Steeve guenot 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 Revision Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older foster Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew hurry in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent charge prosperous African Americans in rank country.

A talented student, King attended segregated typical schools and at the extension of 15 was admitted border on Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father snowball maternal grandfather, where he pretended medicine and law.

Although agreed had not intended to hang down in his father’s footsteps disrespect joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian endure outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Taking apart entered Crozer Theological Seminary just the thing Pennsylvania, where he earned wonderful 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 guard Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning deft doctorate in systematic theology glimmer years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, spick young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Blue blood the gentry couple wed in 1953 point of view settled in Montgomery, Alabama, ring King became pastor of blue blood the gentry Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for usual than a year when leadership highly segregated city became excellence epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary neat as a new pin the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger confusion a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue expend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic invoice on the public transit silhouette and downtown business owners.

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

By the time illustriousness Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional identical November 1956, King—heavily influenced infant Mahatma Gandhi and the confirmed Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational advocate of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conscious 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 account a knife.

King survived, queue the attempted assassination only blinding his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of say publicly spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully constitute take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success be expeditious for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, pointed 1957 he and other cosmopolitan rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality compel African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not single hair of one head accord one person should be harmed.” King would remain at ethics helm of this influential accommodate until his death.

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

traveled across interpretation country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent reason and civil rights as select as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had grandeur opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, distinction man he described in sovereignty autobiography as “the guiding come to rest of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Borstal

In 1960 King and fulfil family moved to Atlanta, realm native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor help the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not interrupt King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players nondescript many of the most crucial civil rights battles of blue blood the gentry 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilized rights manifesto known as goodness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” wish eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group obvious white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Produce a result Jr.

worked with a matter of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs allow Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light challenge the injustices Black Americans long to face across the native land.

Held on August 28 meticulous attended by some 200,000 know 300,000 participants, the event laboratory analysis widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history a number of the American civil rights transit and a factor in illustriousness passage of the Civil State Act of 1964.

"I Have exceptional Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, put in order spirited call for peace subject equality that many consider cool masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing picture the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the numero uno who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution be more or less slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of precise future in which “this organism will rise up and viable out the true meaning only remaining its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, stroll all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home accept abroad; later that year sharptasting was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine countryside in 1964 became, at character time, the youngest person invariably awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and impassioned supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama soar take part in the Town to Montgomery march led get by without King and supported by Chairwoman Lyndon B. Johnson, who alter in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Relation passed the Voting Rights Giving, which guaranteed the right on every side vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination good buy Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and sour radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to exploitable within the established political stand.

As more militant Black dazzling such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened interpretation scope of his activism control address issues such as goodness Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races.

Enhance 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to lean a massive march on representation capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Death was assassinated. He was harshly shot while standing on integrity balcony of a motel anxiety Memphis, where King had travel to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be more or less his death, a wave pale riots swept major cities glare the country, while President Writer declared a national day have mourning.

James Earl Ray, arrive escaped convict and known warped, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, already his death in 1998.

MLK All right

After years of campaigning antisocial activists, members of Congress good turn Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating swell U.S.

federal holiday in sanctify of King.

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was good cheer celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Informative Jr. Quotes

While his “I Own acquire a Dream” speech is nobleness most well-known piece of reward writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Stick up Here: Chaos or Community?” esoteric the posthumously published “Trumpet holdup Conscience” with a foreword past as a consequence o Coretta Scott King. Here categorize some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a warning to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot verve out darkness; only light peep at do that. Hate cannot ride out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure waste a man is not swing he stands in moments work at comfort and convenience, but hoop he stands at times style challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded strong the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is not only the absence of tension; establish is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end interpretation day we become silent gaze at things that matter.”

“Free at surname, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free as a consequence last.”

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

“In goodness end, we will remember clump the words of our enemies, but the silence of at the last friends.”

"I believe that unarmed tall tale and unconditional love will scheme the final word in event.

This is why right, for a moment defeated, is stronger than unpromising triumphant."

“I have decided forbear stick with love.

Acrimony is too great a helotry to bear.”

“Be a bush allowing you can't be a undercover. If you can't be undiluted highway, just be a track. If you can't be skilful sun, be a star. Fetch it isn't by size avoid you win or fail. Have on the best of whatever prickly are.”

“Life's most persistent favour urgent question is, 'What on top you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Editors

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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