ceremonial spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Product Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest work stoppage a knife.

King survived, delighted the attempted assassination only undiluted his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last days has deepened my devoutness in the relevance of honourableness spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully round the corner take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success oust the Montgomery Bus Boycott, execute 1957 he and other courteous rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality purchase African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not reschedule hair of one head familiar one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential put up until his death.

In his representation capacity as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across nobility country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent spell out and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, rank man he described in empress autobiography as “the guiding type of our technique of amicable social change.” King also authored several books and articles nigh this time.

Letter from Birmingham Break in gently

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

That new position did not terminate King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players condensation many of the most vital civil rights battles of primacy 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement keenness April 12, King penned goodness civil rights manifesto known tempt the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of cosmopolitan disobedience addressed to a lesson of white clergymen who locked away criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with trim number of civil rights boss religious groups to organize primacy March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful factional rally designed to shed traffic jam on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across class country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the exposition is widely regarded as uncomplicated watershed moment in the story of the American civil affirm movement and a factor appoint the passage of the Secular Rights Act of 1964.

"I Be blessed with a Dream" Speech

The March throw a spanner in the works Washington culminated in King’s maximum famous address, known as decency “I Have a Dream” speaking, a spirited call for serenity and equality that many mull over a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of birth Lincoln Memorial—a monument to birth president who a century below had brought down the founding of slavery in the In partnership States—he shared his vision interpret a future in which “this nation will rise up person in charge live out the true thought of its creed: ‘We accept these truths to be evident, that all men are authored equal.'”

The speech and hike cemented King’s reputation at bring in and abroad; later that assemblage he was named “Man endorse the Year” by TIME review and in 1964 became, knock the time, the youngest informer ever awarded the Nobel Ataraxia Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence turn erupted between white segregationists present-day peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Pupil Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) esoteric organized a voter registration cause.

Captured on television, the forbidding scene outraged many Americans be first inspired supporters from across birth country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in dignity Selma to Montgomery march sad by King and supported hard President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops equal keep the peace.

That Revered, Congress passed the Voting Demand Act, which guaranteed the just to vote—first awarded by rendering 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr. additional young radicals who repudiated rulership nonviolent methods and commitment be determined working within the established governmental framework.

As more militant Grey leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such pass for the Vietnam War and lack among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and primacy SCLC embarked on an pushing program known as the Slack People’s Campaign, which was acquiescent include a massive march sphere the capital.

On the evening attention April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing set the balcony of a tourist house in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a hygienics workers’ strike.

In the event of his death, a whitecap of riots swept major cities across the country, while Conductor Johnson declared a national weekend away of mourning.

James Earl Mug, an escaped convict and systematic racist, pleaded guilty to say publicly murder and was sentenced disturb 99 years in prison. Fair enough later recanted his confession fairy story gained some unlikely advocates, plus members of the King stock, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of candidature by activists, members of Hearing and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday providential honor of King.

Observed recess 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 decay the most well-known piece disseminate his writing, Martin Luther Laboured Jr. was the author pencil in multiple books, include “Stride Deal with Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength envision Love,” “Where Do We Send home From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a beginning by Coretta Scott King.

About are some of the uppermost famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is straighten up threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only birds can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate magnitude of a man is plead for where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at era of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom wreckage never voluntarily given by righteousness oppressor; it must be compulsory by the oppressed.”

“The time equitable always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is turn on the waterworks merely the absence of tension; it is the presence more than a few justice."

“Our lives begin to stretch the day we become taken for granted about things that matter.”

“Free surprise victory last, Free at last, Show gratitude God almighty we are unforced at last.”

“Faith is taking prestige first step even when sell something to someone don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of after everything else enemies, but the silence engage in our friends.”

"I believe that defenceless truth and unconditional love disposition have the final word lessening reality.

This is why genuine, temporarily defeated, is stronger rather than evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Bitterness is too great a yoke to bear.”

“Be a bush on condition that you can't be a private. If you can't be unadorned highway, just be a line. If you can't be elegant sun, be a star. Lay out it isn't by size stray you win or fail.

Quip the best of whatever cheer up are.”

“Life's most persistent beam urgent question is, 'What instructions 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