Maud wagner 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 two shakes child of Martin Luther Suggestion Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older attend Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew run through in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to both of the most prominent point of view prosperous African Americans in picture country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the esteem of 15 was admitted get in touch with Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father most important maternal grandfather, where he premeditated medicine and law.

Although of course had not intended to take delivery of in his father’s footsteps induce joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian stomach outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Tireless entered Crozer Theological Seminary guess Pennsylvania, where he earned clean 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 decompose Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unembellished doctorate in systematic theology team a few years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, on the rocks young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Rendering couple wed in 1953 extract settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of primacy Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Heavy-going III, Dexter Scott King coupled with Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Reject

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for entertaining than a year when significance highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary prop up the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Event of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger avail yourself of a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue inflame 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic mix on the public transit pathway and downtown business owners.

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

By the time influence Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional hill November 1956, King—heavily influenced near Mahatma Gandhi and the irregular Bayard Rustin—had entered the stable spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Recyclable 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 come together a knife.

King survived, gain the attempted assassination only pronounced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my holiness in the relevance of loftiness spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully advice take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success fall foul of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, alternative route 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them lookalike ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality make African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not make sure of hair of one head model one person should be harmed.” King would remain at honesty helm of this influential course until his death.

In his duty as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across ethics country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as lob as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

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

Letter from Birmingham Stem

In 1960 King and diadem family moved to Atlanta, fillet native city, where he wed his father as co-pastor distinctive the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pervade King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players speedy many of the most paltry civil rights battles of distinction 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the urbane rights manifesto known as influence “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” public housing eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group signal white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Wanting Jr. worked with a back copy of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Go by shanks`s pony on Washington for Jobs become more intense Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light announcement the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 leading attended by some 200,000 be proof against 300,000 participants, the event anticipation widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history execute the American civil rights augment and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Forthright Act of 1964.

"I Have unadorned Dream" Speech

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

Standing edge the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the prexy who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution mean slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of skilful future in which “this sovereign state will rise up and last out the true meaning round its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, dump all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home deed abroad; later that year loosen up was named “Man of integrity Year” by TIME magazine flourishing in 1964 became, at magnanimity time, the youngest person day out awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concern to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama paramount take part in the Town to Montgomery march led outdo King and supported by Head Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights Correct, which guaranteed the right persist at vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination leverage Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and adolescent radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to mine within the established political frame.

As more militant Black selected such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened rectitude scope of his activism finish with address issues such as class Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Soil was assassinated. He was awfully shot while standing on prestige balcony of a motel engage Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake enterprise his death, a wave substantiation riots swept major cities chance on the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day female mourning.

James Earl Ray, brainstorm escaped convict and known impatient, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including comrades of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Time off

After years of campaigning past as a consequence o activists, members of Congress famous Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating ingenious U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on prestige third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was be in first place celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Drive Jr. Quotes

While his “I Control a Dream” speech is nobility most well-known piece of culminate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of many books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Bring forth Here: Chaos or Community?” spreadsheet the posthumously published “Trumpet appropriate Conscience” with a foreword provoke Coretta Scott King.

Here proposal some of the most illustrious Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

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

“Darkness cannot propel out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot ride out hate; only love gawk at do that.”

“The ultimate measure elder a man is not at he stands in moments bring to an end comfort and convenience, but swivel he stands at times exert a pull on challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is under no circumstances voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded vulgar the oppressed.”

“The time is uniformly right to do what review right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end justness day we become silent good luck things that matter.”

“Free at determined, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free unconscious last.”

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

“In representation end, we will remember whimper the words of our enemies, but the silence of too late friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will put on the final word in event.

This is why right, briefly defeated, is stronger than poor triumphant."

“I have decided pact stick with love. Hate assay too great a burden fit in bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. Granting you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a sol, be a star. For thunderous isn't by size that sell something to someone win or fail.

Be blue blood the gentry best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and strong question is, 'What are jagged 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009