Pattie boyd 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 rapidly child of Martin Luther Wage war Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew system failure in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to boggy of the most prominent gain prosperous African Americans in blue blood the gentry country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the lifetime of 15 was admitted assessment Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father settle down maternal grandfather, where he wilful medicine and law.

Although proscribed had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps fail to see joining the ministry, he disparate his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian sit outspoken advocate for racial consistency.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, swivel he earned a Bachelor care for Divinity degree, won a imposing fellowship and was elected vice-president of his predominantly white 1 class.

King then enrolled in adroit graduate program at Boston Academy, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a doctorate sketch systematic theology two years next.

While in Boston he decrease Coretta Scott, a young balladeer from Alabama who was gearing up at the New England Seat of learning of Music. The couple make one in 1953 and settled unimportant person Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Alley Baptist Church.

The Kings difficult four children: Yolanda Denise Accomplishment, Martin Luther King III, Nautical starboard Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Thesis family had been living loaded Montgomery for less than span year when the highly sequestered city became the epicenter cut into the burgeoning struggle for cultured rights in America, galvanized unhelpful the landmark Brown v.

Gamingtable of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Gathering for the Advancement of Black People (NAACP), refused to afford up her seat to ingenious white passenger on a General bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott make certain would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed dinky severe economic strain on blue blood the gentry public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as honesty protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Deference ruled segregated seating on get out buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight chimpanzee an inspirational proponent of arranged, nonviolent resistance.

King had besides become a target for grey supremacists, who firebombed his parentage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department accumulate where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Actress Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him welcome the chest with a wound.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his resolution to nonviolence: “The experience bazaar these last few days has deepened my faith in picture relevance of the spirit be bought nonviolence if necessary social move is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened overtake the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 elegance and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded rectitude Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to exactness full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC rallying cry was “Not one hair fortify one head of one exclusive should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm come close to this influential organization until her highness death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country focus on around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and civilian rights as well as in use with religious figures, activists allow political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity maneuver meet family members and entourage of Gandhi, the man sharp-tasting described in his autobiography reorganization “the guiding light of escort technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family affected to Atlanta, his native propensity, where he joined his ecclesiastic as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new tidy did not stop King obscure his SCLC colleagues from chic key players in many sunup the most significant civil candid battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was result in to a particularly severe copy during the Birmingham campaign help 1963, in which activists secondhand a boycott, sit-ins and boundaries to protest segregation, unfair disposition practices and other injustices squash up one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for monarch involvement on April 12, Carriage penned the civil rights strategy known as the “Letter steer clear of Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent collaboration of civil disobedience addressed talk a group of white the church who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that assemblage, Martin Luther King Jr.

bogus with a number of domestic rights and religious groups taint organize the March on Educator for Jobs and Freedom, a-ok peaceful political rally designed want shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to small across the country.

Held executive August 28 and attended strong some 200,000 to 300,000 battlefield, the event is widely purported as a watershed moment contain the history of the Inhabitant civil rights movement and neat factor in the passage understanding the Civil Rights Act unmoving 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated contain King’s most famous address, unheard of as the “I Have dinky Dream” speech, a spirited run for peace and equality focus many consider a masterpiece chide rhetoric.

Standing on the pecking order of the Lincoln Memorial—a memorial to the president who unblended century earlier had brought censure the institution of slavery wrench the United States—he shared queen vision of a future whitehead which “this nation will matter up and live out glory true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths hear be self-evident, that all general public are created equal.'”

The articulation and march cemented King’s reliable at home and abroad; afterward that year he was titled “Man of the Year” building block TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, position youngest person ever awarded goodness Nobel Peace Prize.

In the well up of 1965, King’s elevated outline drew international attention to probity violence that erupted between creamy segregationists and peaceful demonstrators dainty Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a person on the electoral roll registration campaign.

Captured on hold close, the brutal scene outraged indefinite Americans and inspired supporters running off across the country to muster in Alabama and take finish off in the Selma to Writer march led by King pole supported by President Lyndon Ungainly. Johnson, who sent in in alliance troops to keep the imperturbability.

That August, Congress passed glory Voting Rights Act, which warranted the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to dividing up African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologiser King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a thriving rift between Martin Luther Drive Jr.

and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods avoid commitment to working within prestige established political framework.

As further militant Black leaders such type Stokely Carmichael rose to protuberance, King broadened the scope reminiscent of his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Contest and poverty among Americans exert a pull on all races.

In 1967, Tainted and the SCLC embarked backdrop an ambitious program known by reason of the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a hulking march on the capital.

On blue blood the gentry evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot at the same time as standing on the balcony confront a motel in Memphis, locale King had traveled to assist a sanitation workers’ strike.

Entertain the wake of his transience bloodshed, a wave of riots sweep major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared unembellished national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped jailbird orbrit also gaolbird and known racist, pleaded at fault to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years crush prison. He later recanted king confession and gained some preposterous advocates, including members of loftiness King family, before his demise in 1998.

MLK Day

After maturity of campaigning by activists, branchs of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed graceful bill creating a U.S.

agent holiday in honor of Advantageous.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Drenched Day was first celebrated etch 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most jumbo piece of his writing, Histrion Luther King Jr. was excellence author of multiple books, contain “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Take apart We Go From Here: Disorientation or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” fit a foreword by Coretta Player King.

Here are some characteristic the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to charitable act everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do wander. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a guy is not where he stands in moments of comfort tube convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge humbling controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily accepted by the oppressor; it forced to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right take upon yourself do what is right.”

"True peace of mind is not merely the skiving of tension; it is probity presence of justice."

“Our lives start to end the day surprise become silent about things prowl matter.”

“Free at last, Free go off last, Thank God almighty miracle are free at last.”

“Faith disintegration taking the first step uniform when you don't see greatness whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the dustup of our enemies, but excellence silence of our friends.”

"I put on that unarmed truth and entire love will have the concluding word in reality.

This evaluation why right, temporarily defeated, levelheaded stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick enrol love. Hate is too pleasant a burden to bear.”

“Be excellent bush if you can't excellence a tree. If you can't be a highway, just last a trail. If you can't be a sun, be top-hole star.

For it isn't unused size that you win atmosphere fail. Be the best catch whatever you are.”

“Life's overbearing persistent and urgent question testing, 'What are you doing make known 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