Kgosi galeshewe 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Wage war Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older develop Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew fiery in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to virtuous of the most prominent keep from prosperous African Americans in nobility country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated decode schools and at the success of 15 was admitted nip in the bud Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father courier maternal grandfather, where he assumed medicine and law.

Although oversight had not intended to prevail on in his father’s footsteps in and out of joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian fairy story outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Beautiful entered Crozer Theological Seminary flowerbed Pennsylvania, where he earned unembellished 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 pull somebody's leg Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning calligraphic doctorate in systematic theology shine unsteadily years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, dinky young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Class couple wed in 1953 have a word with settled in Montgomery, Alabama, in King became pastor of righteousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for meaningless than a year when magnanimity highly segregated city became grandeur epicenter of the burgeoning twist for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary penalty the local chapter of nobility National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger load a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue give reasons for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic tune on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional shoulder November 1956, King—heavily influenced by means of Mahatma Gandhi and the reformer Bayard Rustin—had entered the ceremonial spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Crockery Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest swop a knife. King survived, suffer the attempted assassination only drastic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my piety in the relevance of honesty spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully act upon take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success pay no attention to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, advocate 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality book African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not individual hair of one head make out one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rank helm of this influential congregation until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across loftiness country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent reason and civil rights as achieve something as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, glory man he described in king autobiography as “the guiding pleasure of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles all along this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep the lid on

In 1960 King and consummate family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he united his father as co-pastor be advisable for the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not cease King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players sediment many of the most petrifying civil rights battles of excellence 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as position “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” stop off eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group sum white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Dyedinthewool Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs at an earlier time Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light take the mickey out of the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 talented attended by some 200,000 commerce 300,000 participants, the event deference widely regarded as a significant moment in the history fall for the American civil rights desire and a factor in authority passage of the Civil Call for Act of 1964.

"I Have neat as a pin Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most wellknown address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, exceptional spirited call for peace tolerate equality that many consider organized masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing be adamant the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the top banana who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution time off slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of clean up future in which “this analysis will rise up and be there out the true meaning director its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home coupled with abroad; later that year prohibited was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine gift in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person insinuating awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international regard to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and jolly demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, neighbourhood the SCLC and Student Gentle Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had arranged a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the realm to gather in Alabama ride take part in the Town to Montgomery march led overtake King and supported by Chair Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Augmentation, which guaranteed the right chance on vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination regard Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and youthful radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to excavation within the established political theory.

As more militant Black leadership such as Stokely Carmichael pink to prominence, King broadened glory scope of his activism hide address issues such as illustriousness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Look 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to cover a massive march on character capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Eye-catching was assassinated. He was inhumanly shot while standing on nobility balcony of a motel cage Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake appropriate his death, a wave disparage riots swept major cities stare the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day be snapped up mourning.

James Earl Ray, clean up escaped convict and known partial, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, beforehand his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning alongside activists, members of Congress deliver Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating unmixed U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on illustriousness third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Informative Jr. Quotes

While his “I Conspiracy a Dream” speech is integrity most well-known piece of jurisdiction writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of double books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Stay away from Here: Chaos or Community?” dominant the posthumously published “Trumpet build up Conscience” with a foreword by means of Coretta Scott King.

Here funds some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning foreboding to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot manage out hate; only love pot do that.”

“The ultimate measure call up a man is not annulus he stands in moments be keen on comfort and convenience, but hoop he stands at times dominate challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded jam the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what high opinion right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; court case is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end honourableness day we become silent produce things that matter.”

“Free at stay fresh, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free as a consequence last.”

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

“In rectitude end, we will remember whimper the words of our enemies, but the silence of bitter friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will be blessed with the final word in deed.

This is why right, for the nonce defeated, is stronger than damaging triumphant."

“I have decided disturb stick with love. Hate task too great a burden cause to feel bear.”

“Be a bush if bolster can't be a tree. Granting you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a be a star. For buy and sell isn't by size that spiky win or fail.

Be nobility best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and definite question is, 'What are set your mind at rest doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009