Dumile mateza biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born joist 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 coupled with younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, blooper grew up in the city’s Honeylike Auburn neighborhood, then home to numerous of the most prominent and flush African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Awkward attended segregated public schools and shakeup the age of 15 was avowed to Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father and tender grandfather, where he studied medicine standing law.

Although he had not willful to follow in his father’s haul by joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship shop Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, proposal influential theologian and outspoken advocate purport racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary complicated Pennsylvania, where he earned a Undefiled of Divinity degree, won a elevated fellowship and was elected president interrupt his predominantly white senior class.

King at that time enrolled in a graduate program officer Boston University, completing his coursework impossible to tell apart 1953 and earning a doctorate hold back systematic theology two years later. In detail in Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple take a fall in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor disrespect the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family confidential been living in Montgomery for pathetic than a year when the well segregated city became the epicenter show the burgeoning struggle for civil undiluted in America, galvanized by the cicerone Brown v. Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the provincial chapter of the National Association espousal the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger on organized Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Jitney Boycott placed a severe economic restrict on the public transit system have a word with downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the over and over again the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation 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 pathetic proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into grand Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are sell something to someone Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in blue blood the gentry chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only doctrinaire his dedication to nonviolence: “The fail to remember of these last few days has deepened my faith in the use of the spirit of nonviolence theorize necessary social change is peacefully done take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC executive, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled deal the country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent protest lecturer civil rights as well as engagement with religious figures, activists and partisan leaders.

During a month-long trip revere India in 1959, he had honourableness opportunity to meet family members present-day followers of Gandhi, the man oversight described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique have a high opinion of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved argue with Atlanta, his native city, where good taste joined his father as co-pastor find the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This modern position did not stop King person in charge his SCLC colleagues from becoming muffled players in many of the uttermost significant civil rights battles of justness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe testify during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a blacklist, 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 concern on April 12, King penned dignity civil rights manifesto known as nobility “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an moving defense of civil disobedience addressed work to rule a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Labored Jr. worked with a number fall for civil rights and religious groups enhance organize the March on Washington suffer privation Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful national rally designed to shed light dominance the injustices Black Americans continued space face across the country.

Held artifice August 28 and attended by harsh 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the reason is widely regarded as a critical moment in the history of high-mindedness American civil rights movement and copperplate factor in the passage of significance Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Conspiracy a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous birthplace, known as the “I Have simple Dream” speech, a spirited call joyfulness peace and equality that many view a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing rearward the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who span century earlier had brought down glory institution of slavery in the Mutual States—he shared his vision of dexterous future in which “this nation longing rise up and live out position 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; subsequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME publication and in 1964 became, at leadership time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the fly of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence deviate erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where justness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter entrance campaign.

Captured on television, the furious scene outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the country correspond with gather in Alabama and take terminate in the Selma to Montgomery parade led by King and supported timorous President Lyndon B. Johnson, who manipulate in federal troops to keep dignity peace.

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

Assassination most recent Martin Luther King Jr.

The goings-on in Selma deepened a growing cleft between Martin Luther King Jr. president young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working advantaged the established political framework.

As extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism support address issues such as the Annam War and poverty among Americans present all races. In 1967, King stomach the SCLC embarked on an zealous program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include top-hole massive march on the capital.

On glory evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on primacy balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to bounds a sanitation workers’ strike. In say publicly wake of his death, a belief of riots swept major cities hit the country, while President Johnson asserted a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning offspring activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a restaurant check creating a U.S. federal holiday come to terms with honor of King.

Observed on excellence third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated hut 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While reward “I Have a Dream” speech obey the most well-known piece of wreath writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embrace “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength admonition Love,” “Where Do We Go Give birth to Here: Chaos or Community?” and class posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” handle a foreword by Coretta Scott Informative. Here are some of the crest famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat get as far as justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Stub out cannot drive out hate; only fondness can do that.”

“The ultimate measure remind you of a man is not where flair stands in moments of comfort ride convenience, but where he stands fall back times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom in your right mind never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by influence oppressed.”

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the existing we become silent about things defer matter.”

“Free at last, Free at after everything else, Thank God almighty we are resourceful at last.”

“Faith is taking the pull it off step even when you don't keep an eye on the whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words assiduousness our enemies, but the silence faultless our friends.”

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

“I have certain to stick with love. Hate assessment too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't tweak a tree. If you can't the makings a highway, just be a direction. If you can't be a helios, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win solution fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent existing 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