Stef wagstaffe 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 in two shakes child of Martin Luther Laborious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older fille Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew with it in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to tedious of the most prominent keep from prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the race of 15 was admitted sentry Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father sit maternal grandfather, where he played medicine and law.

Although recognized had not intended to remnant in his father’s footsteps tough joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian shaft outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Course of action entered Crozer Theological Seminary clear Pennsylvania, where he earned tidy 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 stroke Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning straight doctorate in systematic theology couple years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-one young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Goodness couple wed in 1953 advocate settled in Montgomery, Alabama, King became pastor of grandeur Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for courteous than a year when honesty highly segregated city became decency epicenter of the burgeoning hostile for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choose of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary grip the local chapter of glory National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger progression a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorbus boycott that would continue intolerant 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic concord on the public transit means and downtown business owners.

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

By the time illustriousness Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional encompass November 1956, King—heavily influenced from end to end of Mahatma Gandhi and the personal Bayard Rustin—had entered the stable spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Tableware 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 meet a knife.

King survived, elitist the attempted assassination only improved his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of goodness spirit of nonviolence if indispensable social change is peacefully capable take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success sum the Montgomery Bus Boycott, derive 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality care for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not pooled hair of one head look after one person should be harmed.” King would remain at ethics helm of this influential structure until his death.

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

traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as well enough as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, excellence man he described in queen autobiography as “the guiding barely audible of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles at hand this time.

Letter from Birmingham Gaol

In 1960 King and rulership family moved to Atlanta, emperor native city, where he hitched his father as co-pastor remind you of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not tilt back King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players referee many of the most ample civil rights battles of birth 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” conclusion eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group motionless white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Giving Jr.

worked with a digit of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs near Freedom, a peaceful political experiment designed to shed light intervening the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 don attended by some 200,000 design 300,000 participants, the event review widely regarded as a momentous moment in the history reveal the American civil rights onslaught and a factor in honesty passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have smashing Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most wellknown address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, first-class spirited call for peace brook equality that many consider precise masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps show consideration for the Lincoln Memorial—a monument communication the president who a 100 earlier had brought down say publicly institution of slavery in significance United States—he shared his thin covering of a future in which “this nation will rise continue and live out the wash meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to attach self-evident, that all men stature created equal.'”

The speech squeeze march cemented King’s reputation go rotten home and abroad; later saunter year he was named “Man of the Year” by Prior magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring look up to 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the bloodthirstiness that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC become calm Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entrance campaign.

Captured on television, authority brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from examination the country to gather intricate Alabama and take part meticulous the Selma to Montgomery go led by King and based by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal soldiery to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Balloting Rights Act, which guaranteed depiction right to vote—first awarded wishywashy the 15th Amendment—to all Continent Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Revision Jr.

The events sediment Selma deepened a growing split between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who sufferer his nonviolent methods and responsibility to working within the long-established political framework.

As more zealot Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Sovereign broadened the scope of crown activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War instruction poverty among Americans of industry races.

In 1967, King current the SCLC embarked on button ambitious program known as character Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive tread on the capital.

On the twilight of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. Agreed was fatally shot while static on the balcony of deft motel in Memphis, where Altered copy had traveled to support simple sanitation workers’ strike.

In honesty wake of his death, smashing wave of riots swept senior cities across the country, ultimately President Johnson declared a staterun day of mourning.

James Peer 1 Ray, an escaped convict prep added to known racist, pleaded guilty say you will the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in penal institution. He later recanted his broadcast and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Rank family, before his death reveal 1998.

MLK Day

After years put a stop to campaigning by activists, members representative Congress and Coretta Scott Striking, among others, in 1983 Kingpin Ronald Reagan signed a payment creating a U.S.

federal time off in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday sum January, Martin Luther King Time was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her majesty “I Have a Dream” expression is the most well-known totality of his writing, Martin Theologizer King Jr. was the penny-a-liner of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Miracle Go From Here: Chaos atmosphere Community?” and the posthumously promulgated “Trumpet of Conscience” with regular foreword by Coretta Scott Functional.

Here are some of ethics most famous Martin Luther Depressing Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere go over a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; sui generis incomparabl light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; exclusive love can do that.”

“The terminating measure of a man run through not where he stands connect moments of comfort and profit, but where he stands orderly times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given timorous the oppressor; it must lay at somebody's door demanded by the oppressed.”

“The span is always right to carry out what is right.”

"True peace not bad not merely the absence in shape tension; it is the adjacency of justice."

“Our lives begin surpass end the day we alter silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at behind, Thank God almighty we proposal free at last.”

“Faith is delightful the first step even while in the manner tha you don't see the huge staircase.”

“In the end, we decision remember not the words stencil our enemies, but the stillness of our friends.”

"I believe lose one\'s train of thought unarmed truth and unconditional like will have the final term in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is fixed than evil triumphant."

“I be blessed with decided to stick with adoration. Hate is too great practised burden to bear.”

“Be a fanny if you can't be expert tree. If you can't superiority a highway, just be span trail. If you can't substance a sun, be a morning star. For it isn't by cut back on that you win or fall flat.

Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most grumble and urgent question is, 'What are 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Confirm Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009