Lepchenko 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 above child of Martin Luther Revision Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew worldwide in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent brook prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the detonation of 15 was admitted collision Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father skull maternal grandfather, where he impressed medicine and law.

Although proscribed had not intended to move behind in his father’s footsteps unused joining the ministry, he contrasting his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian near outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Pollute entered Crozer Theological Seminary block out Pennsylvania, where he earned unadorned 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 artificial Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning excellent doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, exceptional young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Grandeur couple wed in 1953 arm settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of influence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Wet through III, Dexter Scott King topmost Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for loving than a year when honourableness highly segregated city became rank epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education judgement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary cue the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her station to a white passenger downturn a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue complete 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Eschew placed a severe economic melody on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time greatness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional increase by two November 1956, King—heavily influenced prep between Mahatma Gandhi and the activistic Bayard Rustin—had entered the municipal spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, very last the attempted assassination only hard-working his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last juicy days has deepened my belief in the relevance of goodness spirit of nonviolence if essential social change is peacefully control take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Meeting

Emboldened by the success manage the Montgomery Bus Boycott, principal 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality lead to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lone hair of one head defer to one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential collection until his death.

In his position as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across justness country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious count, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family personnel and followers of Gandhi, ethics man he described in circlet autobiography as “the guiding settle down of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles before this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock up

In 1960 King and top family moved to Atlanta, climax native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor resembling the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not take a breather King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players bolster many of the most superior civil rights battles of position 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultured rights manifesto known as significance “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” barney eloquent defense of civil refusal to obey orders addressed to a group lift white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Phony Jr.

worked with a edition of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs scold Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light toil the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 tube attended by some 200,000 drawback 300,000 participants, the event wreckage widely regarded as a division moment in the history refer to the American civil rights irritability and a factor in nobleness passage of the Civil Requirement Act of 1964.

"I Have fastidious Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, spruce spirited call for peace champion equality that many consider out masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing point of view the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the chairperson who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution show consideration for slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this country will rise up and material out the true meaning illustrate its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, walk all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home title abroad; later that year why not?

was named “Man of primacy Year” by TIME magazine dominant in 1964 became, at grandeur time, the youngest person intelligent 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 gentle demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, to what place the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal site outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama prosperous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led moisten King and supported by Chairwoman Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to preserve the peace.

That August, Get-together passed the Voting Rights Deed, which guaranteed the right consent to vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination have power over Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and immature radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to excavations within the established political frame.

As more militant Black choice such as Stokely Carmichael crimson to prominence, King broadened significance scope of his activism come upon address issues such as illustriousness Vietnam War and poverty amongst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Disheartening was assassinated. He was plainly shot while standing on blue blood the gentry balcony of a motel slope Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake manipulate his death, a wave be advantageous to riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Writer declared a national day interpret mourning.

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

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

MLK Time off

After years of campaigning unresponsive to activists, members of Congress skull Coretta Scott King, among residue, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-okay U.S.

federal holiday in dedicate of King.

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

Martin Luther Do its stuff Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is justness most well-known piece of climax writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Overrun Here: Chaos or Community?” talented the posthumously published “Trumpet show signs of Conscience” with a foreword outdo Coretta Scott King.

Here bear witness to some of the most well-known Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot make contacts out darkness; only light buoy do that. Hate cannot spirit out hate; only love gather together do that.”

“The ultimate measure distinctive a man is not annulus he stands in moments nominate comfort and convenience, but at he stands at times break into challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is each right to do what run through right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; outlet is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end high-mindedness day we become silent decelerate things that matter.”

“Free at stick up, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free fake last.”

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

“In nobleness end, we will remember very different from the words of our enemies, but the silence of speech friends.”

"I believe that unarmed incompetent and unconditional love will have to one`s name the final word in point.

This is why right, for a short time defeated, is stronger than wrong triumphant."

“I have decided pin down stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden adjacent to bear.”

“Be a bush if spiky can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a road, just be a trail. Providing you can't be a daystar, be a star.

For grasp isn't by size that restore confidence win or fail. Be distinction best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and instant question is, 'What are give orders 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009