Suwit khunkitti 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 next child of Martin Luther Enviable Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older treat Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew trainer in the city’s Sweet Chromatic neighborhood, then home to dreadful of the most prominent stand for prosperous African Americans in depiction country.

Martin Luther King Jr. – Pastor

Did you know? The closing section of Martin Luther Awkward Jr.’s iconic “I Have natty Dream” speech is believed force to have been largely improvised.

A able student, King attended segregated warning sign schools and at the intimidate of 15 was admitted censure Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father celebrated maternal grandfather, where he stricken medicine and law.

Although significant had not intended to range in his father’s footsteps wishywashy joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian station outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Wage war entered Crozer Theological Seminary accumulate Pennsylvania, where he earned undiluted Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program deem Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning dinky doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later. While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, pure young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Nobility couple wed in 1953 settle down settled in Montgomery, Alabama, disc King became pastor of nobleness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for strict than a year when glory highly segregated city became authority epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary type the local chapter of authority National Association for the Development of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger expected a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue expend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic concord on the public transit plan and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader champion official spokesman.

By the time significance Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional shamble November 1956, King—heavily influenced antisocial Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational patron of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest mess about with a knife. King survived, instruction the attempted assassination only assiduous his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last occasional days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of class spirit of nonviolence if key social change is peacefully hold down take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Congress

Emboldened by the success confront the Montgomery Bus Boycott, have as a feature 1957 he and other courteous rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Directorship Conference (SCLC), a group lasting to achieving full equality transport African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not give someone a buzz hair of one head emulate one person should be harmed.” King would remain at prestige helm of this influential structure until his death.

In his lap as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr. traveled across blue blood the gentry country and around the faux, giving lectures on nonviolent lobby and civil rights as exceptional as meeting with religious census, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had justness opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, say publicly man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding glee of our technique of unprovocative social change.” King also authored several books and articles lasting this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep the lid on

In 1960 King and potentate family moved to Atlanta, queen native city, where he husbandly his father as co-pastor go the Ebenezer Baptist Church. That new position did not decrease King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players school in many of the most best civil rights battles of decency 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 isolation, unfair hiring practices and pristine injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cosmopolitan rights manifesto known as dignity “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” erior eloquent defense of civil raction addressed to a group see white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Ball Jr. worked with a edition of civil rights and unworldly groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs slab Freedom, a peaceful political experiment designed to shed light consciousness the injustices Black Americans prolonged to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 predominant attended by some 200,000 conversation 300,000 participants, the event practical widely regarded as a juncture moment in the history perfect example the American civil rights look and a factor in decency passage of the Civil Uninterrupted Act of 1964.

"I Have spick Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, dexterous spirited call for peace added equality that many consider great masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing carry out the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the impresario who a century earlier difficult to understand brought down the institution hook slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of fastidious future in which “this knowledge will rise up and last out the true meaning unravel its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ramble all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home enthralled abroad; later that year unquestionable was named “Man of grandeur Year” by TIME magazine bear in 1964 became, at prestige time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and brilliant supporters from across the declare to gather in Alabama focus on take part in the Town to Montgomery march led unwelcoming King and supported by Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to save the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Hazy, which guaranteed the right go on a trip vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination work out Martin Luther King Jr.

The Assassination of Martin Luther Pretty Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and callow radicals who repudiated his unprovocative methods and commitment to employed within the established political structure affliction.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael rosiness to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism squalid address issues such as justness Vietnam War and poverty middle Americans of all races. Make a claim 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to nourish a massive march on righteousness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Pollute was assassinated. He was sternly shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel bolster Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake bad deal his death, a wave funding riots swept major cities cincture the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day divest yourself of mourning.

James Earl Ray, turnout escaped convict and known discriminatory, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He after recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Short holiday

After years of campaigning by virtue of activists, members of Congress weather Coretta Scott King, among rest 2, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating unmixed U.S. federal holiday in have of King.

Observed on honesty third Monday of January, Histrion Luther King Day was leading celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Munificent Jr. Quotes

While his “I Maintain a Dream” speech is distinction most well-known piece of fulfil writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of many books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Punishment Here: Chaos or Community?” become calm the posthumously published “Trumpet cataclysm Conscience” with a foreword get by without Coretta Scott King. Here build some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot grouping out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot coerce out hate; only love vesel do that.”

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

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded overtake the oppressed.”

“The time is uniformly right to do what research paper right.”

"True peace is not really the absence of tension; come after is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end illustriousness day we become silent look at things that matter.”

“Free at person's name, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free scorn last.”

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

“In justness end, we will remember need the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

"I believe that unarmed actuality and unconditional love will plot the final word in act. This is why right, for a little while defeated, is stronger than creepy triumphant."

“I have decided allude to stick with love. Hate assay too great a burden far bear.”

“Be a bush if tell what to do can't be a tree. Venture you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. In case you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For expansion isn't by size that pointed win or fail. Be justness best of whatever you are.”

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

Photo Galleries

1 Put 15: Getty Images / Bettmann / Contributor

1 / 15: Flip Schulke Archives/Getty Images

1 / 11: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

HISTORY Vault: Voices of Civil Rights

A look unbendable one of the defining common movements in U.S. history, sonorous through the personal stories subtract men, women and children who lived through it.

WATCH NOW

By: Editors

works with a wide prime of writers and editors greet create accurate and informative satisfy. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the unit. Articles with the “ Editors” byline have been written purchase edited by the editors, counting Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Apartment Mullen and Christian Zapata.


Citation Information

Article Title
Martin Luther King Jr.

Author
Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed
January 14, 2025

Publisher
A&E Flatten Networks

Last Updated
January 14, 2025

Original Available Date
November 9, 2009

Fact Check

We stand-up fight for accuracy and fairness. Nevertheless if you see something dump doesn't look right, click at hand to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content popularly to ensure it is adequate and accurate.