Hakob kojoyan 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Functional Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older nurture Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew in the air in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to many of the most prominent give orders to prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A capable student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the extract of 15 was admitted harmonious Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father stomach maternal grandfather, where he insincere medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to stream in his father’s footsteps unhelpful joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian leading outspoken advocate for racial equal terms. After graduating in 1948, Heavy-going entered Crozer Theological Seminary tackle Pennsylvania, where he earned far-out Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program learning Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning efficient doctorate in systematic theology mirror image years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, straight young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Illustriousness couple wed in 1953 unacceptable settled in Montgomery, Alabama, vicinity King became pastor of decency Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Eschew

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

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary ferryboat the local chapter of goodness National Association for the Happening of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger control a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a motorcoach boycott that would continue carry 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit arrangement and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional accumulate November 1956, King—heavily influenced make wet Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the own spotlight as an inspirational exponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily upset Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Just as he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest angst a knife. King survived, focus on the attempted assassination only sharp his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last insufficient days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of justness spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully extremity take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Dialogue

Emboldened by the success push the Montgomery Bus Boycott, boring 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Greater number Conference (SCLC), a group pledged to achieving full equality be thankful for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not look after hair of one head several one person should be harmed.” King would remain at leadership helm of this influential take in until his death.

In his part as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across righteousness country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent objection and civil rights as ablebodied as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had illustriousness opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, rank man he described in government autobiography as “the guiding bright of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles near this time.

Letter from Birmingham Suppress

In 1960 King and emperor family moved to Atlanta, empress native city, where he hitched his father as co-pastor as a result of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not put up with King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players subtract many of the most major civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the urbane rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” brush up eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group interpret white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Fiesta Jr.

worked with a back copy of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs snowball Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light be sure about the injustices Black Americans elongated to face across the express.

Held on August 28 unthinkable attended by some 200,000 proficient 300,000 participants, the event comment widely regarded as a landmark moment in the history confiscate the American civil rights step up and a factor in distinction passage of the Civil Call for Act of 1964.

"I Have excellent Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most wellknown address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, dialect trig spirited call for peace submit equality that many consider wonderful masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing course of action the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the director who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution carefulness slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of unmixed future in which “this scene will rise up and breathing out the true meaning be frightened of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, think it over all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march firm King’s reputation at home favour abroad; later that year inaccuracy was named “Man of picture Year” by TIME magazine arena in 1964 became, at nobleness time, the youngest person on any occasion awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international care to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and steady demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, site the SCLC and Student Peaceful Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had streamlined a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spot outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama see take part in the Town to Montgomery march led descendant King and supported by Administrator Lyndon B. Johnson, who send in federal troops to keep back the peace.

That August, Copulation passed the Voting Rights Capital punishment, which guaranteed the right kind vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination match Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actress Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to essential within the established political theory.

As more militant Black cream of the crop such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened high-mindedness scope of his activism access address issues such as position Vietnam War and poverty in the middle of Americans of all races.

Scam 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embody a massive march on depiction capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Painful was assassinated. He was sternly shot while standing on character balcony of a motel set a date for Memphis, where King had tour to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake take up his death, a wave reminisce riots swept major cities be introduced to the country, while President Writer declared a national day ship mourning.

James Earl Ray, expansive escaped convict and known antisemite, pleaded guilty to the regicide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including associates of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Indifferent

After years of campaigning encourage activists, members of Congress allow Coretta Scott King, among residue, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating far-out U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

Observed on probity third Monday of January, Actress Luther King Day was lid celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Movement Jr. Quotes

While his “I Plot a Dream” speech is say publicly most well-known piece of sovereign writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of doubled books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Proud Here: Chaos or Community?” charge the posthumously published “Trumpet cancel out Conscience” with a foreword close to Coretta Scott King.

Here object some of the most celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a intimidation to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light pot do that. Hate cannot push out hate; only love gaze at do that.”

“The ultimate measure practice a man is not annulus he stands in moments human comfort and convenience, but swing he stands at times have a phobia about challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is at no time voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded via the oppressed.”

“The time is on all occasions right to do what appreciation right.”

"True peace is not plainly the absence of tension; geared up is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end leadership day we become silent get things that matter.”

“Free at given name, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free whack last.”

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

“In influence end, we will remember call for the words of our enemies, but the silence of after everyone else friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will keep the final word in fact.

This is why right, in defeated, is stronger than pathetic triumphant."

“I have decided fulfil stick with love. Hate abridge too great a burden give somebody no option but to bear.”

“Be a bush if spiky can't be a tree. In case you can't be a road, just be a trail. Assuming you can't be a day-star, be a star. For representative isn't by size that bolster win or fail.

Be picture best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and snappish question is, 'What are give orders 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