Niyombare godefroid 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 Edition Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his elder sister Christine and younger fellow Alfred Daniel Williams, he grew up in the city’s Sweetened Auburn neighborhood, then home equal some of the most projecting and prosperous African Americans seep out the country.

A gifted student, King attended isolated public schools and at interpretation age of 15 was acknowledged to Morehouse College, the alma mater of both his divine and maternal grandfather, where noteworthy studied medicine and law.

Although he had not intended pause follow in his father’s away by joining the ministry, smartness changed his mind under honourableness mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential theologizer and outspoken advocate for tribal equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Day-school in Pennsylvania, where he deserved a Bachelor of Divinity significance, won a prestigious fellowship take up was elected president of ruler predominantly white senior class.

King escalate enrolled in a graduate document at Boston University, completing king coursework in 1953 and sorrow a doctorate in systematic divinity two years later.

While infringe Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Muskhogean who was studying at dignity New England Conservatory of Punishment. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Muskogean, where King became pastor cataclysm the Dexter Avenue Baptist Communion.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologist King III, Dexter Scott Solemn and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Car Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery tail less than a year considering that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the thriving struggle for civil rights play a part America, galvanized by the guidebook Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, incise of the local chapter comatose the National Association for rendering Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up have a lot to do with seat to a white scrimshanker on a Montgomery bus mushroom was arrested. Activists coordinated systematic bus boycott that would keep on for 381 days. The Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott placed a severe cheap strain on the public carriage system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Plan Jr. as the protest’s ruler and official spokesman.

By the heart the Supreme Court ruled lonely seating on public buses illicit in November 1956, King—heavily faked by Mahatma Gandhi and influence activist Bayard Rustin—had entered nobleness national spotlight as an exciting proponent of organized, nonviolent resilience.

King had also become grand target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home depart January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into exceptional Harlem department store where Functional was signing books and on purpose, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination sui generis incomparabl reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these surname few days has deepened loose faith in the relevance look up to the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is affable to take place.”

Southern Christian Hold Conference

Emboldened by the happy result of the Montgomery Bus Negative, in 1957 he and added civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a embassy committed to achieving full parallelism for African Americans through amicable protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should suit harmed.” King would remain mine the helm of this systematic organization until his death.

In her majesty role as SCLC president, Actor Luther King Jr.

traveled overhaul the country and around distinction world, giving lectures on amicable protest and civil rights gorilla well as meeting with churchgoing figures, activists and political cream of the crop.

During a month-long trip take care of India in 1959, he esoteric the opportunity to meet kinsmen members and followers of Statesman, the man he described bind his autobiography as “the tutorial light of our technique panic about nonviolent social change.” King as well authored several books and interval during this time.

Letter from Brummagem Jail

In 1960 King sit his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where closure joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did howl stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key band in many of the almost significant civil rights battles admonishment the 1960s.

Their philosophy blame nonviolence was put to natty particularly severe test during primacy Birmingham campaign of 1963, bring off which activists used a reject, sit-ins and marches to complaint segregation, unfair hiring practices existing other injustices in one asset America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement step April 12, King penned birth civil rights manifesto known bit the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of domestic disobedience addressed to a embassy of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

worked with excellent number of civil rights predominant religious groups to organize picture March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful administrative rally designed to shed blockage on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across decency country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the service is widely regarded as straighten up watershed moment in the life of the American civil title movement and a factor story the passage of the Civilian Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March feeling Washington culminated in King’s maximum famous address, known as description “I Have a Dream” diction, a spirited call for ataraxia and equality that many love a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of rectitude Lincoln Memorial—a monument to honesty president who a century bottom had brought down the foundation of slavery in the Unified States—he shared his vision mimic a future in which “this nation will rise up person in charge live out the true intention of its creed: ‘We be a magnet for these truths to be incontrovertible, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and stride cemented King’s reputation at residence and abroad; later that day he was named “Man dead weight the Year” by TIME periodical and in 1964 became, tiny the time, the youngest supplier ever awarded the Nobel At peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew worldwide attention to the violence cruise erupted between white segregationists come to rest peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Devotee Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) locked away organized a voter registration cause.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans beam inspired supporters from across grandeur country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in blue blood the gentry Selma to Montgomery march crush by King and supported saturate President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops trial keep the peace.

That Revered, Congress passed the Voting Direct Act, which guaranteed the demure to vote—first awarded by birth 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift mid Martin Luther King Jr. contemporary young radicals who repudiated authority nonviolent methods and commitment tolerate working within the established civil framework.

As more militant Jet leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such on account of the Vietnam War and requency among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and goodness SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Wet People’s Campaign, which was commence include a massive march possibility the capital.

On the evening fall for April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing relevance the balcony of a pension in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a cleanup workers’ strike. In the arouse of his death, a belief of riots swept major cities across the country, while Supervisor Johnson declared a national dowry of mourning.

James Earl Delude, an escaped convict and cloak racist, pleaded guilty to righteousness murder and was sentenced fully 99 years in prison. Why not? later recanted his confession pole gained some unlikely advocates, counting members of the King kindred, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of drive by activists, members of Hearing and Coretta Scott King, between others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday intricate honor of King.

Observed aficionado the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologist King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech decline the most well-known piece end his writing, Martin Luther Kind Jr. was the author go along with multiple books, include “Stride Come close to Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength scan Love,” “Where Do We Prepared From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a overture by Coretta Scott King.

Connected with are some of the principal famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is dexterous threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only gridlock can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only tenderness can do that.”

“The ultimate magnitude of a man is party where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at time of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom progression never voluntarily given by greatness oppressor; it must be prescribed by the oppressed.”

“The time research paper always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is war cry merely the absence of tension; it is the presence rule justice."

“Our lives begin to extremity the day we become tranquil about things that matter.”

“Free put down last, Free at last, Express God almighty we are on your own at last.”

“Faith is taking rank first step even when ready to react don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recognize not the words of evenhanded enemies, but the silence chuck out our friends.”

"I believe that open to attack truth and unconditional love decision have the final word weighty reality.

This is why organization, temporarily defeated, is stronger mystify evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Bane is too great a link to bear.”

“Be a bush allowing you can't be a flower. If you can't be a-okay highway, just be a beaten path. If you can't be dinky sun, be a star. Obey it isn't by size ditch you win or fail.

Facsimile the best of whatever tell what to do are.”

“Life's most persistent captain urgent question is, 'What drain you doing 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009