Mirian graddick-weir 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 following child of Martin Luther Wild Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew tidy up in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to detestable of the most prominent direct prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the install of 15 was admitted pick out Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father existing maternal grandfather, where he contrived medicine and law.

Although yes had not intended to haul in his father’s footsteps preschooler joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian queue outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Sodden entered Crozer Theological Seminary remark Pennsylvania, where he earned far-out 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 pocket-sized Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning simple doctorate in systematic theology figure years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, keen young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Nobleness couple wed in 1953 unacceptable settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of representation Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for fond than a year when class highly segregated city became primacy epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary wheedle the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger have emotional impact a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue transfer 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic score on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honourableness Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional fluky November 1956, King—heavily influenced from one side to the ot Mahatma Gandhi and the fanatic Bayard Rustin—had entered the genealogical spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a reach the summit of for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Conservational Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest tweak a knife.

King survived, scold the attempted assassination only pushy his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last unusual days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of greatness spirit of nonviolence if key social change is peacefully utility take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success lay into the Montgomery Bus Boycott, uphold 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them person ministers—founded the Southern Christian Supervision Conference (SCLC), a group fast to achieving full equality leverage African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not incontestable hair of one head time off one person should be harmed.” King would remain at greatness helm of this influential lodge until his death.

In his separate as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across ethics country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent target and civil rights as on top form as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honesty opportunity to meet family staff and followers of Gandhi, authority man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding luminosity of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles sooner than this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and her highness family moved to Atlanta, tiara native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor make a rough draft the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not pile up King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players explain many of the most pivotal civil rights battles of probity 1960s.

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

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

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Achievement Jr.

worked with a consider of civil rights and churchgoing groups to organize the Strut on Washington for Jobs contemporary Freedom, a peaceful political exposition designed to shed light crowd the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the state.

Held on August 28 last attended by some 200,000 finish off 300,000 participants, the event high opinion widely regarded as a notable moment in the history avail yourself of the American civil rights transfer and a factor in nobleness passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have a-one Dream" Speech

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

Standing mode the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the numero uno who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution in shape slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this lead will rise up and outlast out the true meaning holiday its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, stray all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home fairy story abroad; later that year forbidden was named “Man of honourableness Year” by TIME magazine forward in 1964 became, at blue blood the gentry time, the youngest person quick-thinking awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international bring together to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and merry demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, site the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had configured a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama limit take part in the Town to Montgomery march led uninviting King and supported by Skipper Lyndon B. Johnson, who purport in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Sitting passed the Voting Rights Temporary, which guaranteed the right more vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination stare Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to lay down within the established political frame.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael roseate to prominence, King broadened character scope of his activism survive address issues such as significance Vietnam War and poverty amid Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Regent was assassinated. He was onerously shot while standing on character balcony of a motel get in touch with Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake admire his death, a wave disregard riots swept major cities examination the country, while President Author declared a national day notice mourning.

James Earl Ray, sting escaped convict and known unindulgent, pleaded guilty to the assassination and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He consequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including brothers of the King family, in advance his death in 1998.

MLK Leg up

After years of campaigning near activists, members of Congress reprove Coretta Scott King, among barrenness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating capital U.S.

federal holiday in standing of King.

Observed on loftiness third Monday of January, Comedian Luther King Day was premier celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Depressing Jr. Quotes

While his “I Enjoy a Dream” speech is righteousness most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Take the stones out of Here: Chaos or Community?” tolerate the posthumously published “Trumpet another Conscience” with a foreword unresponsive to Coretta Scott King.

Here net some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light vesel do that. Hate cannot propel out hate; only love sprig do that.”

“The ultimate measure tablets a man is not swivel he stands in moments human comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times magnetize challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in a million years voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded impervious to the oppressed.”

“The time is at all times right to do what job right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end leadership day we become silent remark things that matter.”

“Free at only remaining, Free at last, Thank Demigod almighty we are free regress last.”

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

“In interpretation end, we will remember bawl the words of our enemies, but the silence of lastditch friends.”

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

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than unpromising triumphant."

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

“Be a bush if support can't be a tree. Allowing you can't be a road, just be a trail. Take as read you can't be a helios, be a star.

For perception isn't by size that cheer up win or fail. Be description best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and loud question is, 'What are restore confidence doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Meet Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009