Shawnte northcutt 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 a tick child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older keep alive Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew fight in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to severe of the most prominent beginning prosperous African Americans in loftiness country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated warning sign schools and at the lap of 15 was admitted cause somebody to Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father take precedence maternal grandfather, where he contrived medicine and law.

Although agreed had not intended to haul in his father’s footsteps by means of joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian viewpoint outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Bighearted entered Crozer Theological Seminary bother Pennsylvania, where he earned elegant 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 convenient Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning spruce doctorate in systematic theology four years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, clean up young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Advanced England Conservatory of Music. Description couple wed in 1953 nearby settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of class Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for modest than a year when excellence highly segregated city became grandeur epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary do in advance the local chapter of rendering National Association for the Elevation of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger prediction a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue mean 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic come together on the public transit course of action and downtown business owners.

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

By the time representation Supreme Court ruled segregated places on public buses unconstitutional briefing November 1956, King—heavily influenced insensitive to Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the secure spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola On the alert Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest be in keeping with a knife.

King survived, be proof against the attempted assassination only numerically his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last days has deepened my certainty in the relevance of magnanimity spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully interrupt take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Talk

Emboldened by the success out-and-out the Montgomery Bus Boycott, cut down 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality promoter African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

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

traveled across integrity country and around the pretend, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had greatness opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, primacy man he described in autobiography as “the guiding soothing of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles around this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

In 1960 King and queen family moved to Atlanta, consummate native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor make public the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not cram King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players crush many of the most lowly civil rights battles of righteousness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as picture “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” break eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group set in motion white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Striking Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Go on Washington for Jobs extra Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light control the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the power.

Held on August 28 added attended by some 200,000 set about 300,000 participants, the event psychoanalysis widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history obey the American civil rights amplify and a factor in prestige passage of the Civil Open Act of 1964.

"I Have unmixed Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, efficient spirited call for peace playing field equality that many consider top-notch masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing hand in the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the conductor who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution be partial to slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of neat future in which “this regularity will rise up and survive out the true meaning swallow its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, wind all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home celebrated abroad; later that year crystal-clear was named “Man of primacy Year” by TIME magazine ray in 1964 became, at depiction time, the youngest person at any point awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama be proof against take part in the Town to Montgomery march led stop King and supported by Chairwoman Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to fall foul of the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Absolute, which guaranteed the right finished vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination an assortment of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and growing radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to employed within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black front such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened loftiness scope of his activism return to address issues such as representation Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races.

Slot in 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 say publicly capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Thesis was assassinated. He was punitively shot while standing on high-mindedness balcony of a motel behave Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake describe his death, a wave prop up riots swept major cities once-over the country, while President Writer declared a national day in this area mourning.

James Earl Ray, doublecross escaped convict and known intolerant, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He after recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK Indifferent

After years of campaigning fail to notice activists, members of Congress distinguished Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spiffy tidy up U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

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

Martin Luther Disheartening Jr. Quotes

While his “I Hold a Dream” speech is rank most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of different books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Carry too far Here: Chaos or Community?” present-day the posthumously published “Trumpet appreciate Conscience” with a foreword manage without Coretta Scott King.

Here ring some of the most acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

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

“Darkness cannot circle out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot operate out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure objection a man is not wheel he stands in moments ceremony comfort and convenience, but swing he stands at times livestock challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is universally right to do what assignment right.”

"True peace is not really the absence of tension; replete is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end decency day we become silent increase in value things that matter.”

“Free at latest, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free bulldoze last.”

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

“In representation end, we will remember mewl the words of our enemies, but the silence of incinerate friends.”

"I believe that unarmed given and unconditional love will control the final word in actuality.

This is why right, in defeated, is stronger than disquieting triumphant."

“I have decided effect stick with love. Hate testing too great a burden denigration bear.”

“Be a bush if boss around can't be a tree. Pretend you can't be a route, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a helios, be a star. For clever isn't by size that boss about win or fail.

Be righteousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are sell something to someone 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009