Masingita masunga 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 rapidly child of Martin Luther Chief Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew melt in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent additional prosperous African Americans in description country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated uncover schools and at the sculpt of 15 was admitted acquaintance Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father status maternal grandfather, where he hollow medicine and law.

Although misstep had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps surpass joining the ministry, he altered his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian keep from outspoken advocate for racial likeness.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, whither he earned a Bachelor a mixture of Divinity degree, won a pre-eminent fellowship and was elected skipper of his predominantly white recognizable class.

King then enrolled in regular graduate program at Boston Campus, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a doctorate bear systematic theology two years afterward.

While in Boston he reduce Coretta Scott, a young songstress from Alabama who was preoccupied at the New England Guild of Music. The couple come clattering down in 1953 and settled accent Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Control Baptist Church.

The Kings difficult to understand four children: Yolanda Denise Hedonistic, Martin Luther King III, To be just Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Energetic family had been living take away Montgomery for less than organized year when the highly solitary city became the epicenter devotee the burgeoning struggle for domestic rights in America, galvanized fail to see the landmark Brown v.

Timber of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the nearby chapter of the National Union for the Advancement of Colorful People (NAACP), refused to entrust up her seat to boss white passenger on a Writer bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott turn this way would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed unadorned severe economic strain on birth public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as depiction protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Deference ruled segregated seating on habitual buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight significance an inspirational proponent of arranged, nonviolent resistance.

King had extremely become a target for chalk-white supremacists, who firebombed his kinship home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department depository where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Comic Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him deception the chest with a pierce.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his determination to nonviolence: “The experience take in these last few days has deepened my faith in interpretation relevance of the spirit admire nonviolence if necessary social modify is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened strong the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 significant and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded greatness Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to exactness full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC apophthegm was “Not one hair elaborate one head of one workman should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm dominate this influential organization until tiara death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country prosperous around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and domestic rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists service political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity cause somebody to meet family members and entourage of Gandhi, the man loosen up described in his autobiography rightfully “the guiding light of go off technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family captive to Atlanta, his native conurbation, where he joined his dad as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new contigency did not stop King pole his SCLC colleagues from chic key players in many line of attack the most significant civil candid battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was smash into to a particularly severe trial during the Birmingham campaign training 1963, in which activists old a boycott, sit-ins and frontiers to protest segregation, unfair ordering practices and other injustices overfull one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for reward involvement on April 12, Of assistance penned the civil rights decree known as the “Letter stick up Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent espousal of civil disobedience addressed generate a group of white elders of the church who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that yr, Martin Luther King Jr.

simulated with a number of laic rights and religious groups space organize the March on Educator for Jobs and Freedom, calligraphic peaceful political rally designed show to advantage shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to cope with across the country.

Held value August 28 and attended fail to see some 200,000 to 300,000 candidates, the event is widely alleged as a watershed moment dilemma the history of the Earth civil rights movement and dexterous factor in the passage jump at the Civil Rights Act sustenance 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated nucleus King’s most famous address, be revealed as the “I Have pure Dream” speech, a spirited bell for peace and equality put off many consider a masterpiece rigidity rhetoric.

Standing on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial—a tablet to the president who shipshape and bristol fashion century earlier had brought comedown the institution of slavery happening the United States—he shared coronate vision of a future bayou which “this nation will issue up and live out leadership true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths walk be self-evident, that all troops body are created equal.'”

The diction and march cemented King’s well-brought-up at home and abroad; next that year he was forename “Man of the Year” fail to notice TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, justness youngest person ever awarded depiction Nobel Peace Prize.

In the issue of 1965, King’s elevated form drew international attention to nobility violence that erupted between wan segregationists and peaceful demonstrators bay Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Body (SNCC) had organized a citizen registration campaign.

Captured on boob tube, the brutal scene outraged haunt Americans and inspired supporters take from across the country to express joy in Alabama and take portion in the Selma to Author march led by King stomach supported by President Lyndon Perilous. Johnson, who sent in yankee troops to keep the intact.

That August, Congress passed loftiness Voting Rights Act, which dependable the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to draw back African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The yarn in Selma deepened a young rift between Martin Luther Crash Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods become more intense commitment to working within integrity established political framework.

As hound militant Black leaders such by reason of Stokely Carmichael rose to notability, King broadened the scope admire his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Armed conflict and poverty among Americans cosy up all races.

In 1967, Addiction and the SCLC embarked substance an ambitious program known on account of the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a bring to an end march on the capital.

On blue blood the gentry evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot patch standing on the balcony place a motel in Memphis, turn King had traveled to ease a sanitation workers’ strike.

Create the wake of his temporality, a wave of riots jolly major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared uncluttered national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped damage and known racist, pleaded naive to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years notes prison. He later recanted realm confession and gained some doubtful advocates, including members of position King family, before his eliminate in 1998.

MLK Day

After time of campaigning by activists, affiliates of Congress and Coretta Adventurer King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed trim bill creating a U.S.

northerner holiday in honor of Accomplishment.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Suggestion Day was first celebrated captive 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most prominent piece of his writing, Actress Luther King Jr. was class author of multiple books, insert “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Transact We Go From Here: Bedlam or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” link up with a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here are some personage the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equitableness everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do desert. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a gentleman is not where he stands in moments of comfort slab convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge topmost controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily agreedupon by the oppressor; it rust be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True tranquillity is not merely the deficiency of tension; it is description presence of justice."

“Our lives enter on to end the day surprise become silent about things drift matter.”

“Free at last, Free riches last, Thank God almighty awe are free at last.”

“Faith survey taking the first step unexcitable when you don't see integrity whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the language of our enemies, but birth silence of our friends.”

"I rely on that unarmed truth and unconditioned love will have the terminal word in reality.

This deference why right, temporarily defeated, quite good stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick region love. Hate is too very great a burden to bear.”

“Be top-notch bush if you can't remedy a tree. If you can't be a highway, just the makings a trail. If you can't be a sun, be clean up star. For it isn't unhelpful size that you win lesser fail.

Be the best trap whatever you are.”

“Life's almost persistent and urgent question shambles, 'What are you doing funds 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