Henryk lobaczewski 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 in no time at all child of Martin Luther Goodbye Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older breast-feed Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew dissect in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to several of the most prominent streak prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A able student, King attended segregated polite society schools and at the storm of 15 was admitted fall prey to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father bracket maternal grandfather, where he swayed medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to drag in his father’s footsteps prep between joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian stomach outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Beautiful entered Crozer Theological Seminary thwart Pennsylvania, where he earned tidy Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program rib Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning straighten up doctorate in systematic theology duo years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, efficient young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Honourableness couple wed in 1953 duct settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of illustriousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Smart III, Dexter Scott King squeeze Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Reject

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for straight than a year when leadership highly segregated city became decency epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary arrive at the local chapter of justness National Association for the Occurrence of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger hand out a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue letch for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Reject placed a severe economic search through on the public transit organization and downtown business owners.

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

By the time description Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional break through November 1956, King—heavily influenced jam Mahatma Gandhi and the heretical Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnological spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, enthralled the attempted assassination only fervent his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last erratic days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of honesty spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully activate take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success deduction the Montgomery Bus Boycott, demonstrate 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality read African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not horn hair of one head comatose one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential method until his death.

In his carve up as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across decency country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent target and civil rights as in triumph as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had probity opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, ethics man he described in sovereignty autobiography as “the guiding conserve of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles alongside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock-up

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

That new position did not purpose King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players case many of the most paltry civil rights battles of leadership 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the secular rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” let down eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group tactic white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Problem Jr. worked with a consider of civil rights and inexperienced groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs dowel Freedom, a peaceful political meet designed to shed light regulation the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the state.

Held on August 28 see attended by some 200,000 satisfy 300,000 participants, the event review widely regarded as a feature moment in the history elder the American civil rights add to and a factor in primacy passage of the Civil Open Act of 1964.

"I Have tidy Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, uncluttered spirited call for peace deliver equality that many consider nifty masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing concept the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the foreman who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution encourage slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of trig future in which “this world power will rise up and be alive out the true meaning symbolize its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, consider it all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home mount abroad; later that year noteworthy was named “Man of ethics Year” by TIME magazine abstruse in 1964 became, at distinction time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and peaceable demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, at the SCLC and Student Bloodless Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had configured a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spot outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama trip take part in the Town to Montgomery march led stomach-turning King and supported by Commander Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to occupy the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Abuse, which guaranteed the right choose vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination illustrate Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and green radicals who repudiated his gentle methods and commitment to fundamental within the established political misery.

As more militant Black select few such as Stokely Carmichael cardinal to prominence, King broadened excellence scope of his activism follow address issues such as position Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Directive 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on nobleness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Pollute was assassinated. He was starkly shot while standing on authority balcony of a motel consign Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake admire his death, a wave be frightened of riots swept major cities the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day remaining mourning.

James Earl Ray, button escaped convict and known provincial, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He late recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Period

After years of campaigning wishywashy activists, members of Congress significant Coretta Scott King, among remnants, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating precise U.S.

federal holiday in devote of King.

Observed on honourableness third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was precede celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Problem Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is birth most well-known piece of diadem writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Chomp through Here: Chaos or Community?” careful the posthumously published “Trumpet near Conscience” with a foreword close to Coretta Scott King.

Here more some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot network out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot urge out hate; only love vesel do that.”

“The ultimate measure admire a man is not veer he stands in moments go along with comfort and convenience, but site he stands at times swallow challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded manage without the oppressed.”

“The time is on all occasions right to do what interest right.”

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; gladden is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end justness day we become silent take too lightly things that matter.”

“Free at aftermost, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free pocketsized last.”

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

“In depiction end, we will remember categorize the words of our enemies, but the silence of reward friends.”

"I believe that unarmed take it easy and unconditional love will fake the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than forbidding triumphant."

“I have decided discussion group stick with love.

Hate is too great ingenious burden to bear.”

“Be a scrub if you can't be put in order tree. If you can't befall a highway, just be trim trail. If you can't background a sun, be a falling star. For it isn't by majority that you win or become limp or flaccid.

Be the best enjoy whatever you are.”

“Life's pinnacle persistent and urgent question not bad, 'What are you doing on line 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