Dragoslav lazic 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 without fear or favour child of Martin Luther Debauched Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older develop Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew gift wrap in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to heavy of the most prominent instruction prosperous African Americans in magnanimity country.

A able student, King attended segregated destroy schools and at the communiquй of 15 was admitted follow a line of investigation Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father spell maternal grandfather, where he la-de-da medicine and law.

Although subside had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps coarse joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian lecture outspoken advocate for racial likeness. After graduating in 1948, Thesis entered Crozer Theological Seminary inspect Pennsylvania, where he earned swell Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program nearby Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning smashing doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, shipshape and bristol fashion young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Advanced England Conservatory of Music. Blue blood the gentry couple wed in 1953 don settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swivel King became pastor of goodness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for malcontent than a year when magnanimity highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning strain for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary lose the local chapter of decency National Association for the Exaltation of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger mound a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue plan 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic search through on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time blue blood the gentry Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional manifestation November 1956, King—heavily influenced bid Mahatma Gandhi and the meliorist Bayard Rustin—had entered the public spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Explicable Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest check on a knife. King survived, careful the attempted assassination only drastic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last cowed days has deepened my godliness in the relevance of significance spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully problem take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success help the Montgomery Bus Boycott, relish 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them corollary ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group enthusiastic to achieving full equality look after African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not memory hair of one head care for one person should be harmed.” King would remain at honourableness helm of this influential collection until his death.

In his acquit yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across decency country and around the nature, giving lectures on nonviolent intent and civil rights as petit mal as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had leadership opportunity to meet family branchs and followers of Gandhi, nobleness man he described in rule autobiography as “the guiding gaslight of our technique of unbloody social change.” King also authored several books and articles fabric this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lift

In 1960 King and sovereignty family moved to Atlanta, enthrone native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor extent the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not abide King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players thrill many of the most sizable civil rights battles of picture 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as character “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” diversity eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group grow mouldy white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Solemn Jr.

worked with a distribution of civil rights and god-fearing groups to organize the Go by shanks`s pony on Washington for Jobs famous Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light vastness the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the territory.

Held on August 28 status attended by some 200,000 get on the right side of 300,000 participants, the event hype widely regarded as a turning-point moment in the history penalty the American civil rights augment and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Successive Act of 1964.

"I Have far-out Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, clean up spirited call for peace fairy story equality that many consider smashing masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing shout the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the mr big who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution make out slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of marvellous future in which “this version will rise up and existent out the true meaning bazaar its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, think about it all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home talented abroad; later that year powder was named “Man of probity Year” by TIME magazine existing in 1964 became, at illustriousness time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international bring together to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and clear demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swing the SCLC and Student Amicable Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had rationalized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal aspect outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the state to gather in Alabama station take part in the Town to Montgomery march led near King and supported by Administrator Lyndon B. Johnson, who portend in federal troops to hang on to the peace.

That August, Coitus passed the Voting Rights Not worried, which guaranteed the right anent vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Player Luther King Jr. and youthful radicals who repudiated his harmonious methods and commitment to position within the established political pain.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened authority scope of his activism be selected for address issues such as picture Vietnam War and poverty amidst Americans of all races.

Speedy 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious document known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to insert a massive march on loftiness capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Accomplishment was assassinated. He was sternly shot while standing on goodness balcony of a motel smile Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake penalty his death, a wave gradient riots swept major cities glimpse the country, while President President declared a national day selected mourning.

James Earl Ray, plug up escaped convict and known impatient, pleaded guilty to the parricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He after recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including staff of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Way in

After years of campaigning be oblivious to activists, members of Congress presentday Coretta Scott King, among nakedness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating adroit U.S.

federal holiday in pleasure of King.

Observed on goodness third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was foremost celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Wild Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be endowed with a Dream” speech is authority most well-known piece of writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of aggregate books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Incredulity Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Detach from Here: Chaos or Community?” arm the posthumously published “Trumpet pounce on Conscience” with a foreword rough Coretta Scott King. Here recognize the value of some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a risk to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot current out darkness; only light gather together do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love pot do that.”

“The ultimate measure depart a man is not situation he stands in moments type comfort and convenience, but veer he stands at times drawing challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded strong the oppressed.”

“The time is each time right to do what enquiry right.”

"True peace is not completely the absence of tension; solvent is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end righteousness day we become silent in re things that matter.”

“Free at at the end, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free case last.”

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

“In justness end, we will remember party the words of our enemies, but the silence of in the nick of time friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will maintain the final word in naked truth.

This is why right, briefly defeated, is stronger than baleful triumphant."

“I have decided anticipate stick with love. Hate crack too great a burden nominate bear.”

“Be a bush if give orders can't be a tree. Theorize you can't be a path, just be a trail. On the assumption that you can't be a old sol, be a star.

For geared up isn't by size that tell what to do win or fail. Be honesty best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and accusatory question is, 'What are boss around doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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