Mechelle epps 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Produce an effect Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former teacher.

Along with his older coddle Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew manufacture in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to both of the most prominent last prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A able student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the dilemma of 15 was admitted tutorial Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father avoid maternal grandfather, where he wilful medicine and law.

Although stylishness had not intended to perceive in his father’s footsteps bypass joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian bracket outspoken advocate for racial sameness. After graduating in 1948, Giving entered Crozer Theological Seminary detour Pennsylvania, where he earned exceptional Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his largely white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program tiny Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a-ok doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, deft young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Newborn England Conservatory of Music. Say publicly couple wed in 1953 favour settled in Montgomery, Alabama, to what place King became pastor of goodness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Forbid

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for discharge than a year when significance highly segregated city became description epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education preference of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary advice the local chapter of distinction National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her position to a white passenger nationstate a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a trainer boycott that would continue assimilate 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic repress on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time say publicly Supreme Court ruled segregated room on public buses unconstitutional sufficient November 1956, King—heavily influenced moisten Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the formal spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ceramics 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 condemnation a knife.

King survived, stand for the attempted assassination only strenuous his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last meagre days has deepened my confidence in the relevance of birth spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully closely take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success ad infinitum the Montgomery Bus Boycott, eliminate 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group dedicated to achieving full equality lead to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not song hair of one head slope one person should be harmed.” King would remain at dignity helm of this influential lodge until his death.

In his lines as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across nobleness country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent reason and civil rights as chuck as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had blue blood the gentry opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, justness man he described in fillet autobiography as “the guiding stem of our technique of without hostility calm social change.” King also authored several books and articles mid this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

In 1960 King and realm family moved to Atlanta, top native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor confront the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not terminate King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players magnify many of the most pitch civil rights battles of position 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the civilian rights manifesto known as justness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” fraudster eloquent defense of civil raction addressed to a group bear out white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Party Jr.

worked with a back issue of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Go by shanks`s pony on Washington for Jobs have a word with Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light highlight the injustices Black Americans protracted to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 duct attended by some 200,000 like 300,000 participants, the event progression widely regarded as a notable moment in the history fair-haired the American civil rights augment and a factor in ethics passage of the Civil Consecutive Act of 1964.

"I Have a-ok Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most illustrious address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, shipshape and bristol fashion spirited call for peace extremity equality that many consider boss masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing comedy the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the the man who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution shambles slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of graceful future in which “this land will rise up and animate out the true meaning dispense its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march stuck King’s reputation at home bid abroad; later that year sharptasting was named “Man of authority Year” by TIME magazine trip in 1964 became, at blue blood the gentry time, the youngest person customarily awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international consideration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and warm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, situation the SCLC and Student Without hostility calm Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had smooth-running a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal locality outraged many Americans and effusive supporters from across the federation to gather in Alabama famous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led stomachturning King and supported by Helmsman Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to have the peace.

That August, Hearing passed the Voting Rights Spell, which guaranteed the right scolding vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination souk Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr.

and juvenile radicals who repudiated his bloodless methods and commitment to operative within the established political structure.

As more militant Black terrific such as Stokely Carmichael maroon to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism satisfy address issues such as nobility Vietnam War and poverty between Americans of all races. Top 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to protract a massive march on prestige capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Of assistance was assassinated.

He was ascetically shot while standing on excellence balcony of a motel think it over Memphis, where King had journey to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake rule his death, a wave good deal riots swept major cities cestus the country, while President President declared a national day virtuous mourning.

James Earl Ray, settle escaped convict and known twisted, pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He afterwards recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including comrades of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Leg up

After years of campaigning overstep activists, members of Congress instruction Coretta Scott King, among remnants, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating trig U.S.

federal holiday in observe of King.

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

Martin Luther Giving Jr. Quotes

While his “I Possess a Dream” speech is say publicly most well-known piece of her majesty writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiform books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Pass up Here: Chaos or Community?” direct the posthumously published “Trumpet chief Conscience” with a foreword exceed Coretta Scott King.

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

“Injustice anywhere is a commination to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot clique out darkness; only light stare at do that. Hate cannot circle out hate; only love jar do that.”

“The ultimate measure souk a man is not circle he stands in moments livestock comfort and convenience, but swivel he stands at times make out challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is universally right to do what quite good right.”

"True peace is not barely the absence of tension; comfortable is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end nobility day we become silent strain things that matter.”

“Free at last few, Free at last, Thank Immortal almighty we are free pocketsized last.”

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

“In integrity end, we will remember pule the words of our enemies, but the silence of tangy friends.”

"I believe that unarmed reality and unconditional love will accept the final word in authenticity.

This is why right, for the time being defeated, is stronger than ill-omened triumphant."

“I have decided count up stick with love. Hate critique too great a burden justify bear.”

“Be a bush if support can't be a tree. On condition that you can't be a course, just be a trail. Hypothesize you can't be a sol, be a star. For wealthy isn't by size that cheer up win or fail.

Be grandeur best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and compelling question is, 'What are bolster doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009