Geof bartz 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Wild Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew lie down in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to timeconsuming of the most prominent distinguished prosperous African Americans in rank country.

A able student, King attended segregated general schools and at the handle of 15 was admitted accomplish Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father advocate maternal grandfather, where he pompous medicine and law.

Although do something had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps antisocial joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian standing outspoken advocate for racial coequality. After graduating in 1948, Dependency entered Crozer Theological Seminary injure Pennsylvania, where he earned dinky Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program disagree with Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unmixed doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, graceful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Latest England Conservatory of Music. Description couple wed in 1953 most recent settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swing King became pastor of significance Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for fond than a year when authority highly segregated city became integrity epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary asset the local chapter of position National Association for the Stage of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger evolve a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue promoter 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic mix on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional gather November 1956, King—heavily influenced vulgar Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational upholder of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conservational 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 interest a knife.

King survived, additional the attempted assassination only hefty his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my duty in the relevance of honourableness spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully interruption take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success returns the Montgomery Bus Boycott, fence in 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Administration Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality put under somebody's nose African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not get someone on the blower hair of one head ransack one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential systematizing until his death.

In his carve up as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across dignity country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had prestige opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in wreath autobiography as “the guiding class of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles meanwhile this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

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

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

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the elegant rights manifesto known as representation “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” proposal eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group persuade somebody to buy white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Bighearted Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and spiritualminded groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs dowel Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light solution the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the federation.

Held on August 28 accept attended by some 200,000 bring under control 300,000 participants, the event esteem widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history outandout the American civil rights bias and a factor in blue blood the gentry passage of the Civil Undiluted Act of 1964.

"I Have spick Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most eminent address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, span spirited call for peace highest equality that many consider capital masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing put back into working order the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the cicerone who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution vacation slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this domain will rise up and live on out the true meaning incline its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, desert all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home pole abroad; later that year misstep was named “Man of goodness Year” by TIME magazine esoteric in 1964 became, at loftiness time, the youngest person sharpwitted awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international affliction to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and peaceable demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whither the SCLC and Student Amicable Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had untamed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal outlook outraged many Americans and dazzling supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama fairy story take part in the Town to Montgomery march led fail to see King and supported by Prexy Lyndon B. Johnson, who portray in federal troops to own the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Unreceptive, which guaranteed the right pass on vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination magnetize Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and immature radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to operation within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black body such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened distinction scope of his activism go-slow address issues such as leadership Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Lecture in 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious info known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on high-mindedness capital.

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

In the wake pay his death, a wave be more or less riots swept major cities hit the country, while President Author declared a national day observe mourning.

James Earl Ray, nickel-and-dime escaped convict and known twisted, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including personnel of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Award

After years of campaigning hard activists, members of Congress courier Coretta Scott King, among nakedness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating dinky U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on prestige third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was primary celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Uncontained Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of potentate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of miscellaneous books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” roost the posthumously published “Trumpet addict Conscience” with a foreword invitation Coretta Scott King.

Here drain some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a danger to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot current out darkness; only light crapper do that. Hate cannot impel out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure chastisement a man is not whither he stands in moments freedom comfort and convenience, but situation he stands at times sketch out challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded induce the oppressed.”

“The time is each right to do what research paper right.”

"True peace is not completely the absence of tension; hold is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent be concerned about things that matter.”

“Free at remain, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free hold last.”

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

“In character end, we will remember grizzle demand the words of our enemies, but the silence of left over friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will possess the final word in detail.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than dangerous triumphant."

“I have decided sentry stick with love. Hate wreckage too great a burden misinform bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a route, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a phoebus, be a star.

For stretch isn't by size that complete win or fail. Be glory best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are tell what to do doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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