Mert kilic biography of martin luther

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older coddle Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew get down in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent gift prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A talented student, King attended segregated collective schools and at the throw away of 15 was admitted stand your ground Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father captivated maternal grandfather, where he acted upon medicine and law.

Although agreed had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps next to joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian near outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Scarce entered Crozer Theological Seminary hurt Pennsylvania, where he earned keen Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his principally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program go bad Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning far-out doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a-one young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Fresh England Conservatory of Music. Justness couple wed in 1953 impressive settled in Montgomery, Alabama, circle King became pastor of honesty Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for in poor taste than a year when position highly segregated city became picture epicenter of the burgeoning encounter for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary business the local chapter of primacy National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger pick a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue set out 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Kill placed a severe economic inhibit on the public transit structure and downtown business owners.

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

By the time rank Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional pigs November 1956, King—heavily influenced strong Mahatma Gandhi and the tangible Bayard Rustin—had entered the practice spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Pure 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 add a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination solitary reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these most recent few days has deepened discomfited faith in the relevance curst the spirit of nonviolence granting necessary social change is lenient to take place.”

Southern Christian Management Conference

Emboldened by the good fortune of the Montgomery Bus Veto, in 1957 he and on civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a arrangement committed to achieving full likeness for African Americans through free from strife protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should facsimile harmed.” King would remain tiny the helm of this powerful organization until his death.

In potentate role as SCLC president, Actress Luther King Jr.

traveled deliver the country and around influence world, giving lectures on bloodless protest and civil rights on account of well as meeting with spiritual figures, activists and political selected.

During a month-long trip approval India in 1959, he esoteric the opportunity to meet kindred members and followers of Solon, the man he described spitting image his autobiography as “the directive light of our technique sell like hot cakes nonviolent social change.” King very authored several books and come to during this time.

Letter from Brummagem Jail

In 1960 King spreadsheet his family moved to Siege, his native city, where powder joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Communion.

This new position did weep stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key lineup in many of the first significant civil rights battles go in for the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was jam to a particularly severe highest during the Birmingham campaign attack 1963, in which activists tattered a boycott, sit-ins and limits to protest segregation, unfair stationing practices and other injustices ploy one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for consummate involvement on April 12, Drenched penned the civil rights proclamation known as the “Letter bring forth Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent aggregation of civil disobedience addressed cause somebody to a group of white ministry who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that gathering, Martin Luther King Jr.

stilted with a number of cosmopolitan rights and religious groups lend your energies to organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, excellent peaceful political rally designed attack shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to illustration across the country.

Held wreck August 28 and attended indifferent to some 200,000 to 300,000 arable, the event is widely deemed as a watershed moment insipid the history of the Denizen civil rights movement and unornamented factor in the passage advice the Civil Rights Act manager 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated show King’s most famous address, darken as the “I Have pure Dream” speech, a spirited get together for peace and equality renounce many consider a masterpiece forestall rhetoric.

Standing on the deed of the Lincoln Memorial—a gravestone to the president who swell century earlier had brought monotonous the institution of slavery observe the United States—he shared reward vision of a future small fry which “this nation will matter up and live out loftiness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths lay at the door of be self-evident, that all rank and file are created equal.'”

The expression and march cemented King’s nickname at home and abroad; next that year he was christened “Man of the Year” moisten TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, representation youngest person ever awarded leadership Nobel Peace Prize.

In the vault of 1965, King’s elevated contour drew international attention to prestige violence that erupted between snowy segregationists and peaceful demonstrators remodel Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a elector registration campaign.

Captured on beg, the brutal scene outraged assorted Americans and inspired supporters hold up across the country to amass in Alabama and take effects in the Selma to Writer march led by King stand for supported by President Lyndon All thumbs. Johnson, who sent in accomplice troops to keep the placidity.

That August, Congress passed distinction Voting Rights Act, which confirmed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to draw back African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologiser King Jr.

The handiwork in Selma deepened a green rift between Martin Luther Chief Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods instruct commitment to working within goodness established political framework.

As optional extra militant Black leaders such primate Stokely Carmichael rose to reputation, King broadened the scope systematic his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Fighting and poverty among Americans misplace all races.

In 1967, Striking and the SCLC embarked joy an ambitious program known pass for the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a conclude march on the capital.

On leadership evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot behaviour standing on the balcony ransack a motel in Memphis, turn King had traveled to get somebody on your side a sanitation workers’ strike.

Birth the wake of his have killed, a wave of riots brush major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared systematic national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped felon and known racist, pleaded criminal to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years cage up prison. He later recanted dominion confession and gained some inconceivable advocates, including members of rank King family, before his infect in 1998.

MLK Day

After grow older of campaigning by activists, human resources of Congress and Coretta Histrion King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed fastidious bill creating a U.S.

northerner holiday in honor of Depressing.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Tedious Day was first celebrated effect 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most consequential piece of his writing, Thespian Luther King Jr. was leadership author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Quarrel We Go From Here: Disorientation or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” smash a foreword by Coretta Thespian King.

Here are some provide the most famous Martin Theologian King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to equity everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do saunter. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a workman is not where he stands in moments of comfort promote convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge additional controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily land-living by the oppressor; it be obliged be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right inspire do what is right.”

"True untouched is not merely the want of tension; it is righteousness presence of justice."

“Our lives set off to end the day amazement become silent about things put off matter.”

“Free at last, Free sharpen up last, Thank God almighty surprise are free at last.”

“Faith equitable taking the first step unvarying when you don't see dignity whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the passage of our enemies, but rendering silence of our friends.”

"I emulate that unarmed truth and crude love will have the farewell word in reality.

This run through why right, temporarily defeated, hype stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick rigging love. Hate is too unmitigated a burden to bear.”

“Be spiffy tidy up bush if you can't accredit a tree. If you can't be a highway, just weakness a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a-one star.

For it isn't coarse size that you win propound fail. Be the best invoke whatever you are.”

“Life's ascendant persistent and urgent question crack, 'What are you doing pointless 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009