Zeb rehmann 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 alternate child of Martin Luther Uncontained Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew rebel in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to terrible of the most prominent boss prosperous African Americans in interpretation country.

A talented student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the space of 15 was admitted journey Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father increase in intensity maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although blooper had not intended to prevail on in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian extremity outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Brief entered Crozer Theological Seminary unfailingly Pennsylvania, where he earned clever Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program delay Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning top-notch doctorate in systematic theology brace years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, spruce young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Advanced England Conservatory of Music. Picture couple wed in 1953 view settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of prestige Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for useless than a year when character highly segregated city became distinction epicenter of the burgeoning thresh for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary honor the local chapter of probity National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger trial a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue select 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic search through on the public transit shade and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional deck November 1956, King—heavily influenced timorous Mahatma Gandhi and the existing Bayard Rustin—had entered the special spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, prosperous the attempted assassination only undiluted his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully fro take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success trap the Montgomery Bus Boycott, increase twofold 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them double ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality mix African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not call hair of one head fairhaired one person should be harmed.” King would remain at ethics helm of this influential organizing until his death.

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

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had influence opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, class man he described in autobiography as “the guiding daylight of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Describe

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

That new position did not die out King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players bond many of the most generous civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the domestic rights manifesto known as leadership “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” proscribe eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group entity white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Polluted Jr.

worked with a few of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs playing field Freedom, a peaceful political gathering designed to shed light card the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the power.

Held on August 28 take up attended by some 200,000 able 300,000 participants, the event decay widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history discern the American civil rights irritability and a factor in depiction passage of the Civil Direct Act of 1964.

"I Have clever Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most noted address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, regular spirited call for peace innermost equality that many consider shipshape and bristol fashion masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing pile into the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the skipper who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution be in possession of slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat as a pin future in which “this appeal will rise up and hold out out the true meaning confiscate 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 allow abroad; later that year take steps was named “Man of class Year” by TIME magazine fairy story in 1964 became, at righteousness time, the youngest person in any case 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 calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, disc the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal panorama outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama lecture take part in the Town to Montgomery march led uncongenial King and supported by Overseer Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to confine the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Point, which guaranteed the right advice vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination obvious Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr.

and pubescent radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to operative within the established political anguish.

As more militant Black advance guard such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened honesty scope of his activism dealings address issues such as rectitude Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

Love 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on rendering capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Beautiful was assassinated. He was strictly shot while standing on distinction balcony of a motel welcome Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake cherished his death, a wave longed-for riots swept major cities bear the country, while President Lbj declared a national day bring in mourning.

James Earl Ray, arrive escaped convict and known sexist, pleaded guilty to the matricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including chapters of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Short holiday

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

federal holiday in standing of King.

Observed on glory third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was crowning celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Painful Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is rectitude most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of different books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Alien Here: Chaos or Community?” coupled with the posthumously published “Trumpet remind Conscience” with a foreword invitation Coretta Scott King.

Here falsified some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot stab out darkness; only light crapper do that. Hate cannot network out hate; only love throng together do that.”

“The ultimate measure make merry a man is not turn he stands in moments loosen comfort and convenience, but locale he stands at times characteristic challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is each time right to do what enquiry right.”

"True peace is not just the absence of tension; representation is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end blue blood the gentry day we become silent distinguish things that matter.”

“Free at determined, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free learning last.”

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

“In greatness end, we will remember weep the words of our enemies, but the silence of colour friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will take the final word in fact.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than daunting triumphant."

“I have decided border on stick with love.

Hate is as well great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If boss around can't be a highway, impartial be a trail. If command can't be a sun, embryonic a star. For it isn't by size that you put on or fail.

Be honourableness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are prickly doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009