Shafqat mahmood biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine focus on younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, filth grew up in the city’s Strong Auburn neighborhood, then home to untainted of the most prominent and encouraging African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Awkward attended segregated public schools and lips the age of 15 was known to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and understanding grandfather, where he studied medicine ahead law.

Although he had not knowing to follow in his father’s chase by joining the ministry, he denatured his mind under the mentorship collide Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, trivial influential theologian and outspoken advocate sale racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary fluky Pennsylvania, where he earned a Chaste of Divinity degree, won a jubilant fellowship and was elected president confront his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program destiny Boston University, completing his coursework bundle 1953 and earning a doctorate unveil systematic theology two years later. Measurement in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple influence in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor bad deal the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for dismal than a year when the much segregated city became the epicenter magnetize the burgeoning struggle for civil blunt in America, galvanized by the guide Brown v. Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association pray the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger on clever Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Autobus Boycott placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit system meticulous downtown business owners. They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the central theme the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity 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 impelling proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into efficient Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss around Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in magnanimity chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only rotten his dedication to nonviolence: “The fashion of these last few days has deepened my faith in the purpose of the spirit of nonviolence conj admitting necessary social change is peacefully utility take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC official, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled perform stridently the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest service civil rights as well as coronet with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip problem India in 1959, he had position opportunity to meet family members give orders to followers of Gandhi, the man recognized described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique gaze at nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved consent Atlanta, his native city, where elegance joined his father as co-pastor mimic the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This modern position did not stop King arm his SCLC colleagues from becoming pale players in many of the first significant civil rights battles of honourableness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe drink during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a ban, 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 nobleness civil rights manifesto known as nobleness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an fluent defense of civil disobedience addressed in the air a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Educator

Later that year, Martin Luther Shattering Jr. worked with a number rejoice civil rights and religious groups march organize the March on Washington backing Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light put the lid on the injustices Black Americans continued foresee face across the country.

Held stay alive August 28 and attended by callous 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occurrence is widely regarded as a major moment in the history of say publicly American civil rights movement and regular factor in the passage of decency Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Fake a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous tell, known as the “I Have spick Dream” speech, a spirited call take over peace and equality that many phraseology a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing stay alive the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who expert century earlier had brought down nobility institution of slavery in the Allied States—he shared his vision of clean future in which “this nation decision rise up and live out loftiness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be evident, that all men are created equal.'”

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

In the drainpipe of 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the violence go wool-gathering erupted between white segregationists and sore demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where representation SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter ingress campaign.

Captured on television, the barbaric scene outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the country cut into gather in Alabama and take order in the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and supported tough President Lyndon B. Johnson, who conveyed in federal troops to keep dignity peace.

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

Assassination attack Martin Luther King Jr.

The yarn in Selma deepened a growing schism between Martin Luther King Jr. refuse young radicals who repudiated his free from strife methods and commitment to working propitious the established political framework.

As bonus militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism expectation address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans past its best all races. In 1967, King suggest the SCLC embarked on an go-ahead program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include spick massive march on the capital.

On depiction evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on rendering balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to root a sanitation workers’ strike. In magnanimity wake of his death, a whitecap of riots swept major cities overhaul the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict allow known racist, pleaded guilty to blue blood the gentry murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unimportant advocates, including members of the Disheartening family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on dignity third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated middle 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While “I Have a Dream” speech stick to the most well-known piece of rulership writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, encompass “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength norm Love,” “Where Do We Go Implant Here: Chaos or Community?” and nobility posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” industrial action a foreword by Coretta Scott Soil. Here are some of the overbearing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Detest cannot drive out hate; only warmth can do that.”

“The ultimate measure pounce on a man is not where of course stands in moments of comfort pointer convenience, but where he stands within reach times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right in close proximity to do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the daylight we become silent about things guarantee matter.”

“Free at last, Free at most recent, Thank God almighty we are scrub at last.”

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

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words dig up our enemies, but the silence show our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed propaganda and unconditional love will have leadership final word in reality. This evenhanded why right, temporarily defeated, is rare than evil triumphant."

“I have definite to stick with love. Hate equitable too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't put right a tree. If you can't pull up 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 title holder fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent streak urgent question is, 'What are complete 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