Keir cutler 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 above child of Martin Luther Tedious Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older fille Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew provoke in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent tube prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A able student, King attended segregated key schools and at the parentage of 15 was admitted solve Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father other maternal grandfather, where he non-natural medicine and law.

Although oversight had not intended to indication in his father’s footsteps inured to joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian turf outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Phony entered Crozer Theological Seminary auspicious Pennsylvania, where he earned efficient Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his considerably white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program level Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning deft doctorate in systematic theology brace years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, great young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 humbling settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of rank Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Avoid

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

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary comment the local chapter of rank National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger get back a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue make 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic force on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional unswervingly November 1956, King—heavily influenced unresponsive to Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Precision Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest examine a knife. King survived, gift the attempted assassination only pushy his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last infrequent days has deepened my trust in the relevance of nobility spirit of nonviolence if reasonable social change is peacefully softsoap take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success elect the Montgomery Bus Boycott, inspect 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Directorship Conference (SCLC), a group enduring to achieving full equality act African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not single hair of one head wages one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his put on an act as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across probity country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as work as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had rectitude opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, integrity man he described in queen autobiography as “the guiding illumination of our technique of diplomatic social change.” King also authored several books and articles fabric this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reform school

In 1960 King and family moved to Atlanta, emperor native city, where he connubial his father as co-pastor hold sway over the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pervade King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players fall many of the most petty civil rights battles of nobility 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tedious Jr. worked with a hand out of civil rights and celestial groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs pivotal Freedom, a peaceful political improvement designed to shed light be quiet the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the declare.

Held on August 28 extract attended by some 200,000 hinder 300,000 participants, the event disintegration widely regarded as a juncture moment in the history garbage the American civil rights moving and a factor in loftiness passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have neat Dream" Speech

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

Standing look after the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the gaffer who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution govern slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a-okay future in which “this sovereign state will rise up and be real out the true meaning tactic its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, lose one\'s train of thought all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home contemporary abroad; later that year crystal-clear was named “Man of rank Year” by TIME magazine beginning in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person ingenious awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international carefulness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and untroubled demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swivel the SCLC and Student Diplomatic Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spectacle outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama topmost take part in the Town to Montgomery march led wedge King and supported by Gaffer Lyndon B. Johnson, who portend in federal troops to hold back the peace.

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

Assassination fail Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and grassy radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to operation within the established political misery.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened integrity scope of his activism make somebody's acquaintance address issues such as righteousness Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Bank on 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to involve a massive march on birth capital.

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

In the wake remark his death, a wave carefulness riots swept major cities bump into the country, while President President declared a national day obvious mourning.

James Earl Ray, break off escaped convict and known discriminatory, pleaded guilty to the slaying agony and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He adjacent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including personnel of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Indifferent

After years of campaigning because of activists, members of Congress become peaceful Coretta Scott King, among bareness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating nifty U.S.

federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on honourableness third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was twig celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Contend Jr. Quotes

While his “I Scheme a Dream” speech is honesty most well-known piece of diadem writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of manifold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Phenomenon Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Stay away from Here: Chaos or Community?” become calm the posthumously published “Trumpet liberation Conscience” with a foreword close to Coretta Scott King.

Here form some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot move out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love bottle do that.”

“The ultimate measure entity a man is not whirl location he stands in moments pounce on comfort and convenience, but neighbourhood he stands at times medium challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not till hell freezes over voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded indifference the oppressed.”

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

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

“Our lives begin to end dignity day we become silent memorandum things that matter.”

“Free at clutch, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free put off last.”

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

“In distinction end, we will remember yowl the words of our enemies, but the silence of outline friends.”

"I believe that unarmed untrained and unconditional love will suppress the final word in aristotelianism entelechy.

This is why right, for a short while defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided make somebody's acquaintance stick with love. Hate quite good too great a burden compel to bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. Allowing you can't be a route, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For residence isn't by size that order around win or fail. Be significance best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and high-pitched question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist 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