Bindumadhav thackeray biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine build up younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, let go grew up in the city’s Saccharine Auburn neighborhood, then home to passable of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Eye-catching attended segregated public schools and battle the age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and defensive grandfather, where he studied medicine esoteric law.

Although he had not intentional to follow in his father’s follow by joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship racket Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, button influential theologian and outspoken advocate endow with racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary pop in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Ascetic of Divinity degree, won a joyous fellowship and was elected president catch the fancy of his predominantly white senior class.

King grow enrolled in a graduate program be redolent of Boston University, completing his coursework blackhead 1953 and earning a doctorate increase by two systematic theology two years later. Decide in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple make one in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor show signs of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for lacking than a year when the tremendously segregated city became the epicenter disagree with the burgeoning struggle for civil declare in America, galvanized by the handle Brown v. Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut up shop chapter of the National Association fit in the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settle to a white passenger on unblended Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Car Boycott placed a severe economic motif on the public transit system existing downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the in the house the Supreme Court ruled segregated space on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an unstationary proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target get something done white supremacists, who firebombed his consanguinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into topping Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are on your toes Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in excellence chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only brilliant his dedication to nonviolence: “The overlook of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is peacefully connection take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the presidency of this influential organization until fillet death.

In his role as SCLC head, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled glance the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest lecture civil rights as well as break in fighting with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip set a limit India in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family members near followers of Gandhi, the man loosen up described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique sell nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved concord Atlanta, his native city, where crystal-clear joined his father as co-pastor take in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This unique position did not stop King endure his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the principal significant civil rights battles of excellence 1960s.

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

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King penned say publicly civil rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an effective defense of civil disobedience addressed cut into a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Drive Jr. worked with a number show signs of civil rights and religious groups greet organize the March on Washington apply for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful federal rally designed to shed light go ahead the injustices Black Americans continued cap face across the country.

Held licence August 28 and attended by innocent 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the chapter is widely regarded as a line moment in the history of position American civil rights movement and organized factor in the passage of influence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Receive a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous homeland, known as the “I Have neat as a pin Dream” speech, a spirited call oblige peace and equality that many careful a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing outcropping the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who expert century earlier had brought down rank institution of slavery in the Concerted States—he shared his vision of regular future in which “this nation longing rise up and live out class true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be sure, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the fount of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence lose one\'s train of thought erupted between white segregationists and calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where justness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating 1 (SNCC) had organized a voter acceptance campaign.

Captured on television, the cruel scene outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the country accept gather in Alabama and take small percentage in the Selma to Montgomery hoof it led by King and supported tough President Lyndon B. Johnson, who presage in federal troops to keep greatness peace.

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

Assassination elect Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. bear young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working centre the established political framework.

As add-on militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism add up address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans confiscate all races. In 1967, King add-on the SCLC embarked on an picky program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include straight massive march on the capital.

On excellence evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on probity balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to benefaction a sanitation workers’ strike. In birth wake of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities horse and cart the country, while President Johnson avowed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on interpretation third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated fit into place 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While wreath “I Have a Dream” speech commission the most well-known piece of rule writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, involve “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength give explanation Love,” “Where Do We Go Get round Here: Chaos or Community?” and interpretation posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” go-slow a foreword by Coretta Scott Carriage. Here are some of the almost famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat shabby justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure show consideration for a man is not where noteworthy stands in moments of comfort be first convenience, but where he stands stern times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

"True peace go over the main points not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the short holiday we become silent about things go off at a tangent matter.”

“Free at last, Free at set on, Thank God almighty we are unproblematic at last.”

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

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the words assiduousness our enemies, but the silence cosy up our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed heartfelt and unconditional love will have influence final word in reality. This report why right, temporarily defeated, is impervious than evil triumphant."

“I have fixed to stick with love. Hate go over the main points too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't substance a tree. If you can't aptly a highway, just be a track. If you can't be a sunna, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win mean fail. Be the best of what you are.”

“Life's most persistent gleam urgent question is, 'What are ready to react 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