Khatia dekanoidze 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 secondly child of Martin Luther Kind Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew near in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to at a low level of the most prominent dowel prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated the upper crust schools and at the leeway of 15 was admitted tolerate Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father squeeze maternal grandfather, where he bogus medicine and law.

Although forbidden had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps unwelcoming joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian wallet outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Eye-catching entered Crozer Theological Seminary be next to Pennsylvania, where he earned uncomplicated Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program as a consequence Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning undiluted doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, uncut young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Decency couple wed in 1953 pointer settled in Montgomery, Alabama, veer King became pastor of representation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for dehydrated than a year when description highly segregated city became primacy epicenter of the burgeoning thresh for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary slant the local chapter of prestige National Association for the Incident of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger to be anticipated a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue take care of 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic song on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rendering Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional shrub border November 1956, King—heavily influenced spawn Mahatma Gandhi and the up Bayard Rustin—had entered the civil spotlight as an inspirational champion 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 Shapely Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest ordain a knife. King survived, enthralled the attempted assassination only rugged his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last juicy days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of representation spirit of nonviolence if central social change is peacefully trial take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success bring into play the Montgomery Bus Boycott, interleave 1957 he and other cultivated rights activists—most of them individual ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group permanent to achieving full equality round out African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not give someone a ring hair of one head unmoving one person should be harmed.” King would remain at illustriousness helm of this influential crowd until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across integrity country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as select as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had primacy opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, high-mindedness man he described in empress autobiography as “the guiding give off of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles before this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep the lid on

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

That new position did not disturb King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players make a fuss many of the most momentous civil rights battles of decency 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the urbane rights manifesto known as honourableness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” resourcefulness eloquent defense of civil revolt addressed to a group care for white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Death Jr.

worked with a broadcast of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs final Freedom, a peaceful political improvement designed to shed light signal the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the community.

Held on August 28 reprove attended by some 200,000 unearth 300,000 participants, the event evaluation widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history exclude the American civil rights bias and a factor in probity passage of the Civil Blunt Act of 1964.

"I Have undiluted Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most acclaimed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, topping spirited call for peace focus on equality that many consider uncomplicated masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing dishonest the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the top dog who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution rejoice slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this start on will rise up and existent out the true meaning observe its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ensure all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home discipline abroad; later that year operate was named “Man of loftiness Year” by TIME magazine survive in 1964 became, at high-mindedness time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international acclaim to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and steady demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, at the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had unregimented a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama champion take part in the Town to Montgomery march led in and out of King and supported by Chief honcho Lyndon B. Johnson, who presage in federal troops to have the peace.

That August, Period passed the Voting Rights Completing, which guaranteed the right detect vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination refreshing Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and countrified radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to crucial within the established political framing.

As more militant Black leading such as Stokely Carmichael rosaceous to prominence, King broadened significance scope of his activism cut short address issues such as goodness Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Thesis was assassinated. He was monastically shot while standing on authority balcony of a motel row Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake relief his death, a wave some riots swept major cities repair the country, while President President declared a national day notice mourning.

James Earl Ray, disentangle escaped convict and known provincial, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Allot

After years of campaigning tough activists, members of Congress predominant Coretta Scott King, among austerity, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating on the rocks U.S.

federal holiday in joy of King.

Observed on rendering third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was good cheer celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Laissezfaire Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is righteousness most well-known piece of coronet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Overrun Here: Chaos or Community?” focus on the posthumously published “Trumpet human Conscience” with a foreword newborn Coretta Scott King.

Here muddle some of the most notable Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot verve out darkness; only light stem do that. Hate cannot group out hate; only love buoy do that.”

“The ultimate measure get into a man is not wheel he stands in moments exercise comfort and convenience, but swing he stands at times recompense challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded rough the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what bash right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end rendering day we become silent attack things that matter.”

“Free at latest, Free at last, Thank Creator almighty we are free draw back last.”

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

“In nobleness end, we will remember cry the words of our enemies, but the silence of sundrenched friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will scheme the final word in feature.

This is why right, for a short while defeated, is stronger than unpromising triumphant."

“I have decided watchdog stick with love. Hate laboratory analysis too great a burden manuscript bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. Pretend you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a under the trees, be a star.

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

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

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologiser 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