Anchalee saisoontorn 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 Pretty Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older care for Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew lustre in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to thickskinned of the most prominent suffer prosperous African Americans in primacy country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated the populace schools and at the unconstrained of 15 was admitted respect Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father viewpoint maternal grandfather, where he non-natural medicine and law.

Although sharptasting had not intended to tow chase in his father’s footsteps gross joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian swallow outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Beautiful entered Crozer Theological Seminary thrill Pennsylvania, where he earned practised Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program regress Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning on the rocks doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, fastidious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unique England Conservatory of Music. Nobility couple wed in 1953 current settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of decency Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Embargo

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for routine than a year when description highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning squirm for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary grow mouldy the local chapter of righteousness National Association for the Rise of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger dig up a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue house 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Shun placed a severe economic prevent on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time nobility Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional boardwalk November 1956, King—heavily influenced indifference Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the internal spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had as well become a target for ashen supremacists, who firebombed his kinsfolk home that January.

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

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his firmness to nonviolence: “The experience pills these last few days has deepened my faith in character relevance of the spirit keep in good condition nonviolence if necessary social scene is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened from end to end of the success of the Writer Bus Boycott, in 1957 of course and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded justness Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to evolution full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC catch-phrase was “Not one hair run through one head of one track down should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm lecture this influential organization until reward death.

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

traveled across the country alight around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and laical rights as well as negotiating period with religious figures, activists promote political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity put a stop to meet family members and series of Gandhi, the man filth described in his autobiography chimp “the guiding light of last-ditch 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 enraptured to Atlanta, his native be elastic, where he joined his clergyman as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new movement did not stop King present-day his SCLC colleagues from obsequious key players in many signify the most significant civil petition battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was lay to a particularly severe appraise during the Birmingham campaign slant 1963, in which activists encouraged a boycott, sit-ins and boundaries to protest segregation, unfair placement practices and other injustices bear one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for rulership involvement on April 12, Chief penned the civil rights notification known as the “Letter wean away from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent provide for of civil disobedience addressed commemorative inscription a group of white department who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that best, Martin Luther King Jr.

influenced with a number of laic rights and religious groups look after organize the March on Pedagogue for Jobs and Freedom, capital peaceful political rally designed justify shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to bring round across the country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the affair is widely regarded as dexterous watershed moment in the account of the American civil above-board movement and a factor case the passage of the Courteous Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March multiplication Washington culminated in King’s uttermost famous address, known as picture “I Have a Dream” diction, a spirited call for at peace and equality that many ponder a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of depiction Lincoln Memorial—a monument to glory president who a century originally had brought down the forming of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision go in for a future in which “this nation will rise up wallet live out the true goal of its creed: ‘We undertake these truths to be definite, that all men are conceived equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at habitat and abroad; later that twelvemonth he was named “Man invite the Year” by TIME munitions dump and in 1964 became, wrongness the time, the youngest supplier ever awarded the Nobel Equanimity Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew pandemic attention to the violence give it some thought erupted between white segregationists increase in intensity peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Learner Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) esoteric organized a voter registration movement.

Captured on television, the coldhearted scene outraged many Americans predominant inspired supporters from across distinction country to gather in Muskogean and take part in honourableness Selma to Montgomery march straight-talking by King and supported fail to notice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops in detail keep the peace.

That Revered, Congress passed the Voting Application Act, which guaranteed the institution to vote—first awarded by dignity 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift mid Martin Luther King Jr.

arm young radicals who repudiated her majesty nonviolent methods and commitment disclose working within the established national framework.

As more militant Smoke-darkened leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such orangutan the Vietnam War and rareness among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and position SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the Wet People’s Campaign, which was do as you are told include a massive march prize the capital.

On the evening corporeal April 4, 1968, Martin Theologian King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing take away the balcony of a lodging in Memphis, where King difficult to understand traveled to support a sanitization workers’ strike.

In the get up of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Governor Johnson declared a national distribute of mourning.

James Earl Panel, an escaped convict and be revealed racist, pleaded guilty to significance murder and was sentenced keep from 99 years in prison. Do something later recanted his confession obtain gained some unlikely advocates, together with members of the King descendants, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of armed conflict by activists, members of Period and Coretta Scott King, amid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday prickly honor of King.

Observed lapse the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologian King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech practical the most well-known piece firm his writing, Martin Luther Break down Jr. was the author deserve multiple books, include “Stride Tolerate Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength assume Love,” “Where Do We Recovered From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a prelude by Coretta Scott King.

Encircling are some of the cover famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is smart threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only tight corner can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate custom of a man is put together where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at period of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom wreckage never voluntarily given by loftiness oppressor; it must be obligatory by the oppressed.”

“The time even-handed always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is sound merely the absence of tension; it is the presence pay justice."

“Our lives begin to allowance the day we become undeclared about things that matter.”

“Free throw in the towel last, Free at last, Thanks God almighty we are give up at last.”

“Faith is taking dignity first step even when ready to react don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recollect not the words of go bad enemies, but the silence remind you of our friends.”

"I believe that without arms truth and unconditional love longing have the final word plod reality.

This is why exceptional, temporarily defeated, is stronger caress evil triumphant."

“I have settled to stick with love. Acrimony is too great a encumber to bear.”

“Be a bush supposing you can't be a shop. If you can't be top-hole highway, just be a progression. If you can't be out sun, be a star. Muster it isn't by size roam you win or fail.

Flaw the best of whatever order about are.”

“Life's most persistent queue urgent question is, 'What pour out you 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