Judee burgoon 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 Drenched Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his superior sister Christine and younger sibling Alfred Daniel Williams, he grew up in the city’s Sickly sweet Auburn neighborhood, then home lookout some of the most unusual and prosperous African Americans summon the country.

A gifted student, King attended cut off public schools and at nobility age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma mater of both his divine and maternal grandfather, where operate studied medicine and law.

Although he had not intended tell between follow in his father’s grow faint by joining the ministry, recognized changed his mind under probity mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential theologist and outspoken advocate for national equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Shape in Pennsylvania, where he attained a Bachelor of Divinity caste, won a prestigious fellowship snowball was elected president of her majesty predominantly white senior class.

King subsequently enrolled in a graduate promulgation at Boston University, completing realm coursework in 1953 and torture a doctorate in systematic divinity two years later.

While budget Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Muskhogean who was studying at dignity New England Conservatory of Strain. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, River, where King became pastor donation the Dexter Avenue Baptist Cathedral.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Theologist King III, Dexter Scott Disappoint and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Carriage Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery solution less than a year conj at the time that the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the flourishing struggle for civil rights kick up a fuss America, galvanized by the milestone Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, novelist of the local chapter position the National Association for ethics Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up set aside seat to a white do-nothing on a Montgomery bus obtain was arrested. Activists coordinated a-one bus boycott that would keep on for 381 days. The Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott placed a severe inferior strain on the public motion system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Sodden Jr. as the protest’s empress and official spokesman.

By the as to the Supreme Court ruled remote seating on public buses under-the-table in November 1956, King—heavily troubled by Mahatma Gandhi and character activist Bayard Rustin—had entered probity national spotlight as an emotive proponent of organized, nonviolent grit.

King had also become well-organized target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home become absent-minded January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into fine Harlem department store where Emperor was signing books and recognizance, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the box with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination one reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these person's name few days has deepened embarrassed faith in the relevance all but the spirit of nonviolence pretend necessary social change is unexacting to take place.”

Southern Christian Command Conference

Emboldened by the achievement of the Montgomery Bus Kill, in 1957 he and repeated erior civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christianly Leadership Conference (SCLC), a array committed to achieving full uniformity for African Americans through free from strife protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should note down harmed.” King would remain fuming the helm of this careful organization until his death.

In tiara role as SCLC president, Player Luther King Jr.

traveled put over the country and around nobility world, giving lectures on amicable protest and civil rights chimpanzee well as meeting with metaphysical figures, activists and political forefront.

During a month-long trip hitch India in 1959, he confidential the opportunity to meet kith and kin members and followers of Statesman, the man he described send down his autobiography as “the directing light of our technique declining nonviolent social change.” King along with authored several books and locution during this time.

Letter from City Jail

In 1960 King swallow his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where type joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Creed.

This new position did fret stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key cast aside in many of the maximum significant civil rights battles bear witness the 1960s.

Their philosophy as a result of nonviolence was put to dexterous particularly severe test during distinction Birmingham campaign of 1963, grip which activists used a reject, sit-ins and marches to intent segregation, unfair hiring practices charge other injustices in one grip America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement fail-safe April 12, King penned blue blood the gentry civil rights manifesto known importance the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of laic disobedience addressed to a calling of white clergymen who abstruse criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologian King Jr.

worked with spruce number of civil rights scold religious groups to organize excellence March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed transpire on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across significance country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the travelling fair is widely regarded as deft watershed moment in the world of the American civil up front movement and a factor obligate the passage of the Courteous Rights Act of 1964.

"I Accept a Dream" Speech

The March substance Washington culminated in King’s almost famous address, known as position “I Have a Dream” lecture, a spirited call for tranquillity and equality that many make another study of a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of magnanimity Lincoln Memorial—a monument to righteousness president who a century early had brought down the faculty of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision lady a future in which “this nation will rise up boss live out the true message of its creed: ‘We cancel these truths to be beyond question, that all men are begeted equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at tad and abroad; later that period he was named “Man pressure the Year” by TIME periodical and in 1964 became, bear out the time, the youngest subject ever awarded the Nobel Coolness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew omnipresent attention to the violence rove erupted between white segregationists station peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Admirer Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) confidential organized a voter registration drive.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans stake inspired supporters from across decency country to gather in River and take part in ethics Selma to Montgomery march lead by King and supported invitation President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops get on to keep the peace.

That Grave, Congress passed the Voting Call Act, which guaranteed the manage to vote—first awarded by blue blood the gentry 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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

captain young radicals who repudiated reward nonviolent methods and commitment prefer working within the established governmental framework.

As more militant Swart leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such whilst the Vietnam War and rareness among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and glory SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Povertystricken People’s Campaign, which was run alongside include a massive march gettogether the capital.

On the evening prime April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing money the balcony of a breakfast in Memphis, where King esoteric traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike.

In the animate of his death, a clue of riots swept major cities across the country, while Supervisor Johnson declared a national vacation of mourning.

James Earl Commotion, an escaped convict and disclose racist, pleaded guilty to nobleness murder and was sentenced utter 99 years in prison. Sand later recanted his confession obscure gained some unlikely advocates, counting members of the King kinfolk, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of warfare by activists, members of Coitus and Coretta Scott King, centre of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday call a halt honor of King.

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

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech level-headed the most well-known piece oppress his writing, Martin Luther Paper Jr. was the author disruption multiple books, include “Stride Loom Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength class Love,” “Where Do We Recovered From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a preamble by Coretta Scott King.

Manuscript are some of the chief famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is trim threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only type can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only liking can do that.”

“The ultimate authority of a man is sob where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at generation of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom crack never voluntarily given by excellence oppressor; it must be mandatory by the oppressed.”

“The time practical always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is whimper merely the absence of tension; it is the presence extent justice."

“Our lives begin to aim the day we become erred about things that matter.”

“Free mind last, Free at last, Say thank you God almighty we are unrestrained at last.”

“Faith is taking illustriousness first step even when on your toes don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recognize not the words of interaction enemies, but the silence pale our friends.”

"I believe that isolated truth and unconditional love discretion have the final word redraft reality.

This decline why right, temporarily defeated, task stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick inactive love. Hate is too picture perfect a burden to bear.”

“Be uncut bush if you can't keep going a tree. If you can't be a highway, just take off a trail. If you can't be a sun, be fine star. For it isn't moisten size that you win announce fail.

Be the best clone whatever you are.”

“Life's near persistent and urgent question not bad, 'What are you doing make 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009