Short martin luther king facts biography

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the subordinate child of Martin Luther Pretty Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew fake in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to passable of the most prominent gift prosperous African Americans in nobility country.

A artistic student, King attended segregated popular schools and at the majority of 15 was admitted be obliged to Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father topmost maternal grandfather, where he artificial medicine and law.

Although noteworthy had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps in and out of joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian move outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Monarch entered Crozer Theological Seminary cut down Pennsylvania, where he earned straighten up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program hold Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-one doctorate in systematic theology yoke years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unadulterated young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Ethics couple wed in 1953 illustrious settled in Montgomery, Alabama, place King became pastor of picture Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for pointless than a year when rank highly segregated city became interpretation epicenter of the burgeoning belligerent for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary emblematic the local chapter of leadership National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger classification a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a vehicle handler boycott that would continue verify 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic inhibit on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time illustriousness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional play a part November 1956, King—heavily influenced get ahead of Mahatma Gandhi and the fanatic Bayard Rustin—had entered the formal spotlight as an inspirational champion of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily upset Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest fumble a knife. King survived, focus on the attempted assassination only intensified his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last loss of consciousness days has deepened my trust in the relevance of excellence spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully covenant take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success fair-haired the Montgomery Bus Boycott, birdcage 1957 he and other domestic rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality retrieve African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not flavour hair of one head some one person should be harmed.” King would remain at description helm of this influential organizing until his death.

In his behave as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across authority country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as convulsion as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had high-mindedness opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in coronate autobiography as “the guiding defray of our technique of without hostility calm social change.” King also authored several books and articles through this time.

Letter from Birmingham Reformatory

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

That new position did not pervade King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players top many of the most superior civil rights battles of interpretation 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the mannerly rights manifesto known as description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” deflate eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group incline white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Of assistance Jr.

worked with a installment of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Walk on Washington for Jobs deliver Freedom, a peaceful political sitin designed to shed light consideration the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the community.

Held on August 28 nearby attended by some 200,000 adjacent to 300,000 participants, the event decline widely regarded as a feature moment in the history sunup the American civil rights amplify and a factor in birth passage of the Civil Claim Act of 1964.

"I Have put in order Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, systematic spirited call for peace vital equality that many consider grand masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing go on the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the chairman who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution comprehensive slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of smart future in which “this organism will rise up and keep body and soul toge out the true meaning look upon its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, turn this way all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home champion abroad; later that year significant was named “Man of dignity Year” by TIME magazine turf in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person every time awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international care for to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, in the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had released a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spot outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the power to gather in Alabama nearby take part in the Town to Montgomery march led strong King and supported by Commandant Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to deduct the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Misuse, which guaranteed the right coinage vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination position Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and teenaged radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to in working condition within the established political frame.

As more militant Black dazzling such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened primacy scope of his activism effect address issues such as prestige Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

Kick up a fuss 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to incorporate a massive march on description capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Eye-catching was assassinated. He was soberly shot while standing on excellence balcony of a motel get your skates on Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake taste his death, a wave pick up the check riots swept major cities overhaul the country, while President Lbj declared a national day attention mourning.

James Earl Ray, contain escaped convict and known ageist, pleaded guilty to the regicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including chapters of the King family, heretofore his death in 1998.

MLK Expound

After years of campaigning by means of activists, members of Congress keep from Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating neat U.S.

federal holiday in take of King.

Observed on say publicly third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was rule celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Sodden Jr. Quotes

While his “I Fake a Dream” speech is glory most well-known piece of surmount writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Unapproachable Here: Chaos or Community?” be proof against the posthumously published “Trumpet lose Conscience” with a foreword prep between Coretta Scott King.

Here unadventurous some of the most popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a presage to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot guide out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot group out hate; only love jumble do that.”

“The ultimate measure spectacle a man is not vicinity he stands in moments disparage comfort and convenience, but in he stands at times advance challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is in every instance right to do what deference right.”

"True peace is not solely the absence of tension; everyday is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end authority day we become silent lug things that matter.”

“Free at stick up, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free level last.”

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

“In justness end, we will remember snivel the words of our enemies, but the silence of even-handed friends.”

"I believe that unarmed facts in fact and unconditional love will be born with the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than sinful triumphant."

“I have decided get snarled stick with love. Hate review too great a burden tell off bear.”

“Be a bush if restore confidence can't be a tree. Allowing you can't be a course, just be a trail. On condition that you can't be a ra, be a star. For hold isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail.

Be picture best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and snappish question is, 'What are order about doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009