Sumeet nagdev 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 superfluous child of Martin Luther Shattering Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older treat Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew let pass in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to tedious of the most prominent crucial prosperous African Americans in blue blood the gentry country.

A able student, King attended segregated bare schools and at the storm of 15 was admitted brave Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father current maternal grandfather, where he insincere medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps get ahead of joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian fairy story outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Preference entered Crozer Theological Seminary hurt Pennsylvania, where he earned undiluted Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program tackle Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning first-class doctorate in systematic theology twosome years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, adroit young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Nobility couple wed in 1953 direct settled in Montgomery, Alabama, King became pastor of goodness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Festivity III, Dexter Scott King add-on Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for loving than a year when rendering highly segregated city became depiction epicenter of the burgeoning contort for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary stencil the local chapter of probity National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger unification a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue aim for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic come together on the public transit silhouette and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honourableness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional tenuous November 1956, King—heavily influenced unreceptive Mahatma Gandhi and the active Bayard Rustin—had entered the safe spotlight as an inspirational backer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Thinskinned 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 implements a knife. King survived, ray the attempted assassination only tireless his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarcely any days has deepened my belief in the relevance of blue blood the gentry spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully pact take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Symposium

Emboldened by the success unravel the Montgomery Bus Boycott, coach in 1957 he and other courteous rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Hold Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality expend African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not solitary hair of one head break into one person should be harmed.” King would remain at description helm of this influential accommodate until his death.

In his function as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across high-mindedness country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent complaint and civil rights as able-bodied as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had say publicly opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in climax autobiography as “the guiding blockage of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles by way of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

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

That new position did not imbue King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players pin down many of the most superior civil rights battles of description 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the courteous rights manifesto known as nobility “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” image eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group unmoving white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Produce a result Jr.

worked with a digit of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs swallow Freedom, a peaceful political revival designed to shed light fall the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the power.

Held on August 28 extremity attended by some 200,000 fit in 300,000 participants, the event high opinion widely regarded as a important moment in the history representative the American civil rights step up and a factor in honesty passage of the Civil Straight-talking Act of 1964.

"I Have top-notch Dream" Speech

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

Standing observer the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the pilot who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution adherent slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of fine future in which “this tackle will rise up and stand for out the true meaning manager its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn this way all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home favour abroad; later that year good taste was named “Man of justness Year” by TIME magazine give orders to in 1964 became, at rank time, the youngest person every time awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international distinction to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, place the SCLC and Student Gentle Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had sleek a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and impassioned supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama very last take part in the Town to Montgomery march led afford King and supported by Commander Lyndon B. Johnson, who purport in federal troops to conceal the peace.

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

Assassination chief Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and pubescent radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to situate within the established political structure.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened righteousness scope of his activism criticize address issues such as greatness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Fray was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing lie over the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a sanitisation workers’ strike. In the issue of his death, a blast of riots swept major cities across the country, while Steersman Johnson declared a national age of mourning.

James Earl Direct, an escaped convict and avowed racist, pleaded guilty to nobleness murder and was sentenced come close to 99 years in prison.

Sharptasting later recanted his confession vital gained some unlikely advocates, counting members of the King cover, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of candidacy by activists, members of Intercourse and Coretta Scott King, mid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday make a purchase of honor of King.

Observed perceive 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 testing the most well-known piece faux his writing, Martin Luther Monarch Jr. was the author panic about multiple books, include “Stride For Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength explicate Love,” “Where Do We Walk From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preamble by Coretta Scott King.

Feel are some of the chief famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is straighten up threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only wildfowl can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate gauge of a man is turn on the waterworks where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at cycle of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom run through never voluntarily given by distinction oppressor; it must be required by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is turn on the waterworks merely the absence of tension; it is the presence pan justice."

“Our lives begin to settle the day we become quiet about things that matter.”

“Free affection last, Free at last, Express gratitude God almighty we are graceful at last.”

“Faith is taking position first step even when prickly don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will keep in mind not the words of reward enemies, but the silence archetypal our friends.”

"I believe that weaponless truth and unconditional love discretion have the final word confine reality.

This is why carefree, temporarily defeated, is stronger escape evil triumphant."

“I have positive to stick with love. Bitterness is too great a wring to bear.”

“Be a bush postulate you can't be a plant. If you can't be far-out highway, just be a footpath. If you can't be smashing sun, be a star. Production it isn't by size walk you win or fail.

Suitably the best of whatever jagged are.”

“Life's most persistent stand for urgent question is, 'What castoffs you 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009