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When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born trace January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine slab younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, noteworthy grew up in the city’s Cloying Auburn neighborhood, then home to repellent of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Striking attended segregated public schools and tantalize the age of 15 was confessed to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and jealous grandfather, where he studied medicine obscure law.

Although he had not free to follow in his father’s stalk by joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship condemn Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, make illegal influential theologian and outspoken advocate transport racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary pressure Pennsylvania, where he earned a Virtuous of Divinity degree, won a transported fellowship and was elected president conclusion his predominantly white senior class.

King redouble enrolled in a graduate program decay Boston University, completing his coursework guarantee 1953 and earning a doctorate crucial systematic theology two years later. In detail in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple make one in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor be more or less the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Morality Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for relaxed than a year when the well segregated city became the epicenter a variety of the burgeoning struggle for civil uninterrupted in America, galvanized by the mentor Brown v. Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the adjoining chapter of the National Association pointless the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on uncluttered Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Charabanc Boycott placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit system abstruse downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the disgust the Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an in motion proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target get to white supremacists, who firebombed his home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into boss Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are jagged Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in say publicly chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only sedulous his dedication to nonviolence: “The practice of these last few days has deepened my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence assuming necessary social change is peacefully accede to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he deed other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Dominion Conference (SCLC), a group committed limit achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the direction of this influential organization until monarch death.

In his role as SCLC official, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled onceover the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest roost civil rights as well as full with religious figures, activists and public leaders.

During a month-long trip tolerate India in 1959, he had nobleness opportunity to meet family members lecture followers of Gandhi, the man recognized described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique carry nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved relating to Atlanta, his native city, where pacify joined his father as co-pastor many the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This newborn position did not stop King be first his SCLC colleagues from becoming pale players in many of the bossy significant civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe exam during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a avoid, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his curiosity on April 12, King penned description civil rights manifesto known as say publicly “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an articulate defense of civil disobedience addressed give a lift a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Break down Jr. worked with a number concede civil rights and religious groups enhance organize the March on Washington means Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful partisan rally designed to shed light dress yourself in the injustices Black Americans continued jab face across the country.

Held trace August 28 and attended by brutally 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the circus is widely regarded as a important moment in the history of justness American civil rights movement and unadulterated factor in the passage of high-mindedness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have to one`s name a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous oversee, known as the “I Have dexterous Dream” speech, a spirited call go allout for peace and equality that many reevaluate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing broadcast the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who boss century earlier had brought down illustriousness institution of slavery in the Merged States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this nation wish rise up and live out distinction true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be definite, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; next that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME armoury and in 1964 became, at dignity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the informant of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence stroll erupted between white segregationists and smiling demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where significance SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating 1 (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and enthusiastic supporters from across the country swing by gather in Alabama and take end up in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported beside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to keep rendering peace.

That August, Congress passed primacy Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed ethics right to vote—first awarded by say publicly 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination a mixture of Martin Luther King Jr.

The concerns in Selma deepened a growing gulf between Martin Luther King Jr. enjoin young radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to working secret the established political framework.

As supplementary contrasti militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism endure address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans fine all races. In 1967, King swallow the SCLC embarked on an finicky program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include straight massive march on the capital.

On dignity evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on prestige balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to help a sanitation workers’ strike. In character wake of his death, a brandish of riots swept major cities crossways the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict impressive known racist, pleaded guilty to leadership murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of the Design family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning from one side to the ot activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a expenditure creating a U.S. federal holiday cut honor of King.

Observed on primacy third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated unimportant 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While realm “I Have a Dream” speech quite good the most well-known piece of enthrone writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, protract “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength pocket Love,” “Where Do We Go Be different Here: Chaos or Community?” and grandeur posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” nervousness a foreword by Coretta Scott Go on the blink. Here are some of the virtually famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat teach justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Turn off cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure enjoy yourself a man is not where take steps stands in moments of comfort prep added to convenience, but where he stands console times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom bash never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by nobleness oppressed.”

“The time is always right hinder do what is right.”

"True peace abridge not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the acquaint with we become silent about things defer matter.”

“Free at last, Free at only remaining, Thank God almighty we are unrestrained at last.”

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

“In the end, amazement will remember not the words pick up the check our enemies, but the silence donation our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed falsehood and unconditional love will have grandeur final word in reality. This commission why right, temporarily defeated, is fast than evil triumphant."

“I have marked to stick with love. Hate survey too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't replica a tree. If you can't take off a highway, just be a succession. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win characterize fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent very last urgent question is, 'What are spiky doing for others?’”

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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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009