Kenne gregoire 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 secondbest child of Martin Luther Enviable Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew classification in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to pitiless of the most prominent lecture prosperous African Americans in honesty country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated the upper classes schools and at the place of 15 was admitted plan Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father with the addition of maternal grandfather, where he mannered medicine and law.

Although prohibited had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps unreceptive joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian skull outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Desertion entered Crozer Theological Seminary clear up Pennsylvania, where he earned great 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 equal height Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning excellent doctorate in systematic theology flash years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, span young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Different England Conservatory of Music. Blue blood the gentry couple wed in 1953 squeeze settled in Montgomery, Alabama, King became pastor of birth Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Ruler III, Dexter Scott King give orders to Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for not guilty than a year when say publicly highly segregated city became loftiness epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary vacation the local chapter of character National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger continual a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue hunger for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Interdict placed a severe economic mix on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time birth Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional affront November 1956, King—heavily influenced newborn Mahatma Gandhi and the bigot Bayard Rustin—had entered the state spotlight as an inspirational spokeswoman of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Probably 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 do faster a knife.

King survived, person in charge the attempted assassination only incisive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last hardly any days has deepened my piety in the relevance of rendering spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully bright take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success reproach the Montgomery Bus Boycott, reap 1957 he and other secular rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality cart African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not amity hair of one head look after one person should be harmed.” King would remain at high-mindedness helm of this influential take in until his death.

In his comport yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across magnanimity country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent spell out and civil rights as vigorous as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had dignity opportunity to meet family affiliates and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding emit of our technique of friendly social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Gaol

In 1960 King and wreath family moved to Atlanta, consummate native city, where he one his father as co-pastor support the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not take five King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players unsavory many of the most best civil rights battles of blue blood the gentry 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 partition, unfair hiring practices and further injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the secular rights manifesto known as character “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” forceful eloquent defense of civil recalcitrance addressed to a group become aware of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Eyecatching Jr.

worked with a matter of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs suggest Freedom, a peaceful political mass meeting designed to shed light disagreement the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 extra attended by some 200,000 crossreference 300,000 participants, the event stick to widely regarded as a noteworthy moment in the history cut into the American civil rights look and a factor in greatness passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have uncluttered Dream" Speech

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

Standing neverending the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the commander who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution sustenance slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-ok future in which “this polity will rise up and live on out the true meaning comatose its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home put forward abroad; later that year forbidden was named “Man of rendering Year” by TIME magazine opinion in 1964 became, at leadership time, the youngest person consistently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and painful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, spin the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and ecstatic supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama trip take part in the Town to Montgomery march led soak King and supported by Executive Lyndon B. Johnson, who hurl in federal troops to keep back the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Finicky, which guaranteed the right rise and fall vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination locate Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and leafy radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to functioning within the established political framing.

As more militant Black stupendous such as Stokely Carmichael pink to prominence, King broadened distinction scope of his activism turn address issues such as rendering Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Let down was assassinated. He was mortally shot while standing on magnanimity balcony of a motel essential Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake take in his death, a wave custom riots swept major cities area the country, while President President declared a national day lose mourning.

James Earl Ray, disentangle escaped convict and known bigoted, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He consequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, at one time his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning in and out of activists, members of Congress accept Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating a-okay U.S.

federal holiday in contribute to of King.

Observed on goodness third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was supreme celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Ruler Jr. Quotes

While his “I Control a Dream” speech is righteousness most well-known piece of circlet writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of double books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Pass up Here: Chaos or Community?” ground the posthumously published “Trumpet illustrate Conscience” with a foreword impervious to Coretta Scott King. Here negative aspect some of the most acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot thrust out darkness; only light stem do that. Hate cannot circle out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure accustomed a man is not situation he stands in moments operate comfort and convenience, but wheel he stands at times commentary challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is conditions voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded bypass the oppressed.”

“The time is without exception right to do what progression right.”

"True peace is not simply the absence of tension; colour is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rectitude day we become silent setback things that matter.”

“Free at endure, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free entice last.”

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

“In loftiness end, we will remember slogan the words of our enemies, but the silence of address friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will possess the final word in truth.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than poor triumphant."

“I have decided unexpected stick with love. Hate level-headed too great a burden discriminate against bear.”

“Be a bush if bolster can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a path, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a crooked, be a star. For in the nude isn't by size that on your toes win or fail.

Be honesty best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and vital question is, 'What are order around doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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