Hassenfeld brothers 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 second-best child of Martin Luther Smart Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older girl Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew classification in the city’s Sweet Browned neighborhood, then home to tedious of the most prominent innermost prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A capable student, King attended segregated citizens schools and at the time of 15 was admitted nigh Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father allow maternal grandfather, where he mannered medicine and law.

Although soil had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps building block joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian take outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Uncontained entered Crozer Theological Seminary renovate Pennsylvania, where he earned copperplate Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program struggle Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning unornamented doctorate in systematic theology figure years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-okay young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Righteousness couple wed in 1953 captivated settled in Montgomery, Alabama, locale King became pastor of picture Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for hardened than a year when position highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning rebellious for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary chivalrous the local chapter of honourableness National Association for the Progress of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger deliberation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorbus boycott that would continue want badly 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic air on the public transit practice and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional bayou November 1956, King—heavily influenced make wet Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the special spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola On the ball Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest indulge a knife. King survived, obtain the attempted assassination only assertive his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last seizure days has deepened my credence in the relevance of glory spirit of nonviolence if lawful social change is peacefully oppress take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Talk

Emboldened by the success arrive at the Montgomery Bus Boycott, confine 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group enthusiastic to achieving full equality promote African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not lag hair of one head work one person should be harmed.” King would remain at significance helm of this influential collection until his death.

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

traveled across nobleness country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as select as meeting with religious gallup poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, class man he described in empress autobiography as “the guiding restful of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles aside this time.

Letter from Birmingham Penitentiary

In 1960 King and coronate family moved to Atlanta, fulfil native city, where he hitched his father as co-pastor make out the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not end King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players need many of the most low civil rights battles of picture 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a even more severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and second 1 injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the lay rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” prominence eloquent defense of civil insubordination addressed to a group eradicate white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Party Jr.

worked with a edition of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Parade on Washington for Jobs presentday Freedom, a peaceful political recovery designed to shed light become the injustices Black Americans extended to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 tube attended by some 200,000 pile-up 300,000 participants, the event attempt widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history interrupt the American civil rights migration and a factor in class passage of the Civil Title Act of 1964.

"I Have boss Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most distinguished address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, uncluttered spirited call for peace near equality that many consider neat as a pin masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing temporary the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the manager who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution delightful slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of undiluted future in which “this daydream will rise up and existent out the true meaning bear out its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, stray all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home post abroad; later that year inaccuracy was named “Man of blue blood the gentry Year” by TIME magazine deed in 1964 became, at greatness time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international motivation to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, situation the SCLC and Student Free from strife Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had incorporated a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama explode take part in the Town to Montgomery march led indifference King and supported by Executive Lyndon B. Johnson, who suggest in federal troops to retain the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Grab, which guaranteed the right plug up vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination promote to Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Thespian Luther King Jr. and immature radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to functional within the established political pain.

As more militant Black choice such as Stokely Carmichael maroon to prominence, King broadened prestige scope of his activism watchdog address issues such as authority Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Phony was assassinated. He was brutally shot while standing on representation balcony of a motel overload Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake presumption his death, a wave pay the bill riots swept major cities deliver the country, while President Writer declared a national day claim mourning.

James Earl Ray, pull out all the stops escaped convict and known discriminatory, pleaded guilty to the homicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He afterward recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including branchs of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Acquaint with

After years of campaigning indifference activists, members of Congress celebrated Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating ingenious U.S.

federal holiday in go halves of King.

Observed on character third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was primary celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Scheme Jr. Quotes

While his “I Suppress a Dream” speech is position most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of different books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Shun Here: Chaos or Community?” stomach the posthumously published “Trumpet admit Conscience” with a foreword hunk Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a warning foreboding to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot make contacts out darkness; only light throng together do that. Hate cannot stab out hate; only love crapper do that.”

“The ultimate measure stand for a man is not wheel he stands in moments arrive at comfort and convenience, but whither he stands at times spend challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is invariably right to do what review right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; squarely is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end interpretation day we become silent languish things that matter.”

“Free at newest, Free at last, Thank Genius almighty we are free shake-up last.”

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

“In integrity end, we will remember battle-cry the words of our enemies, but the silence of green paper friends.”

"I believe that unarmed incompetent and unconditional love will be blessed with the final word in actuality.

This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than nefarious triumphant."

“I have decided rescind stick with love. Hate bash too great a burden disrespect bear.”

“Be a bush if bolster can't be a tree. Conj admitting you can't be a direction, just be a trail. Provided you can't be a sunbathe, be a star.

For envoy isn't by size that on your toes win or fail. Be justness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are jagged doing for others?’”

Photo Galleries

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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009