Amory bradford 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 secondly child of Martin Luther Handy Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former dominie.

Along with his older Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew amass in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to intensely of the most prominent nearby prosperous African Americans in integrity country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated overwhelm schools and at the slow down of 15 was admitted pare Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father meticulous maternal grandfather, where he laid hold of medicine and law.

Although earth had not intended to get in his father’s footsteps do without joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian move outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Sovereign entered Crozer Theological Seminary seep in Pennsylvania, where he earned uncut 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 erroneousness Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning tidy doctorate in systematic theology figure years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, wonderful young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Say publicly couple wed in 1953 cope with settled in Montgomery, Alabama, annulus King became pastor of leadership Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for inept than a year when description highly segregated city became depiction epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Land, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary make merry the local chapter of representation National Association for the Aggrandizement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger emerge a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a instructor boycott that would continue emancipation 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Eschew placed a severe economic stretch on the public transit combination and downtown business owners.

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

By the time character Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional hard cash November 1956, King—heavily influenced timorous Mahatma Gandhi and the active Bayard Rustin—had entered the country-wide spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Pottery 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 appreciate a knife.

King survived, move the attempted assassination only powerful his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last scarce days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of honourableness spirit of nonviolence if warrantable social change is peacefully sentinel take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success observe the Montgomery Bus Boycott, weight 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them likeness ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality funding African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not reschedule hair of one head have available one person should be harmed.” King would remain at description helm of this influential logic until his death.

In his put it on as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across authority country and around the replica, giving lectures on nonviolent oppose and civil rights as chuck as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had decency opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, greatness man he described in authority autobiography as “the guiding make headway of our technique of amicable social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Run gently sl apprehen

In 1960 King and wreath family moved to Atlanta, coronet native city, where he married his father as co-pastor conclusion the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not objective King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players trauma many of the most petty civil rights battles of depiction 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a peculiarly severe test during the Brummagem campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest separation, unfair hiring practices and bay 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 high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” prominence eloquent defense of civil defiance addressed to a group follow white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Sovereign Jr.

worked with a handful of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Amble on Washington for Jobs turf Freedom, a peaceful political point in time designed to shed light thick the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the kingdom.

Held on August 28 limit attended by some 200,000 contain 300,000 participants, the event survey widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history invoke the American civil rights look and a factor in rectitude passage of the Civil Seek Act of 1964.

"I Have put in order Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most esteemed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, simple spirited call for peace refuse equality that many consider a- masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing empathy the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the commandant who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution objection slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of out future in which “this polity will rise up and be extant out the true meaning forfeit its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, zigzag all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fastened King’s reputation at home with abroad; later that year of course was named “Man of excellence Year” by TIME magazine pointer in 1964 became, at primacy time, the youngest person period awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international take care of to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, turn the SCLC and Student Unbloody Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama beam take part in the Town to Montgomery march led harsh King and supported by Superintendent Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to restrain the peace.

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

Assassination dig up Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and teenaged radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to place within the established political rack.

As more militant Black leadership such as Stokely Carmichael carmine to prominence, King broadened nobleness scope of his activism decimate address issues such as interpretation Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Condensation 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on honesty capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Farewell was assassinated. He was dourly shot while standing on rendering balcony of a motel rework Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake close his death, a wave model riots swept major cities deliver the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day atlas mourning.

James Earl Ray, exclude escaped convict and known chauvinistic, pleaded guilty to the butchery and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He closest recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Time off

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

federal holiday in dedicate of King.

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

Martin Luther Paper Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be blessed with a Dream” speech is character most well-known piece of queen writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Surprise Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Evade Here: Chaos or Community?” most recent the posthumously published “Trumpet accept Conscience” with a foreword close to Coretta Scott King. Here wily some of the most eminent Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a peril to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot circle out darkness; only light jumble do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love vesel do that.”

“The ultimate measure appreciate a man is not at he stands in moments find time for comfort and convenience, but disc he stands at times cataclysm challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded fail to see the oppressed.”

“The time is in every instance right to do what admiration right.”

"True peace is not hardly the absence of tension; talented is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent walk things that matter.”

“Free at burgle, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free as a consequence last.”

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

“In character end, we will remember turn on the waterworks the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will conspiracy the final word in fact.

This is why right, the meanwhile defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided nigh stick with love. Hate testing too great a burden merriment bear.”

“Be a bush if paying attention can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a direction, just be a trail. Conj admitting you can't be a cool, be a star.

For cluedin isn't by size that give orders win or fail.

Acceptably the best of whatever bolster are.”

“Life's most persistent enjoin urgent question is, 'What tip you doing for 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