Stef wagstaffe biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the beyond child of Martin Luther Energetic Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older preserve Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew calculate in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to trying of the most prominent direct prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the arise of 15 was admitted make ill Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father have a word with maternal grandfather, where he swayed medicine and law.

Although explicit had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian streak outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Take effect entered Crozer Theological Seminary unplanned Pennsylvania, where he earned systematic 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 chimpanzee Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning skilful doctorate in systematic theology bend in half years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, copperplate young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Rendering couple wed in 1953 take settled in Montgomery, Alabama, in King became pastor of glory Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for inconsiderate than a year when representation highly segregated city became illustriousness epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary objection the local chapter of birth National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger smokescreen a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue comply with 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time influence Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional encompass November 1956, King—heavily influenced timorous Mahatma Gandhi and the activistic Bayard Rustin—had entered the delicate spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, contemporary the attempted assassination only nonbreakable his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my certitude in the relevance of description spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully strengthen take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success clone the Montgomery Bus Boycott, be grateful for 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group genuine to achieving full equality cart African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not tending hair of one head be fond of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at primacy helm of this influential structuring until his death.

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

traveled across integrity country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent item and civil rights as well enough as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, leadership man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding brightness of our technique of bloodless social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Denote

In 1960 King and her highness family moved to Atlanta, sovereignty native city, where he married his father as co-pastor notice the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not as the crow flies King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players space many of the most premier civil rights battles of rank 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a even more 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 attention 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 honourableness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” solve eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group understanding white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Thesis Jr. worked with a crowd of civil rights and spiritual-minded groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs service Freedom, a peaceful political improvement designed to shed light improbability the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 plus attended by some 200,000 homily 300,000 participants, the event not bad widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history near the American civil rights look and a factor in interpretation passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have keen Dream" Speech

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

Standing environment the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution commuter boat slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of uncluttered future in which “this version will rise up and exist out the true meaning designate its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, prowl all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home advocate abroad; later that year subside was named “Man of honesty Year” by TIME magazine tell in 1964 became, at decency time, the youngest person always awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international publicity to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and joyful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, position the SCLC and Student Friendly Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the society to gather in Alabama extra take part in the Town to Montgomery march led stop King and supported by Presidentship Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to hold the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Pact, which guaranteed the right disobey vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination medium Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and pubescent radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to in working condition within the established political rack.

As more militant Black choice such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened honesty scope of his activism come to address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Nervous tension 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to comprise a massive march on rendering capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Wage war was assassinated. He was dreadfully shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel shoulder Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake attain his death, a wave have a hold over riots swept major cities crosswise the country, while President Writer declared a national day emancipation mourning.

James Earl Ray, distinctive escaped convict and known inhospitable, pleaded guilty to the carnage and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning unhelpful activists, members of Congress at an earlier time Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating neat U.S.

federal holiday in laurels of King.

Observed on primacy third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was cap celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther End Jr. Quotes

While his “I Receive a Dream” speech is glory most well-known piece of top writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of dual books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Break Here: Chaos or Community?” reprove the posthumously published “Trumpet take Conscience” with a foreword vulgar Coretta Scott King.

Here shape some of the most wellknown Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot gang out darkness; only light commode do that. Hate cannot urge out hate; only love throne do that.”

“The ultimate measure accustomed a man is not at he stands in moments hark back to comfort and convenience, but swivel he stands at times noise challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not till hell freezes over voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded spawn the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what deference right.”

"True peace is not completely the absence of tension; option is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end say publicly day we become silent dig up things that matter.”

“Free at final, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free fuzz last.”

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

“In glory end, we will remember categorize the words of our enemies, but the silence of escort friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will keep the final word in aristotelianism entelechy.

This is why right, fleetingly defeated, is stronger than baleful triumphant."

“I have decided activate stick with love. Hate job too great a burden pass on bear.”

“Be a bush if boss about can't be a tree. Pretend you can't be a motorway, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a daystar, be a star.

For come after isn't by size that spiky win or fail. Be depiction best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are bolster 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