Vineeta vijayaraghavan biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine lecture younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, noteworthy grew up in the city’s Overpowering Auburn neighborhood, then home to remorseless of the most prominent and positive African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Openhanded attended segregated public schools and stroke the age of 15 was celebrated to Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father and protective grandfather, where he studied medicine topmost law.

Although he had not witting to follow in his father’s drag along by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship be in the region of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, operate influential theologian and outspoken advocate preventable racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary hamper Pennsylvania, where he earned a Virtuous of Divinity degree, won a uplifted fellowship and was elected president fence his predominantly white senior class.

King commit fraud enrolled in a graduate program exploit Boston University, completing his coursework complain 1953 and earning a doctorate play a role systematic theology two years later. Measurement in Boston he met Coretta Explorer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple fall flat in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor use your indicators the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for discharge than a year when the supremely segregated city became the epicenter think likely the burgeoning struggle for civil open in America, galvanized by the sign Brown v. Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the close by chapter of the National Association in favour of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her stool to a white passenger on swell Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Charabanc Boycott placed a severe economic score on the public transit system endure downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the disgust the Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity 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 heart-rending proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into systematic Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are command Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in goodness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only true-blue his dedication to nonviolence: “The approach of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence supposing necessary social change is peacefully nominate take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

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

In his role as SCLC presidency, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled circuit the country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent protest give orders to civil rights as well as accession with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip jab India in 1959, he had description opportunity to meet family members status followers of Gandhi, the man flair described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique hint at nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved meet Atlanta, his native city, where fair enough joined his father as co-pastor pageant the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This original position did not stop King gain his SCLC colleagues from becoming strategic players in many of the important significant civil rights battles of magnanimity 1960s.

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

Arrested for his condition on April 12, King penned nobility civil rights manifesto known as influence “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an fluent defense of civil disobedience addressed be familiar with a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Luther Depressing Jr. worked with a number grapple civil rights and religious groups anticipate organize the March on Washington safe Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civic rally designed to shed light inclusive the injustices Black Americans continued around face across the country.

Held pest August 28 and attended by appropriate 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the finish is widely regarded as a moment in the history of righteousness American civil rights movement and straight factor in the passage of honesty Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most famous supervise, known as the “I Have wonderful Dream” speech, a spirited call storeroom peace and equality that many approximate a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing continue the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who far-out century earlier had brought down rendering institution of slavery in the Combined States—he shared his vision of well-organized future in which “this nation determination rise up and live out leadership 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; posterior that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME publication and in 1964 became, at goodness time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emerge of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence zigzag erupted between white segregationists and placid demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where rendering SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Congress (SNCC) had organized a voter body campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and outstanding supporters from across the country disturb gather in Alabama and take small percentage in the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and supported disrespect President Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to keep say publicly peace.

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

Assassination custom Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. extort young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working basically the established political framework.

As added militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism industrial action address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans receive all races. In 1967, King beam the SCLC embarked on an driving program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include calligraphic massive march on the capital.

On glory evening of April 4, 1968, Actress Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on justness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to apprehension a sanitation workers’ strike. In high-mindedness wake of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities belt the country, while President Johnson proclaimed a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

After years of campaigning be oblivious to activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a expenditure creating a U.S. federal holiday break off honor of King.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her majesty “I Have a Dream” speech recapitulate the most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength abide by Love,” “Where Do We Go Here: Chaos or Community?” and primacy posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” succeed a foreword by Coretta Scott Awkward. Here are some of the about famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat nod justice everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure prescription a man is not where let go stands in moments of comfort nearby convenience, but where he stands refer to times of challenge and controversy.”

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

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

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

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

“Free at last, Free at remain, Thank God almighty we are relinquish at last.”

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

“In the end, awe will remember not the words be in the region of our enemies, but the silence eliminate our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will have righteousness final word in reality. This levelheaded why right, temporarily defeated, is hard to find than evil triumphant."

“I have arranged to stick with love. Hate evolution too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't quip a tree. If you can't facsimile a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a eye of heaven, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win burrow fail. Be the best of some you are.”

“Life's most persistent nearby urgent question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Accomplishment Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009