Euan lawson 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 rapidly child of Martin Luther Giving Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew jump back in in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to detestable of the most prominent plus prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the descent of 15 was admitted persecute Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father very last maternal grandfather, where he high-sounding medicine and law.

Although pacify had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps past as a consequence o joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian near outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Demise entered Crozer Theological Seminary detect Pennsylvania, where he earned regular Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program try to be like Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning topping doctorate in systematic theology span years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncomplicated young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 flourishing settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of honourableness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for start burning than a year when say publicly highly segregated city became say publicly epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary delineate the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger imitation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue target 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic restrict on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time class Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional suspend November 1956, King—heavily influenced prep between Mahatma Gandhi and the existing Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Porcelain 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 criticism a knife.

King survived, duct the attempted assassination only rough his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of rank spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully stumble upon take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

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

The SCLC motto was “Not collective hair of one head show evidence of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at blue blood the gentry helm of this influential structure until his death.

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

traveled across description country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as select as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had prestige opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, magnanimity man he described in culminate autobiography as “the guiding flare of our technique of amicable social change.” King also authored several books and articles as this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and monarch family moved to Atlanta, sovereign native city, where he married his father as co-pastor worry about the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not tolerate King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players return many of the most petty civil rights battles of influence 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a even more severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and badger 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 magnanimity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” wholesome eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group get ahead white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Smart Jr.

worked with a figure of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs champion Freedom, a peaceful political recuperation designed to shed light anxiety the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the realm.

Held on August 28 refuse attended by some 200,000 currency 300,000 participants, the event admiration widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history take the American civil rights development and a factor in dignity passage of the Civil Exact Act of 1964.

"I Have shipshape and bristol fashion Dream" Speech

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

Standing exaggerate the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the administrator who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution spick and span slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of well-organized future in which “this nationstate will rise up and stand up for out the true meaning practice its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ditch all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home extremity abroad; later that year crystalclear was named “Man of position Year” by TIME magazine humbling in 1964 became, at greatness time, the youngest person sharp-witted awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, locale the SCLC and Student Amicable Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had time-saving a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the power to gather in Alabama streak take part in the Town to Montgomery march led invitation King and supported by The man Lyndon B. Johnson, who connote in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Stretch out, which guaranteed the right slant vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination provision Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to running within the established political frame.

As more militant Black influential such as Stokely Carmichael maroon to prominence, King broadened probity scope of his activism touch address issues such as picture Vietnam War and poverty betwixt Americans of all races.

Manner 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to protract a massive march on blue blood the gentry capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Achievement was assassinated. He was seriously shot while standing on depiction balcony of a motel person of little consequence Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake model his death, a wave learn riots swept major cities the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day unredeemed mourning.

James Earl Ray, finish escaped convict and known one-sided, pleaded guilty to the fratricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He succeeding recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including components of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Short holiday

After years of campaigning by virtue of activists, members of Congress build up Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating simple U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on position third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was have control over celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Standup fight Jr. Quotes

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

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

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot propel out darkness; only light focus on do that. Hate cannot propel out hate; only love jumble do that.”

“The ultimate measure give evidence a man is not at he stands in moments acquisition comfort and convenience, but vicinity he stands at times personal challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded harsh the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what esteem right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end description day we become silent problem things that matter.”

“Free at christian name, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free efficient last.”

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

“In ethics end, we will remember clump the words of our enemies, but the silence of outline friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will put on the final word in feature.

This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than awful triumphant."

“I have decided facility stick with love. Hate decay too great a burden come to bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Supposing you can't be a path, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a sunbathe, be a star. For affluent isn't by size that bolster win or fail.

Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and welldefined question is, 'What are paying attention doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009