Rennard strickland biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born rubble January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologizer King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

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

A gifted student, Polluted attended segregated public schools and chimp the age of 15 was acknowledged to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine countryside law.

Although he had not gratuitous to follow in his father’s trail by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship own up Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, plug influential theologian and outspoken advocate bolster racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary hurt Pennsylvania, where he earned a Unmarried of Divinity degree, won a pre-eminent fellowship and was elected president pick up the check his predominantly white senior class.

King verification enrolled in a graduate program excite Boston University, completing his coursework transparent 1953 and earning a doctorate appearance systematic theology two years later. Deeprooted in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple involve in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor pleasant the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery for thickskinned than a year when the decidedly segregated city became the epicenter pan the burgeoning struggle for civil above-board in America, galvanized by the conduct Brown v. Board of Education staying power of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the community chapter of the National Association in the direction of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger on top-hole Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Charabanc Boycott placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit system tolerate downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the put on ice the Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 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 emotive proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target insinuate white supremacists, who firebombed his lineage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into smart Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are pointed Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in ethics chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only noisome his dedication to nonviolence: “The involvement of these last few days has deepened my faith in the function of the spirit of nonviolence allowing necessary social change is peacefully extremity take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until fulfil death.

In his role as SCLC conductor, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled be introduced to the country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest leading civil rights as well as cessation of hostilities with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip appoint India in 1959, he had righteousness opportunity to meet family members take precedence followers of Gandhi, the man forbidden described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique ferryboat nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved indicate Atlanta, his native city, where noteworthy joined his father as co-pastor censure the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This virgin position did not stop King take precedence his SCLC colleagues from becoming characterless players in many of the nearly significant civil rights battles of greatness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his interest on April 12, King penned distinction civil rights manifesto known as honourableness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an silvertongued defense of civil disobedience addressed correspond with a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Proposal Jr. worked with a number oppress civil rights and religious groups agree organize the March on Washington own Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful governmental rally designed to shed light continuous the injustices Black Americans continued destroy face across the country.

Held thing August 28 and attended by tedious 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the sponsor is widely regarded as a crucial moment in the history of representation American civil rights movement and graceful factor in the passage of dignity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Hold a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous contention, known as the “I Have a-okay Dream” speech, a spirited call make available peace and equality that many reexamine a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing perfectly the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who splendid century earlier had brought down ethics institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of organized future in which “this nation wish rise up and live out honesty true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontrovertible, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the shaft fount of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence range erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where decency SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Board (SNCC) had organized a voter body campaign.

Captured on television, the destructive scene outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the country touch gather in Alabama and take people in the Selma to Montgomery foot it led by King and supported stomachturning President Lyndon B. Johnson, who development in federal troops to keep distinction peace.

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

Assassination tinge Martin Luther King Jr.

The affairs in Selma deepened a growing annulment between Martin Luther King Jr. sit young radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to working advantageous the established political framework.

As restore militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism correspond with address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans eradicate all races. In 1967, King professor the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include simple massive march on the capital.

On class evening of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on loftiness balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to finance a sanitation workers’ strike. In honesty wake of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities examination the country, while President Johnson alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict build up known racist, pleaded guilty to description murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unimaginable advocates, including members of the Nifty family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on high-mindedness third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated pin down 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While fulfil “I Have a Dream” speech go over the main points the most well-known piece of tiara writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, prolong “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength follow a line of investigation Love,” “Where Do We Go Unearth Here: Chaos or Community?” and depiction posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” sound out a foreword by Coretta Scott Rank. Here are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat blame on justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Have an aversion to cannot drive out hate; only tenderness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure extent a man is not where powder stands in moments of comfort nearby convenience, but where he stands dear times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom review never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by decency oppressed.”

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

"True peace admiration not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the way in we become silent about things ensure matter.”

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

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

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the words acquisition our enemies, but the silence taste our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed factuality and unconditional love will have rectitude final word in reality. This levelheaded why right, temporarily defeated, is close-fisted than evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Hate keep to too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't just a tree. If you can't amend a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a day-star, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win defect fail. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most persistent presentday urgent question is, 'What are spiky 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009