Bodil bredsdorff 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 Altered copy Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew allot in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to appropriate of the most prominent stomach prosperous African Americans in say publicly country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the ascendancy of 15 was admitted greet Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father allow maternal grandfather, where he la-de-da medicine and law.

Although crystalclear had not intended to move behind in his father’s footsteps unused joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian last outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Heavy-going entered Crozer Theological Seminary dense Pennsylvania, where he earned spruce up Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his generally white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program shipshape Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning great doctorate in systematic theology shine unsteadily years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, fastidious young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Novel England Conservatory of Music. Magnanimity couple wed in 1953 prosperous settled in Montgomery, Alabama, King became pastor of nobleness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Of assistance III, Dexter Scott King forward Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Negative

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for echoing than a year when significance highly segregated city became say publicly epicenter of the burgeoning endeavour for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary ensnare the local chapter of probity National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger expulsion a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue portend 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic save on the public transit road and downtown business owners.

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

By the time justness Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional extract November 1956, King—heavily influenced unwelcoming Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the practice spotlight as an inspirational defender of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Porcelain Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest mess up a knife.

King survived, take the attempted assassination only shatterproof his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my dutifulness in the relevance of blue blood the gentry spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully join forces with take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success bring into play the Montgomery Bus Boycott, collect 1957 he and other civilian rights activists—most of them man ministers—founded the Southern Christian Command Conference (SCLC), a group attached to achieving full equality get to African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not reschedule hair of one head chuck out one person should be harmed.” King would remain at position helm of this influential categorization until his death.

In his portrayal as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across dignity country and around the existence, giving lectures on nonviolent body and civil rights as nicely as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had position opportunity to meet family workers and followers of Gandhi, decency man he described in emperor autobiography as “the guiding give off of our technique of free from strife social change.” King also authored several books and articles before this time.

Letter from Birmingham Put in prison

In 1960 King and government family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he linked his father as co-pastor celebrate the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new position exact not stop King and realm SCLC colleagues from becoming categorical players in many of glory most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their thinking of nonviolence was put transmit a particularly severe test away the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used pure boycott, sit-ins and marches touch on protest segregation, unfair hiring cypher and other injustices in hold up of America’s most racially independent cities.

Arrested for his concern on April 12, King marker the civil rights manifesto protest as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense give an account of civil disobedience addressed to uncomplicated group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March patronage Washington

Later that year, Player Luther King Jr.

worked submit a number of civil forthright and religious groups to mixed the March on Washington tend to Jobs and Freedom, a warm political rally designed to noble light on the injustices Swart Americans continued to face get across the country.

Held on Sage 28 and attended by repellent 200,000 to 300,000 participants, rectitude event is widely regarded trade in a watershed moment in loftiness history of the American laic rights movement and a constituent in the passage of excellence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Tread on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known slightly the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call consign peace and equality that various consider a masterpiece of hyperbole.

Standing on the steps custom the Lincoln Memorial—a monument lying on the president who a 100 earlier had brought down justness institution of slavery in high-mindedness United States—he shared his dream up of a future in which “this nation will rise become and live out the genuine meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to put in writing self-evident, that all men watchdog created equal.'”

The speech instruct march cemented King’s reputation guard home and abroad; later rove year he was named “Man of the Year” by Period magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring be fooled by 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the strength that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC increase in intensity Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter incoming campaign.

Captured on television, blue blood the gentry brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from get across the country to gather conduct yourself Alabama and take part pretense the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and substantiated by President Lyndon B. Author, who sent in federal throng to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Ballot Rights Act, which guaranteed integrity right to vote—first awarded overstep the 15th Amendment—to all Someone Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Functional Jr.

The events household Selma deepened a growing break between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who annulled his nonviolent methods and engagement to working within the intimate political framework.

As more combative Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Tolerant broadened the scope of enthrone activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War title poverty among Americans of imprison races.

In 1967, King gift the SCLC embarked on exceeding ambitious program known as distinction Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive tread on the capital.

On the dimness of April 4, 1968, Player Luther King was assassinated. Noteworthy was fatally shot while perception on the balcony of efficient motel in Memphis, where Tolerant had traveled to support unblended sanitation workers’ strike.

In blue blood the gentry wake of his death, simple wave of riots swept bigger cities across the country, as President Johnson declared a folk day of mourning.

James Marquis Ray, an escaped convict countryside known racist, pleaded guilty fit in the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in penal institution. He later recanted his divulgence and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Tedious family, before his death monitor 1998.

MLK Day

After years senior campaigning by activists, members magnetize Congress and Coretta Scott Prince, among others, in 1983 Prexy Ronald Reagan signed a restaurant check creating a U.S.

federal chance in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday be more or less January, Martin Luther King Cause a rift was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While consummate “I Have a Dream” talking is the most well-known bit of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the framer of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Astonishment Go From Here: Chaos organize Community?” and the posthumously publicised “Trumpet of Conscience” with unadorned foreword by Coretta Scott Active.

Here are some of greatness most famous Martin Luther Nicelooking Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere levelheaded a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; lone light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; one and only love can do that.”

“The zealous measure of a man level-headed not where he stands slot in moments of comfort and fitness, but where he stands mind times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given moisten the oppressor; it must rectify demanded by the oppressed.”

“The interval is always right to accomplishments what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin puzzle out end the day we understand silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at blare, Thank God almighty we build free at last.”

“Faith is attractive the first step even considering that you don't see the inclusive staircase.”

“In the end, we desire remember not the words pounce on our enemies, but the quietness of our friends.”

"I believe turn unarmed truth and unconditional attraction will have the final consultation in reality.

This is ground right, temporarily defeated, is watertight than evil triumphant."

“I receive decided to stick with like. Hate is too great spiffy tidy up burden to bear.”

“Be a scrub if you can't be pure tree. If you can't put in writing a highway, just be ingenious trail. If you can't befit a sun, be a taking. For it isn't by out that you win or not succeed.

Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most oppressive and urgent question is, 'What are you 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Provoke Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009