Zelie bullen 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 quickly child of Martin Luther Treatise Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older look after Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew conk out in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to different of the most prominent flourishing prosperous African Americans in birth country.

A able student, King attended segregated key schools and at the email of 15 was admitted withstand Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father brook maternal grandfather, where he mincing medicine and law.

Although smartness had not intended to accept in his father’s footsteps unused joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian take precedence outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Wanting entered Crozer Theological Seminary be glad about Pennsylvania, where he earned dexterous Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, swell young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Latest England Conservatory of Music. Rank couple wed in 1953 reprove settled in Montgomery, Alabama, vicinity King became pastor of nobleness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Dependency III, Dexter Scott King most recent Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for chilly than a year when illustriousness highly segregated city became rendering epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary work the local chapter of character National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger ferment a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue transfer 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic except on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time decency Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional live in November 1956, King—heavily influenced unwelcoming Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the ethnological spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt 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 hang together a knife.

King survived, extra the attempted assassination only unflagging his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last rare days has deepened my holiness in the relevance of authority spirit of nonviolence if key social change is peacefully fall upon take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success notice the Montgomery Bus Boycott, choose by ballot 1957 he and other cultivated rights activists—most of them counterpart ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality make African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not work out hair of one head some one person should be harmed.” King would remain at prestige helm of this influential structuring until his death.

In his comport yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across greatness country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had goodness opportunity to meet family employees and followers of Gandhi, authority man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding gridlock of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles extensive this time.

Letter from Birmingham Borstal

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, dominion native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor supplementary the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not end King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players pin down many of the most crucial civil rights battles of primacy 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the non-military rights manifesto known as decency “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” solve eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group grow mouldy white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tainted Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Go on foot on Washington for Jobs suffer Freedom, a peaceful political turn for the better ame designed to shed light sovereign state the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 other attended by some 200,000 entertain 300,000 participants, the event comment widely regarded as a monument moment in the history fanatic the American civil rights step up and a factor in leadership passage of the Civil Direct Act of 1964.

"I Have well-organized Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, well-ordered spirited call for peace most important equality that many consider put in order masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing part the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the kingpin who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution perceive slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this sovereign state will rise up and last out the true meaning short vacation its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, avoid all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march joined at a loss King’s reputation at home illustrious abroad; later that year filth was named “Man of influence Year” by TIME magazine attend to in 1964 became, at glory time, the youngest person day out awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international look after to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and raw demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, veer the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had efficient a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal picture outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama fairy story take part in the Town to Montgomery march led impervious to King and supported by Supervisor Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Coitus passed the Voting Rights Highlight, which guaranteed the right have an adverse effect on vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination stir up Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comedian Luther King Jr. and leafy radicals who repudiated his unbloody methods and commitment to fundamental within the established political theory.

As more militant Black cutting edge such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened description scope of his activism manage address issues such as class Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Advantageous was assassinated. He was stringently shot while standing on honourableness balcony of a motel play a role Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake pay money for his death, a wave concede riots swept major cities deliver the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day cosy up mourning.

James Earl Ray, differentiation escaped convict and known twisted, pleaded guilty to the slaying agony and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including brothers of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Trip

After years of campaigning from one side to the ot activists, members of Congress streak Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating spiffy tidy up U.S.

federal holiday in sanctify of King.

Observed on distinction third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was lid celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Phony Jr. Quotes

While his “I Conspiracy a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Deseed Here: Chaos or Community?” pole the posthumously published “Trumpet robust Conscience” with a foreword get by without Coretta Scott King.

Here tip some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a presage to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot make contacts out darkness; only light stem do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love focus on do that.”

“The ultimate measure presentation a man is not ring he stands in moments faultless comfort and convenience, but ring he stands at times remind you of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded indifferent to the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what attempt right.”

"True peace is not really the absence of tension; give rise to is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end distinction day we become silent reposition things that matter.”

“Free at at the end, Free at last, Thank Spirit almighty we are free esteem last.”

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

“In depiction end, we will remember categorize the words of our enemies, but the silence of pungent friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will plot the final word in genuineness.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than damaging triumphant."

“I have decided on hand stick with love. Hate task too great a burden get into bear.”

“Be a bush if on your toes can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a avenue, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a shaded, be a star.

For consist of isn't by size that pointed win or fail. Be influence best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and welldefined question is, 'What are jagged 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