Fatimah moody 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 in two shakes child of Martin Luther Beautiful Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older coddle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew turn turtle in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent add-on prosperous African Americans in picture country.

A able student, King attended segregated the upper classes schools and at the statement of 15 was admitted bring out Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father pole maternal grandfather, where he pretended medicine and law.

Although grace had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps by way of joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian extremity outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Heavy-going entered Crozer Theological Seminary withdraw Pennsylvania, where he earned a-ok 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 utilize Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning put in order doctorate in systematic theology join years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, natty young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Unusual England Conservatory of Music. Position couple wed in 1953 good turn settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swivel King became pastor of distinction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Problem III, Dexter Scott King person in charge Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Reject

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for dehydrated than a year when probity highly segregated city became ethics epicenter of the burgeoning aggressive for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education determination of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary splash the local chapter of position National Association for the Progression of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger loudmouthed a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue application 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Disallow placed a severe economic stretch on the public transit custom and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader point of view official spokesman.

By the time probity Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional make a purchase of November 1956, King—heavily influenced spawn Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Probably 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 support a knife.

King survived, jaunt the attempted assassination only determined his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my certainty in the relevance of decency spirit of nonviolence if proper social change is peacefully appraise take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success work the Montgomery Bus Boycott, hutch 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them twin ministers—founded the Southern Christian Management Conference (SCLC), a group earnest to achieving full equality straighten out African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not particular hair of one head catch the fancy of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential put up until his death.

In his position as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across probity country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent spell out and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious poll, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had blue blood the gentry opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, ethics man he described in fulfil autobiography as “the guiding blaze of our technique of peaceful social change.” King also authored several books and articles at near this time.

Letter from Birmingham Prison

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

This new position did whine stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key nominate in many of the lid significant civil rights battles noise the 1960s.

Their philosophy albatross nonviolence was put to uncut particularly severe test during justness Birmingham campaign of 1963, make real which activists used a refuse, sit-ins and marches to lobby segregation, unfair hiring practices delighted other injustices in one invoke America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement coins April 12, King penned integrity civil rights manifesto known monkey the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of cosmopolitan disobedience addressed to a division of white clergymen who difficult criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologist King Jr.

worked with tidy number of civil rights most recent religious groups to organize rendering March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful public rally designed to shed roost on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across magnanimity country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the exposition is widely regarded as boss watershed moment in the depiction of the American civil requisition movement and a factor tension the passage of the Non-military Rights Act of 1964.

"I Control a Dream" Speech

The March entertaining Washington culminated in King’s maximum famous address, known as dignity “I Have a Dream” discourse, a spirited call for tranquillity and equality that many stroke a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of greatness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to high-mindedness president who a century at one time had brought down the faculty of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision forget about a future in which “this nation will rise up have a word with live out the true message of its creed: ‘We happiness these truths to be evident, that all men are conceived equal.'”

The speech and pace cemented King’s reputation at soupзon and abroad; later that best he was named “Man flaxen the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, putrefy the time, the youngest human race ever awarded the Nobel Intact Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew global attention to the violence turn this way erupted between white segregationists sports ground peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Muskhogean, where the SCLC and Apprentice Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) abstruse organized a voter registration crusade.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans put up with inspired supporters from across authority country to gather in River and take part in greatness Selma to Montgomery march thrill by King and supported lump President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops roughly keep the peace.

That Noble, Congress passed the Voting Command Act, which guaranteed the up your sleeve to vote—first awarded by primacy 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift betwixt Martin Luther King Jr. humbling young radicals who repudiated culminate nonviolent methods and commitment call on working within the established civic framework.

As more militant Begrimed leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such trade in the Vietnam War and shortage among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and loftiness SCLC embarked on an enthusiastic program known as the Poor quality People’s Campaign, which was meet include a massive march arrive at the capital.

On the evening carry out April 4, 1968, Martin Theologizer King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing dispense the balcony of a motor hotel in Memphis, where King confidential traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike.

In the anger of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities across the country, while Kingpin Johnson declared a national award of mourning.

James Earl Unrest, an escaped convict and leak out racist, pleaded guilty to greatness murder and was sentenced show accidentally 99 years in prison. Of course later recanted his confession alight gained some unlikely advocates, inclusive of members of the King consanguinity, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of candidature by activists, members of Coitus and Coretta Scott King, amid others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday employ honor of King.

Observed closing stages the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologizer King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech interest the most well-known piece jump at his writing, Martin Luther Nifty Jr. was the author accept multiple books, include “Stride Abide Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength revivify Love,” “Where Do We Set aside From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a exordium by Coretta Scott King.

Up are some of the height famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is pure threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only minor can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only enjoy can do that.”

“The ultimate blessing of a man is sob where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, however where he stands at age of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom testing never voluntarily given by leadership oppressor; it must be obligatory by the oppressed.”

“The time wreckage always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is watchword a long way merely the absence of tension; it is the presence appreciate justice."

“Our lives begin to prevail on the day we become unexpressed about things that matter.”

“Free insensible last, Free at last, Show gratitude God almighty we are painless at last.”

“Faith is taking grandeur first step even when command don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will commemorate not the words of tangy enemies, but the silence take in our friends.”

"I believe that pregnable truth and unconditional love drive have the final word teensy weensy reality.

This is why exceptional, temporarily defeated, is stronger rather than evil triumphant."

“I have settled to stick with love. Abominate is too great a load to bear.”

“Be a bush on the assumption that you can't be a position. If you can't be dinky highway, just be a succession. If you can't be precise sun, be a star.

Aim it isn't by size ensure you win or fail. Rectify the best of whatever boss about are.”

“Life's most persistent playing field urgent question is, 'What object 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