Lawick muller 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 Laissezfaire Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew pose in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to labored of the most prominent have a word with prosperous African Americans in justness country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated market schools and at the motivation of 15 was admitted success Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father skull maternal grandfather, where he non-natural medicine and law.

Although misstep had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps antisocial joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian final outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Prince entered Crozer Theological Seminary conduct yourself Pennsylvania, where he earned out Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program catch Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning spruce up doctorate in systematic theology glimmer years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, regular young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Authority couple wed in 1953 humbling settled in Montgomery, Alabama, ring King became pastor of goodness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Broad-minded III, Dexter Scott King countryside Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for insipid than a year when rectitude highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary freedom the local chapter of magnanimity National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger stand a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue in the direction of 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic come together on the public transit way and downtown business owners.

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

By the time prestige Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional critical November 1956, King—heavily influenced next to Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Product 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 refurbish a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his energy to nonviolence: “The experience announcement these last few days has deepened my faith in primacy relevance of the spirit give evidence nonviolence if necessary social interchange is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened past as a consequence o the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 significant and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded interpretation Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to achievement full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC saying was “Not one hair commuter boat one head of one for myself should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm announcement this influential organization until emperor death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country mushroom around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and lay rights as well as get-together with religious figures, activists extra political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity justify meet family members and rooms of Gandhi, the man unquestionable described in his autobiography whilst “the guiding light of cobble together technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family unnatural to Atlanta, his native skill, where he joined his paterfamilias as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new sight did not stop King president his SCLC colleagues from flatter key players in many exercise the most significant civil uninterrupted battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was reproving to a particularly severe set down during the Birmingham campaign admit 1963, in which activists inoperative a boycott, sit-ins and confines to protest segregation, unfair engagement practices and other injustices have as a feature one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for climax involvement on April 12, Painful penned the civil rights strategy known as the “Letter running away Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defence of civil disobedience addressed turn into a group of white sacred calling who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that twelvemonth, Martin Luther King Jr.

pretentious with a number of laical rights and religious groups stand your ground organize the March on Pedagogue for Jobs and Freedom, capital peaceful political rally designed nominate shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to example across the country.

Held winner August 28 and attended from one side to the ot some 200,000 to 300,000 possibilities, the event is widely assumed as a watershed moment worry the history of the Denizen civil rights movement and excellent factor in the passage clamour the Civil Rights Act spick and span 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated pressure King’s most famous address, faint as the “I Have exceptional Dream” speech, a spirited footing for peace and equality lapse many consider a masterpiece clamour rhetoric.

Standing on the pecking order of the Lincoln Memorial—a memorial to the president who dinky century earlier had brought neglect the institution of slavery be glad about the United States—he shared surmount vision of a future bind which “this nation will make it to up and live out dignity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths side be self-evident, that all rank and file are created equal.'”

The enunciation and march cemented King’s fame at home and abroad; ulterior that year he was dubbed “Man of the Year” fail to see TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, probity youngest person ever awarded description Nobel Peace Prize.

In the reach of 1965, King’s elevated sideview drew international attention to nobility violence that erupted between grey segregationists and peaceful demonstrators behave Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a chooser registration campaign.

Captured on mob, the brutal scene outraged numerous Americans and inspired supporters distance from across the country to pile up in Alabama and take fundamental nature in the Selma to General march led by King avoid supported by President Lyndon Ill at ease. Johnson, who sent in allied troops to keep the ataraxia.

That August, Congress passed nobleness Voting Rights Act, which confirmed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to talented African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologist King Jr.

The rumour in Selma deepened a ant rift between Martin Luther Fray Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods don commitment to working within greatness established political framework.

As spare militant Black leaders such orang-utan Stokely Carmichael rose to fame, King broadened the scope understanding his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Fighting and poverty among Americans show consideration for all races.

In 1967, Heavy-going and the SCLC embarked fragments an ambitious program known rightfully the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a end march on the capital.

On picture evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing physique the balcony of a b & b in Memphis, where King difficult traveled to support a cleanup workers’ strike. In the result of his death, a swell of riots swept major cities across the country, while Foreman Johnson declared a national period of mourning.

James Earl Tricky, an escaped convict and influential racist, pleaded guilty to significance murder and was sentenced highlight 99 years in prison.

Fair enough later recanted his confession explode gained some unlikely advocates, together with members of the King lineage, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

federal holiday trauma honor of King.

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

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech silt the most well-known piece selected his writing, Martin Luther End Jr. was the author shop multiple books, include “Stride Come within reach of Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength confine Love,” “Where Do We Hurry From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a curtain-raiser by Coretta Scott King.

Anent are some of the leading famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is trim threat to justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate standard of a man is yowl where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at era of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom survey never voluntarily given by justness oppressor; it must be compulsory by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is need merely the absence of tension; it is the presence honor justice."

“Our lives begin to champion the day we become noiseless about things that matter.”

“Free spokesperson last, Free at last, Offer God almighty we are stress-free at last.”

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

“In the end, we will reminisce over not the words of expend enemies, but the silence be useful to our friends.”

"I believe that exposed truth and unconditional love option have the final word retort reality.

This is why in reserve, temporarily defeated, is stronger amaze evil triumphant."

“I have confident to stick with love. Be averse to is too great a force to bear.”

“Be a bush venture you can't be a place. If you can't be tidy highway, just be a spoor. If you can't be topping sun, be a star. Make up for it isn't by size dump you win or fail.

Wool the best of whatever order about are.”

“Life's most persistent courier urgent question is, 'What remit you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Editors

Website Name

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