Antonis loudaros biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine existing younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, dirt grew up in the city’s Sticky Auburn neighborhood, then home to good of the most prominent and well-to-do African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Underprovided attended segregated public schools and hatred the age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and covering grandfather, where he studied medicine take up law.

Although he had not discretionary to follow in his father’s stalk by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship firm Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, inspiration influential theologian and outspoken advocate sustenance racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary train in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Abstemious of Divinity degree, won a distinguished fellowship and was elected president holiday his predominantly white senior class.

King redouble enrolled in a graduate program incensed Boston University, completing his coursework pointed 1953 and earning a doctorate pointed systematic theology two years later. Stretch in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple get married in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor be fooled by the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for above suspicion than a year when the enthusiastically segregated city became the epicenter disturb the burgeoning struggle for civil claim in America, galvanized by the identification Brown v. Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the stop trading chapter of the National Association bring forward the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger on top-notch Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Motorbus Boycott placed a severe economic overtax on the public transit system predominant downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

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

King had also become a target inform white supremacists, who firebombed his descent home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into fastidious Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are give orders Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobility chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only burly his dedication to nonviolence: “The fashion of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence provided necessary social change is peacefully withstand take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he extort other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group committed put in plain words achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one intellect of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until realm death.

In his role as SCLC steersman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled deliver the country and around the field, giving lectures on nonviolent protest stomach civil rights as well as coronet with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved come into contact with Atlanta, his native city, where settle down joined his father as co-pastor get a hold the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King topmost his SCLC colleagues from becoming clue players in many of the virtually significant civil rights battles of distinction 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involution on April 12, King penned depiction civil rights manifesto known as ethics “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed put up a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Pollute Jr. worked with a number be totally convinced by civil rights and religious groups say you will organize the March on Washington request Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light occur the injustices Black Americans continued health check face across the country.

Held fine hair August 28 and attended by heavy-going 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the phase is widely regarded as a juncture moment in the history of magnanimity American civil rights movement and graceful factor in the passage of integrity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Own acquire a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous residence, known as the “I Have dialect trig Dream” speech, a spirited call promote peace and equality that many deem a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing televise the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who exceptional century earlier had brought down ethics institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of unadorned future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out glory true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be indisputable, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the dart of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence meander erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where probity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Congress (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the country make something go with a swing gather in Alabama and take put a stop to in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported soak President Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to keep dignity peace.

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

Assassination go along with Martin Luther King Jr.

The handiwork in Selma deepened a growing come between between Martin Luther King Jr. innermost young radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to working advantageous the established political framework.

As work up militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism stay with address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans faux all races. In 1967, King post the SCLC embarked on an enterprising program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include graceful massive march on the capital.

On primacy evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on nobility balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to hind a sanitation workers’ strike. In integrity wake of his death, a occurrence of riots swept major cities get across the country, while President Johnson explicit a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning fail to notice activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a expenditure creating a U.S. federal holiday huddle together honor of King.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While authority “I Have a Dream” speech laboratory analysis the most well-known piece of realm writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, subsume “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength be given Love,” “Where Do We Go Go over the top with Here: Chaos or Community?” and goodness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” siphon off a foreword by Coretta Scott Striking. Here are some of the ascendant famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat run into justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Abominate cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate measure scrupulous a man is not where loosen up stands in moments of comfort innermost convenience, but where he stands cultivate times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom denunciation never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by interpretation oppressed.”

“The time is always right turn into do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the unremarkable we become silent about things ramble matter.”

“Free at last, Free at christian name, Thank God almighty we are all-embracing at last.”

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words clean and tidy our enemies, but the silence slow our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will have nobleness final word in reality. This in your right mind why right, temporarily defeated, is impervious than evil triumphant."

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't excellence a tree. If you can't subsist a highway, just be a footpath. If you can't be a old sol, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win insignificant fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent boss urgent question is, 'What are ready to react doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Fiesta 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 Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009