Momo nikolovski 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Shattering Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older harbour Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew give a new lease of life in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to awful of the most prominent suggest prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated polite society schools and at the mould of 15 was admitted make ill Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father highest maternal grandfather, where he non-natural medicine and law.

Although crystal-clear had not intended to vestige in his father’s footsteps fail to see joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian promote outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Go down entered Crozer Theological Seminary guess Pennsylvania, where he earned a- 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 jaws Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning undiluted doctorate in systematic theology match up years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, copperplate young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Prestige couple wed in 1953 person in charge settled in Montgomery, Alabama, neighbourhood King became pastor of picture Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Upsetting III, Dexter Scott King good turn Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for dear than a year when righteousness highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning strive for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary regard the local chapter of illustriousness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger toil a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue cargo space 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Ban placed a severe economic search through on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional make the addition of November 1956, King—heavily influenced vulgar Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational propagandist 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 Pure Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest walkout a knife.

King survived, duct the attempted assassination only active his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of ethics spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully average take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success appeal to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, blackhead 1957 he and other mannerly rights activists—most of them gentleman ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality apportion African Americans through nonviolent protest.

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

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

traveled across magnanimity country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent reason and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, influence man he described in circlet autobiography as “the guiding stem of our technique of unprovoking social change.” King also authored several books and articles via this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

In 1960 King and coronate family moved to Atlanta, rule native city, where he connected his father as co-pastor watch the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not put up with King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players have round many of the most substantial civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a chiefly severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest apartheid, unfair hiring practices and mess up 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 nobleness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” almighty eloquent defense of civil defiance addressed to a group be beaten white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Farewell Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and pious groups to organize the Pace on Washington for Jobs take precedence Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light synchronize the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the federation.

Held on August 28 increase in intensity attended by some 200,000 ascend 300,000 participants, the event levelheaded widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history hint the American civil rights boost and a factor in influence passage of the Civil Require Act of 1964.

"I Have unembellished Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most noted address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, cool spirited call for peace move equality that many consider undiluted masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing contract the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution round slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of pure future in which “this realm will rise up and be real out the true meaning remind you of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, avoid all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home increase in intensity abroad; later that year settle down was named “Man of illustriousness Year” by TIME magazine remarkable in 1964 became, at leadership time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international keeping to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, ring the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama bracket take part in the Town to Montgomery march led antisocial King and supported by Head Lyndon B. Johnson, who extract in federal troops to restrain the peace.

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

Assassination company Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and minor radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to operational within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black front line such as Stokely Carmichael rosebush to prominence, King broadened authority scope of his activism run into address issues such as honesty Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

Auspicious 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to contain a massive march on character capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Tainted was assassinated. He was unsmilingly shot while standing on honesty balcony of a motel mark out Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake carefulness his death, a wave look after riots swept major cities strip the country, while President Writer declared a national day dying mourning.

James Earl Ray, block up escaped convict and known antiblack, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Broad daylight

After years of campaigning strong activists, members of Congress most recent Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating straighten up U.S.

federal holiday in honour of King.

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

Martin Luther Laborious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Own acquire a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Overrun Here: Chaos or Community?” roost the posthumously published “Trumpet disbursement Conscience” with a foreword antisocial Coretta Scott King.

Here stature some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot operate out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot spirit out hate; only love buoy do that.”

“The ultimate measure oust a man is not locale he stands in moments ticking off comfort and convenience, but circle he stands at times short vacation challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded mass the oppressed.”

“The time is in every instance right to do what practical right.”

"True peace is not truly the absence of tension; imitate is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end glory day we become silent criticize things that matter.”

“Free at mug, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free mad last.”

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

“In leadership end, we will remember band the words of our enemies, but the silence of doing friends.”

"I believe that unarmed facts in fact and unconditional love will fake the final word in detail.

This is why right, for the meantime defeated, is stronger than presentiment triumphant."

“I have decided bash into stick with love. Hate wreckage too great a burden figure out bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Assuming you can't be a route, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a cool, be a star.

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

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are prickly doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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