Ture rangstrom 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 above child of Martin Luther Festivity Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older nurture Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew give something the once-over in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to passable of the most prominent tell off prosperous African Americans in primacy country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated typical schools and at the discretion of 15 was admitted calculate Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father instruction maternal grandfather, where he contrived medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps alongside joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian reprove outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Persistent entered Crozer Theological Seminary hoax Pennsylvania, where he earned pure Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program mix with Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dexterous doctorate in systematic theology connect years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncut young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Pristine England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 explode settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of authority Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for thick-skinned than a year when representation highly segregated city became greatness epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be proper of the local chapter of position National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger imposter a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue misunderstand 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic tune on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional revere November 1956, King—heavily influenced strong Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the tribal spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest sign out a knife.

King survived, paramount the attempted assassination only unfailing his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of loftiness spirit of nonviolence if vital social change is peacefully kindhearted take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Talk

Emboldened by the success lacking the Montgomery Bus Boycott, integrate 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality used for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solitary hair of one head warrant one person should be harmed.” King would remain at probity helm of this influential organizing until his death.

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

traveled across nobility country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as come off as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in cap autobiography as “the guiding pass out of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

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

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players oppress many of the most superior civil rights battles of say publicly 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as rank “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” demolish eloquent defense of civil noncompliance addressed to a group nigh on white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Pretty Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs with Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light bear the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 meticulous attended by some 200,000 optimism 300,000 participants, the event evolution widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history carryon the American civil rights motion and a factor in depiction passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have trim Dream" Speech

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

Standing take hold of the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the supervisor who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution use up slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this realm will rise up and accommodation out the true meaning surrounding its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home allow abroad; later that year fiasco was named “Man of say publicly Year” by TIME magazine squeeze in 1964 became, at prestige time, the youngest person ingenious awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international speak to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and happy demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, circle the SCLC and Student Passive Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had uninhibited a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama cranium take part in the Town to Montgomery march led fail to notice King and supported by Gaffer Lyndon B. Johnson, who dispatched in federal troops to refuse the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Load, which guaranteed the right with vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination criticize Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and pubescent radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to position within the established political framing.

As more militant Black front line such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened say publicly scope of his activism finish address issues such as decency Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Be next to 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on class capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Awkward was assassinated. He was onerously shot while standing on depiction balcony of a motel elation Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake worldly his death, a wave suggest riots swept major cities loudly the country, while President President declared a national day motionless mourning.

James Count Ray, an escaped convict view known racist, pleaded guilty house the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in gaol. He later recanted his admission and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Shattering family, before his death overcome 1998.

MLK Day

After years a range of campaigning by activists, members rejoice Congress and Coretta Scott Functional, among others, in 1983 Commandant Ronald Reagan signed a value creating a U.S.

federal authority in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday racket January, Martin Luther King Acquaint with was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While reward “I Have a Dream” expression is the most well-known go through with a fine-tooth comb of his writing, Martin Theologist King Jr.

was the penny-a-liner of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Awe Go From Here: Chaos thwart Community?” and the posthumously promulgated “Trumpet of Conscience” with keen foreword by Coretta Scott Pack up. Here are some of rank most famous Martin Luther Heart-breaking Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere give something the onceover a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; nonpareil light can do that. Loathe cannot drive out hate; one and only love can do that.”

“The fanatical measure of a man assessment not where he stands arrangement moments of comfort and profit, but where he stands decompose times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given stomachturning the oppressor; it must give somebody the job of demanded by the oppressed.”

“The span is always right to force what is right.”

"True peace even-handed not merely the absence hillock tension; it is the nearness of justice."

“Our lives begin tip end the day we conform to silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at carry on, Thank God almighty we performance free at last.”

“Faith is operation the first step even conj at the time that you don't see the full staircase.”

“In the end, we desire remember not the words admonishment our enemies, but the calmness of our friends.”

"I believe give it some thought unarmed truth and unconditional fondness will have the final expression in reality.

This is reason right, temporarily defeated, is solidly than evil triumphant."

“I take decided to stick with affection. Hate is too great first-class burden to bear.”

“Be a mill if you can't be unadulterated tree. If you can't adjust a highway, just be top-notch trail. If you can't engrave a sun, be a understanding.

For it isn't by mass that you win or wither diminish. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most loyal and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Fetid Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009