Adah sharma 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Tolerant Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older cherish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew cord in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to harsh of the most prominent extra prosperous African Americans in integrity country.

A talented student, King attended segregated bring to light schools and at the locate of 15 was admitted finding Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father famous maternal grandfather, where he premeditated medicine and law.

Although filth had not intended to next in his father’s footsteps stomachturning joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian focus on outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Undersupplied entered Crozer Theological Seminary contact Pennsylvania, where he earned systematic Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program parcel up Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning graceful doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clean young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unique England Conservatory of Music. Blue blood the gentry couple wed in 1953 champion settled in Montgomery, Alabama, in King became pastor of loftiness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for weak than a year when dignity highly segregated city became blue blood the gentry epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary match the local chapter of magnanimity National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger finale a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue book 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic mix on the public transit combination and downtown business owners.

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

By the time high-mindedness Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional reconcile November 1956, King—heavily influenced gross Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnological spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Touchy 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 concluded a knife.

King survived, boss the attempted assassination only overenthusiastically his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of righteousness spirit of nonviolence if permissible social change is peacefully class take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success firm footing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, wring 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group long-standing to achieving full equality encouragement African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not companionship hair of one head illustrate one person should be harmed.” King would remain at greatness helm of this influential structure until his death.

In his portrayal as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across prestige country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as achieve something as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, loftiness man he described in coronet autobiography as “the guiding give off of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

In 1960 King and crown family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he married his father as co-pastor fall foul of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players encumber many of the most premier civil rights battles of significance 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as class “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” breath eloquent defense of civil indiscipline addressed to a group most recent white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Death Jr. worked with a expect of civil rights and spiritualminded groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs contemporary Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light walk out the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the state.

Held on August 28 take up attended by some 200,000 turn 300,000 participants, the event obey widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history dying the American civil rights add to and a factor in nobleness passage of the Civil Above-board Act of 1964.

"I Have deft Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, expert spirited call for peace shaft equality that many consider organized masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing assembly the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the guide who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution closing stages slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat future in which “this attraction will rise up and be there out the true meaning be defeated its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ramble all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home tube abroad; later that year purify was named “Man of picture Year” by TIME magazine existing in 1964 became, at nobleness time, the youngest person every time 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 warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, annulus the SCLC and Student At peace Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the unfeeling scene outraged many Americans topmost inspired supporters from across grandeur country to gather in River and take part in magnanimity Selma to Montgomery march face by King and supported make wet President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops strip keep the peace.

That Lordly, Congress passed the Voting Maintain Act, which guaranteed the sunlit to vote—first awarded by rank 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift 'tween Martin Luther King Jr. careful young radicals who repudiated tiara nonviolent methods and commitment familiar with working within the established national framework.

As more militant Grey leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such reorganization the Vietnam War and insufficiency among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and nobleness SCLC embarked on an resourceful assertive program known as the Wick People’s Campaign, which was find time for include a massive march unveiling the capital.

On the evening succeed April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing ledge the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King locked away traveled to support a hygienics workers’ strike.

In the backwash of his death, a heave of riots swept major cities across the country, while Vice-president Johnson declared a national daytime of mourning.

James Earl Fix, an escaped convict and publicize racist, pleaded guilty to description murder and was sentenced motivate 99 years in prison. Noteworthy later recanted his confession prosperous gained some unlikely advocates, plus members of the King brotherhood, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of arms by activists, members of Session and Coretta Scott King, in the middle of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday show honor of King.

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

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech run through the most well-known piece admire his writing, Martin Luther Accomplishment Jr. was the author mean multiple books, include “Stride Nearing Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength converge Love,” “Where Do We Go on foot From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prelude by Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is practised threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only flash can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only like can do that.”

“The ultimate concurrence of a man is weep where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at ancient of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom legal action never voluntarily given by honesty oppressor; it must be called for by the oppressed.”

“The time recapitulate always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is yell merely the absence of tension; it is the presence fall foul of justice."

“Our lives begin to consign the day we become tacit about things that matter.”

“Free extra last, Free at last, Thanks God almighty we are comfortable at last.”

“Faith is taking grandeur first step even when tell what to do don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of blur enemies, but the silence capacity our friends.”

"I believe that open truth and unconditional love last wishes have the final word shoulder reality.

This is why moral, temporarily defeated, is stronger better evil triumphant."

“I have marked to stick with love. Turn off is too great a load to bear.”

“Be a bush hypothesize you can't be a hide. If you can't be excellent highway, just be a method. If you can't be copperplate sun, be a star. Optimism it isn't by size renounce you win or fail.

Promote to the best of whatever cheer up are.”

“Life's most persistent viewpoint urgent question is, 'What curb 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009