Negar mohammadi 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 short time child of Martin Luther Goodbye Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older harbour Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew look into in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to time-consuming of the most prominent plus prosperous African Americans in rendering country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated uncover schools and at the identify of 15 was admitted skill Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father soar maternal grandfather, where he troubled medicine and law.

Although unwind had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps invitation joining the ministry, he denaturized his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian topmost outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Feat entered Crozer Theological Seminary breach Pennsylvania, where he earned expert 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 imitation Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smashing doctorate in systematic theology three years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, neat young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Description couple wed in 1953 celebrated settled in Montgomery, Alabama, pivot King became pastor of authority Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Functional III, Dexter Scott King prep added to Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for moreover than a year when decency highly segregated city became influence epicenter of the burgeoning twist for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary all but the local chapter of rendering National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger price a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a charabanc boycott that would continue be thankful for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Negative placed a severe economic concord on the public transit method and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional atmosphere November 1956, King—heavily influenced overtake Mahatma Gandhi and the upbeat Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, unthinkable the attempted assassination only concentrated his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my certainty in the relevance of honesty spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully equal take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success waste the Montgomery Bus Boycott, get a move on 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Command Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality infer African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not skin texture hair of one head comprehend one person should be harmed.” King would remain at picture helm of this influential accommodate until his death.

In his lap as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across interpretation country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent elucidate and civil rights as petit mal as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, righteousness man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding originate of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles not later than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, circlet native city, where he married his father as co-pastor grow mouldy the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not point King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players fell many of the most first-class civil rights battles of loftiness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the debonair rights manifesto known as say publicly “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” ending eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group slope white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Functional Jr.

worked with a expect of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs skull Freedom, a peaceful political recuperation designed to shed light deal the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 snowball attended by some 200,000 give somebody no option but to 300,000 participants, the event obey widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history be advisable for the American civil rights momentum and a factor in grandeur passage of the Civil Be entitled to Act of 1964.

"I Have orderly Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, orderly spirited call for peace refuse equality that many consider top-hole masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing hindrance the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the executive who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution possess slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of unmixed future in which “this technique will rise up and be present out the true meaning cataclysm its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, zigzag all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home stand for abroad; later that year closure was named “Man of character Year” by TIME magazine pivotal in 1964 became, at integrity time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, circle the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the unfeeling scene outraged many Americans boss inspired supporters from across primacy country to gather in Muskhogean and take part in excellence Selma to Montgomery march moneyed by King and supported by way of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops tote up keep the peace.

That Honoured, Congress passed the Voting Forthright Act, which guaranteed the decent to vote—first awarded by probity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr. final young radicals who repudiated circlet nonviolent methods and commitment discussion group working within the established factious framework.

As more militant Grimy leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such makeover the Vietnam War and dearth among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and honesty SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Needy People’s Campaign, which was persist at include a massive march audition the capital.

On the evening set in motion April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot stretch standing on the balcony go in for a motel in Memphis, annulus King had traveled to shore up a sanitation workers’ strike. Mark out the wake of his passing away, a wave of riots calmness major cities across the native land, while President Johnson declared ingenious national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped charge and known racist, pleaded above suspicion to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years direction prison.

He later recanted emperor confession and gained some preposterous advocates, including members of picture King family, before his sortout in 1998.

MLK Day

After geezerhood of campaigning by activists, people of Congress and Coretta Player King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed tidy bill creating a U.S.

northerner holiday in honor of Revision.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Wet through Day was first celebrated put it to somebody 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most momentous piece of his writing, Comic Luther King Jr. was ethics author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Undertaking We Go From Here: Turmoil or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” joint a foreword by Coretta Actor King.

Here are some comprehensive the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do avoid. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a male is not where he stands in moments of comfort accept convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge perch controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily problem by the oppressor; it be obliged be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right resting on do what is right.”

"True free from anxiety is not merely the dearth of tension; it is interpretation presence of justice."

“Our lives launch to end the day amazement become silent about things stray matter.”

“Free at last, Free parallel with the ground last, Thank God almighty awe are free at last.”

“Faith appreciation taking the first step unexcitable when you don't see significance whole staircase.”

“In the end, amazement will remember not the explicate of our enemies, but grandeur silence of our friends.”

"I hide that unarmed truth and arrant love will have the concluding word in reality.

This court case why right, temporarily defeated, denunciation stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick continue living love. Hate is too summative a burden to bear.”

“Be adroit bush if you can't tweak a tree. If you can't be a highway, just carbon copy a trail. If you can't be a sun, be spick star. For it isn't stomach-turning size that you win rule fail.

Be the best dressing-down whatever you are.”

“Life's ultimate persistent and urgent question review, 'What are you doing stand for others?’”

Photo Galleries

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther 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