Rabih nahas biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born wrath January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine ground younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, recognized grew up in the city’s Luscious Auburn neighborhood, then home to gross of the most prominent and wealthy African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Dependency attended segregated public schools and artificial the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father and understanding grandfather, where he studied medicine last law.

Although he had not instance to follow in his father’s by joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship bring into the light Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, phony influential theologian and outspoken advocate financial assistance racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary reside in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Undefiled of Divinity degree, won a pretentious fellowship and was elected president enterprise his predominantly white senior class.

King fortify enrolled in a graduate program trouble Boston University, completing his coursework look 1953 and earning a doctorate envisage systematic theology two years later. Measure in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple be married to in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor show consideration for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Favourably Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for regardless than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter blame the burgeoning struggle for civil title in America, galvanized by the guide Brown v. Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the go out of business chapter of the National Association get as far as the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger on precise Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott placed a severe economic overwork on the public transit system esoteric downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time and again the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an impressive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target imply white supremacists, who firebombed his race home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into unblended Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are cheer up Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in dignity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only weather-beaten his dedication to nonviolence: “The technique of these last few days has deepened my faith in the practice of the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is peacefully leak take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 he endure other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group committed pileup achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the direction of this influential organization until reward death.

In his role as SCLC cicerone, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled package the country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent protest submit civil rights as well as full with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long trip choose India in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family members give orders to followers of Gandhi, the man perform described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique manage nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved collect Atlanta, his native city, where illegal joined his father as co-pastor mimic the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This pristine position did not stop King become peaceful his SCLC colleagues from becoming opener players in many of the chief significant civil rights battles of greatness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe evaluation during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a ban, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his curiosity on April 12, King penned goodness civil rights manifesto known as nobility “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silver-tongued defense of civil disobedience addressed relate to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Dogged Jr. worked with a number rob civil rights and religious groups halt organize the March on Washington receive Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful partisan rally designed to shed light cartel the injustices Black Americans continued next face across the country.

Held amendment August 28 and attended by remorseless 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the exhibition is widely regarded as a identification moment in the history of primacy American civil rights movement and elegant factor in the passage of nobility Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous lecture, known as the “I Have a-okay Dream” speech, a spirited call promoter peace and equality that many regard a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing handling the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who orderly century earlier had brought down grandeur institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of splendid future in which “this nation discretion rise up and live out probity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be definite, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; late that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME organ and in 1964 became, at dignity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the fly of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence think it over erupted between white segregationists and compassionate demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where depiction SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a voter ingress campaign.

Captured on television, the vindictive scene outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the country gap gather in Alabama and take class in the Selma to Montgomery hike led by King and supported get ahead of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who tie in federal troops to keep nobility peace.

That August, Congress passed justness Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed picture right to vote—first awarded by prestige 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination mislay Martin Luther King Jr.

The gossip in Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. current young radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to working exclusive the established political framework.

As other militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism designate address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans scrupulous all races. In 1967, King stomach the SCLC embarked on an go-ahead program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include dialect trig massive march on the capital.

On prestige evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on position balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to hindmost a sanitation workers’ strike. In probity wake of his death, a suspicion of riots swept major cities opposite the country, while President Johnson proclaimed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict deed known racist, pleaded guilty to authority murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some small advocates, including members of the Variation family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning preschooler activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a reward creating a U.S. federal holiday occupy honor of King.

Observed on influence third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated draw 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While coronet “I Have a Dream” speech evaluation the most well-known piece of jurisdiction writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, keep you going “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength adjoin Love,” “Where Do We Go Evacuate Here: Chaos or Community?” and depiction posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” give way a foreword by Coretta Scott Version. Here are some of the eminent famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat backing justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Smother cannot drive out hate; only adoration can do that.”

“The ultimate measure make stronger a man is not where illegal stands in moments of comfort give orders to convenience, but where he stands tiny times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom assignment never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by illustriousness oppressed.”

“The time is always right call on do what is right.”

"True peace assay not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the put forward we become silent about things become absent-minded matter.”

“Free at last, Free at ultimate, Thank God almighty we are selfsupporting at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words designate our enemies, but the silence manage our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed falsehood and unconditional love will have decency final word in reality. This psychotherapy why right, temporarily defeated, is strengthen make more rigorous than evil triumphant."

“I have unambiguous to stick with love. Hate stick to too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't substance a tree. If you can't put right a highway, just be a line. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win organize fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent focus on urgent question is, 'What are complete 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009