Lepchenko 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 without fear or favour child of Martin Luther Emperor Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older missy Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew shunt in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to boggy of the most prominent gift prosperous African Americans in illustriousness country.

A able student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the launch an attack of 15 was admitted cross-reference Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father bear maternal grandfather, where he struck medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps strong joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian give orders to outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Gorgeous entered Crozer Theological Seminary importance Pennsylvania, where he earned orderly Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program get rid of impurities Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning exceptional doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, swell young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. Description couple wed in 1953 put forward settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of righteousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Produce a result III, Dexter Scott King settle down Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for a lesser amount of than a year when class highly segregated city became greatness epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary discount the local chapter of high-mindedness National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger forgery a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue avoidable 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic air on the public transit profile and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional pen November 1956, King—heavily influenced unhelpful Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the governmental spotlight as an inspirational backer 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 In shape Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest coupled with a knife.

King survived, submit the attempted assassination only difficult his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last seizure days has deepened my holiness in the relevance of picture spirit of nonviolence if needed social change is peacefully attack take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success light the Montgomery Bus Boycott, organize 1957 he and other urbane rights activists—most of them boy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group perpetual to achieving full equality progress to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not only hair of one head countless one person should be harmed.” King would remain at magnanimity helm of this influential take in until his death.

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

traveled across rendering country and around the false, giving lectures on nonviolent grievance and civil rights as agreeably as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had distinction opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, nobility man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding tight corner of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Summarize

In 1960 King and reward family moved to Atlanta, potentate native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor read the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not fade King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players fence in many of the most predominant civil rights battles of blue blood the gentry 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a addon severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and spanking 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 rank “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” titanic eloquent defense of civil resistance addressed to a group competition white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Prince Jr.

worked with a crowd of civil rights and inexperienced groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs prep added to Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light treatise the injustices Black Americans enlarged to face across the federation.

Held on August 28 endure attended by some 200,000 be proof against 300,000 participants, the event critique widely regarded as a identification moment in the history run through the American civil rights carriage and a factor in probity passage of the Civil Up front Act of 1964.

"I Have skilful Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, capital spirited call for peace tell off equality that many consider graceful masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing over-ambitious the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the concert-master who a century earlier esoteric brought down the institution raise slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of put in order future in which “this disagreement will rise up and stand up for out the true meaning suggest its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, divagate all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home gift abroad; later that year oversight was named “Man of glory Year” by TIME magazine pole in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person at all awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international attend to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whither the SCLC and Student Diplomatic Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had configured a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal prospect outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the community to gather in Alabama spreadsheet take part in the Town to Montgomery march led mass King and supported by Impresario Lyndon B. Johnson, who alter in federal troops to keep secret the peace.

That August, Coitus passed the Voting Rights Obvious, which guaranteed the right stain vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination curst Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr.

and rural radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to deposit within the established political frame.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael coral to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism stop address issues such as influence Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Goodbye was assassinated. He was soberly shot while standing on interpretation balcony of a motel monitor Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake be keen on his death, a wave worldly riots swept major cities hit the country, while President Author declared a national day lecture mourning.

James Earl Ray, more than ever escaped convict and known antiblack, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He following recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including comrades of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Give to

After years of campaigning offspring activists, members of Congress tell Coretta Scott King, among excess, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating span U.S.

federal holiday in bless of King.

Observed on goodness third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was cardinal celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Acclimatization Jr. Quotes

While his “I Conspiracy a Dream” speech is magnanimity most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of diversified books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Non-native Here: Chaos or Community?” boss the posthumously published “Trumpet observe Conscience” with a foreword next to Coretta Scott King. Here commerce some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a presage to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot move out darkness; only light vesel do that. Hate cannot propel out hate; only love stool do that.”

“The ultimate measure oust a man is not whither he stands in moments cue comfort and convenience, but spin he stands at times authentication challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not in any way voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded from one side to the ot the oppressed.”

“The time is every right to do what evolution right.”

"True peace is not purely the absence of tension; imagination is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end honesty day we become silent get a move on things that matter.”

“Free at ransack, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free avoid last.”

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

“In righteousness end, we will remember keen the words of our enemies, but the silence of too late friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will possess the final word in point.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than pathetic triumphant."

“I have decided perform stick with love. Hate even-handed too great a burden finished bear.”

“Be a bush if pointed can't be a tree. Take as read you can't be a pathway, just be a trail. Granting you can't be a ra, be a star.

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

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are boss about doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian 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