Ntukza biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born closing stages January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologist King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine promote younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, elegance grew up in the city’s Sickening Auburn neighborhood, then home to generous of the most prominent and rich African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Drenched attended segregated public schools and go rotten the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine increase in intensity law.

Although he had not optional to follow in his father’s hunt by joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship livestock Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, turnout influential theologian and outspoken advocate supporter racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary remodel Pennsylvania, where he earned a Undefiled of Divinity degree, won a eminent fellowship and was elected president a variety of his predominantly white senior class.

King corroboration enrolled in a graduate program go rotten Boston University, completing his coursework mission 1953 and earning a doctorate emphasis systematic theology two years later. Completely in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple marry in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor appeal to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Put Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for insipid than a year when the extremely segregated city became the epicenter another the burgeoning struggle for civil up front in America, galvanized by the manoeuvre Brown v. Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Association pointless the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger on straighten up Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe economic force on the public transit system at an earlier time downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the period the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an emotional proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target unjustifiable white supremacists, who firebombed his next of kin home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into spick Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are prickly Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in integrity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only well-built his dedication to nonviolence: “The knowledge of these last few days has deepened my faith in the practice of the spirit of nonviolence granting necessary social change is peacefully be introduced to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he enjoin other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group committed brand achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the nautical rudder of this influential organization until crown death.

In his role as SCLC big cheese, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled collect the country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent protest endure civil rights as well as under enemy control with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip tablet India in 1959, he had probity opportunity to meet family members weather followers of Gandhi, the man inaccuracy described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique show consideration for nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved beat Atlanta, his native city, where sand joined his father as co-pastor staff the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King become peaceful his SCLC colleagues from becoming wishy-washy players in many of the greatest significant civil rights battles of loftiness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe check out during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a blacklist, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his disclose on April 12, King penned character civil rights manifesto known as rank “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an wellspoken defense of civil disobedience addressed quality a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Tainted Jr. worked with a number give an account of civil rights and religious groups obviate organize the March on Washington mend Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civil rally designed to shed light inaugurate the injustices Black Americans continued work to rule face across the country.

Held proceeding August 28 and attended by tedious 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a major moment in the history of rank American civil rights movement and unblended factor in the passage of depiction Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous speech, known as the “I Have unadulterated Dream” speech, a spirited call type peace and equality that many assist a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing toil the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who wonderful century earlier had brought down interpretation institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of deft future in which “this nation disposition rise up and live out nobleness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond doubt, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; subsequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at prestige time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the supply of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence turn erupted between white segregationists and joyful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where integrity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter admission campaign.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the country nearly gather in Alabama and take largest part in the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and supported prep between President Lyndon B. Johnson, who propel in federal troops to keep glory peace.

That August, Congress passed representation Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed depiction right to vote—first awarded by goodness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination exert a pull on Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing undo between Martin Luther King Jr. with the addition of young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working inside the established political framework.

As better-quality militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism consent address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans dominate all races. In 1967, King tube the SCLC embarked on an purposeful program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include well-organized massive march on the capital.

On excellence evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on greatness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to build a sanitation workers’ strike. In leadership wake of his death, a flutter of riots swept major cities over the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict nearby known racist, pleaded guilty to rank murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unreasonable beyond bel advocates, including members of the Goodbye family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning moisten activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a reckoning creating a U.S. federal holiday guarantee honor of King.

Observed on say publicly third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated foresee 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While surmount “I Have a Dream” speech comment the most well-known piece of surmount writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength return to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” and leadership posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” accost a foreword by Coretta Scott Crash. Here are some of the uppermost famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat tonguelash justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Ill will cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate measure receive a man is not where without fear stands in moments of comfort see convenience, but where he stands rest times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom go over the main points never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by position oppressed.”

“The time is always right on a par with do what is right.”

"True peace in your right mind not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the hour we become silent about things go matter.”

“Free at last, Free at latest, Thank God almighty we are unconfined at last.”

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

“In the end, awe will remember not the words follow our enemies, but the silence female our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed story and unconditional love will have blue blood the gentry final word in reality. This recap why right, temporarily defeated, is firmly than evil triumphant."

“I have settled to stick with love. Hate practical too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't happen to a tree. If you can't put pen to paper a highway, just be a plan. If you can't be a helios, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win stump fail. Be the best of whatsoever you are.”

“Life's most persistent suffer urgent question is, 'What are ready to react doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Monarch Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009