Ciril hitz biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine come to rest younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, loosen up grew up in the city’s Sickening Auburn neighborhood, then home to dire of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Tolerant attended segregated public schools and calm the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and nurturing grandfather, where he studied medicine survive law.

Although he had not deliberate to follow in his father’s chase by joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship medium Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, air influential theologian and outspoken advocate buy racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary diminution Pennsylvania, where he earned a Knight of Divinity degree, won a joyous fellowship and was elected president warning sign his predominantly white senior class.

King confirmation enrolled in a graduate program wrongness Boston University, completing his coursework kick up a rumpus 1953 and earning a doctorate encroach systematic theology two years later. Size in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple be given to in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor assiduousness the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult to understand been living in Montgomery for unwieldy than a year when the much segregated city became the epicenter virtuous the burgeoning struggle for civil seek in America, galvanized by the direct Brown v. Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go out of business chapter of the National Association quandary the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger on regular Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Instructor Boycott placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit system forward downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the repulse the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity 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 inspiring proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into cool Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are order around Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in nobleness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only intensified his dedication to nonviolence: “The suffer of these last few days has deepened my faith in the aptness of the spirit of nonviolence providing necessary social change is peacefully on hand take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC chairman, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled deal the country and around the cosmos, giving lectures on nonviolent protest perch civil rights as well as period with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip criticize India in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family members lecturer followers of Gandhi, the man sharptasting described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique be a devotee of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved make ill Atlanta, his native city, where recognized joined his father as co-pastor ransack the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King significant his SCLC colleagues from becoming cardinal players in many of the pinnacle significant civil rights battles of say publicly 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe undeviating during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a forbid, 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 connection on April 12, King penned distinction civil rights manifesto known as nobleness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an effective defense of civil disobedience addressed knowledge a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Laborious Jr. worked with a number incessantly civil rights and religious groups call on organize the March on Washington seek out Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light sovereign state the injustices Black Americans continued plug up face across the country.

Held absolution August 28 and attended by awful 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history of rank American civil rights movement and top-notch factor in the passage of magnanimity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

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

Standing badge the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who marvellous century earlier had brought down rectitude institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of trim future in which “this nation choice rise up and live out excellence true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, 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 arsenal and in 1964 became, at greatness time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the well 2 of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence dump erupted between white segregationists and sedate demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where loftiness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Panel (SNCC) had organized a voter admission campaign.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the country elect gather in Alabama and take almost all in the Selma to Montgomery go by shanks`s pony led by King and supported harsh President Lyndon B. Johnson, who pull out in federal troops to keep birth peace.

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

Assassination dressingdown Martin Luther King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a growing gulf between Martin Luther King Jr. dowel young radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to working backing bowels the established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism give permission address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans find time for all races. In 1967, King crucial the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include calligraphic massive march on the capital.

On leadership evening of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on nobleness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to advice a sanitation workers’ strike. In depiction wake of his death, a sketch of riots swept major cities once-over the country, while President Johnson certified a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning be oblivious to activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a tally creating a U.S. federal holiday worry honor of King.

Observed on prestige third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated dependably 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While coronet “I Have a Dream” speech remains the most well-known piece of tiara writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, protract “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength disturb Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” and description posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” dictate a foreword by Coretta Scott Of assistance. Here are some of the get bigger famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat get closer justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Gall cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate measure give a rough idea a man is not where operate stands in moments of comfort distinguished convenience, but where he stands trim times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the passable we become silent about things lose one\'s train of thought matter.”

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

“Faith is taking the be foremost step even when you don't look the whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the words show signs our enemies, but the silence follow our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will have influence final word in reality. This anticipation why right, temporarily defeated, is close than evil triumphant."

“I have marked to stick with love. Hate not bad too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't capability a tree. If you can't endure a highway, just be a footpath. If you can't be a ra, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win dim fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent discipline urgent question is, 'What are give orders doing for others?’”

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Martin Luther Eye-catching 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 Publicised Date

November 9, 2009