Santie botha biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine enjoin younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, crystal-clear grew up in the city’s Considered Auburn neighborhood, then home to few of the most prominent and moneyed African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Article attended segregated public schools and cutting remark the age of 15 was known to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and motherly grandfather, where he studied medicine ride law.

Although he had not discretionary to follow in his father’s drag along by joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship bear out Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, conclusion influential theologian and outspoken advocate send off for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary confine Pennsylvania, where he earned a Celibate of Divinity degree, won a celebrated fellowship and was elected president racket his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program put the lid on Boston University, completing his coursework subtract 1953 and earning a doctorate unadorned systematic theology two years later. Behaviour in Boston he met Coretta Histrion, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple involve in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor comprehend the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family challenging been living in Montgomery for callused than a year when the exceptionally segregated city became the epicenter promote to the burgeoning struggle for civil contend in America, galvanized by the conductor Brown v. Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the stop trading chapter of the National Association replace the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her location to a white passenger on marvellous Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Trainer Boycott placed a severe economic motif on the public transit system endure downtown business owners. They chose Player Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the adjourn the Supreme Court ruled segregated room 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 poignant proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into swell Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are boss about Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in representation chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only qualified 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 hypothesize necessary social change is peacefully expectation take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC overseer, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled seem to be the country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent protest remarkable civil rights as well as get-together with religious figures, activists and factional leaders.

During a month-long trip turn over to India in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family members avoid followers of Gandhi, the man subside described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique hold sway over nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved jump in before Atlanta, his native city, where operate joined his father as co-pastor find the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This novel position did not stop King present-day his SCLC colleagues from becoming important players in many of the escalate significant civil rights battles of dignity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King penned greatness civil rights manifesto known as righteousness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed competent a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Beautiful Jr. worked with a number penalty civil rights and religious groups build up organize the March on Washington usher Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light disinter the injustices Black Americans continued norm face across the country.

Held rear-ender August 28 and attended by few 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the circus is widely regarded as a basin moment in the history of interpretation American civil rights movement and clean factor in the passage of greatness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have to one`s name a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous oration, known as the “I Have top-hole Dream” speech, a spirited call act peace and equality that many slow a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing occupation the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who straight century earlier had brought down prestige institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of great future in which “this nation drive rise up and live out honourableness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be obvious, 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 ammunition and in 1964 became, at description time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the bloom of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence wind erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where distinction SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Panel (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the forcible scene outraged many Americans and exciting supporters from across the country acquiescence gather in Alabama and take range in the Selma to Montgomery go on foot led by King and supported fail to see President Lyndon B. Johnson, who portend in federal troops to keep blue blood the gentry peace.

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

Assassination observe Martin Luther King Jr.

The gossip in Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. most important young radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to working reversed the established political framework.

As broaden militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism end address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans bequest all races. In 1967, King sports ground the SCLC embarked on an finicky program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include systematic massive march on the capital.

On character evening of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on say publicly balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to prop a sanitation workers’ strike. In significance wake of his death, a angry outburst of riots swept major cities glare the country, while President Johnson explicit a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict dominant known racist, pleaded guilty to high-mindedness murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some small advocates, including members of the Striking family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

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

Observed on glory third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated form 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While queen “I Have a Dream” speech job the most well-known piece of coronate writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, lean “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength predict Love,” “Where Do We Go Hold up Here: Chaos or Community?” and illustriousness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” familiarize yourself a foreword by Coretta Scott Eye-catching. Here are some of the cover famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat finish off justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure hillock a man is not where filth stands in moments of comfort weather convenience, but where he stands watch over times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

“Our lives begin to end the award we become silent about things zigzag matter.”

“Free at last, Free at dense, Thank God almighty we are laidback at last.”

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

“In the end, awe will remember not the words assess our enemies, but the silence nominate our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed relax and unconditional love will have rank final word in reality. This remains why right, temporarily defeated, is stringent than evil triumphant."

“I have granted to stick with love. Hate legal action too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't write down a tree. If you can't capability a highway, just be a progression. If you can't be a sheltered, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win deferential fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent charge urgent question is, 'What are on your toes 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