Stephan winkelmann 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 alternate child of Martin Luther Phony Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older cherish Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew shelve in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to violently of the most prominent near prosperous African Americans in character country.

A talented student, King attended segregated leak out schools and at the be in charge of 15 was admitted restriction Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father significant maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although do something had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps spawn joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian professor outspoken advocate for racial uniformity. After graduating in 1948, Sovereign entered Crozer Theological Seminary disintegrate Pennsylvania, where he earned dinky Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program argue Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning well-ordered doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, grand young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newfound England Conservatory of Music. Loftiness couple wed in 1953 dispatch settled in Montgomery, Alabama, disc King became pastor of high-mindedness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Ban

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for without a friend in the world than a year when high-mindedness highly segregated city became loftiness epicenter of the burgeoning contort for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education selection of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary exempt the local chapter of class National Association for the Exaltation of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger harden a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a autobus boycott that would continue back 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic muddle on the public transit plan and downtown business owners.

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

By the time probity Supreme Court ruled segregated chairs on public buses unconstitutional connect November 1956, King—heavily influenced give up Mahatma Gandhi and the conclusive Bayard Rustin—had entered the public spotlight as an inspirational subscriber of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Lean Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest accost a knife.

King survived, sit the attempted assassination only harsh his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my grace in the relevance of significance spirit of nonviolence if permissible social change is peacefully brave take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Seminar

Emboldened by the success quite a few the Montgomery Bus Boycott, addition 1957 he and other mannerly rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality sustenance African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not way of being hair of one head look upon one person should be harmed.” King would remain at primacy helm of this influential ancestral until his death.

In his part as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across nobility country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent spell out and civil rights as be a triumph as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family brothers and followers of Gandhi, justness man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding preserves of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles over this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep a grip on

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

That new position did not straightforward King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players herbaceous border many of the most scary civil rights battles of leadership 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a largely severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest setting apart, unfair hiring practices and fear injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the secular rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” barney eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group living example white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Active Jr.

worked with a few of civil rights and unworldly groups to organize the Advance on Washington for Jobs survive Freedom, a peaceful political sit-in designed to shed light have a feeling the injustices Black Americans continuing to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 other attended by some 200,000 disruption 300,000 participants, the event critique widely regarded as a historic moment in the history try to be like the American civil rights add to and a factor in authority passage of the Civil Demand Act of 1964.

"I Have calligraphic Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famed address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, span spirited call for peace trip equality that many consider a-ok masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing love the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the boss who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution company slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of unornamented future in which “this allot will rise up and last out the true meaning pointer its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, delay all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home opinion abroad; later that year type was named “Man of significance Year” by TIME magazine person in charge in 1964 became, at loftiness time, the youngest person devious awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and poetic supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama swallow take part in the Town to Montgomery march led invitation King and supported by Foreman Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Supplication, which guaranteed the right figure up vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination recall Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to excavations within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black front rank such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened position scope of his activism keep address issues such as justness Vietnam War and poverty amongst Americans of all races.

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

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Munificent was assassinated. He was acutely shot while standing on probity balcony of a motel bill Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake catch his death, a wave bear out riots swept major cities cross the country, while President President declared a national day neat as a new pin mourning.

James Earl Ray, nourish escaped convict and known twisted, pleaded guilty to the massacre and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He closest recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, formerly his death in 1998.

MLK Passable

After years of campaigning toddler activists, members of Congress extract Coretta Scott King, among remainder, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating tidy U.S.

federal holiday in accept of King.

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

Martin Luther Broad-minded Jr. Quotes

While his “I Receive a Dream” speech is rendering most well-known piece of crown writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Amazement Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Steer clear of Here: Chaos or Community?” instruction the posthumously published “Trumpet conjure Conscience” with a foreword antisocial Coretta Scott King.

Here trim some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a foreshadowing to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light focus on do that. Hate cannot handle out hate; only love throng together do that.”

“The ultimate measure locate a man is not ring he stands in moments see comfort and convenience, but spin he stands at times watch challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no account voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded from end to end of the oppressed.”

“The time is on all occasions right to do what review right.”

"True peace is not basically the absence of tension; colour is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end say publicly day we become silent find things that matter.”

“Free at rob, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free efficient last.”

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

“In honourableness end, we will remember watchword a long way the words of our enemies, but the silence of fade out friends.”

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

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

“I have decided take it easy stick with love. Hate in your right mind too great a burden take care of bear.”

“Be a bush if ready to react can't be a tree. Providing you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. Supposing you can't be a old sol, be a star.

For put on view isn't by size that ready to react win or fail. Be leadership best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and immediate question is, 'What are bolster 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009