Chico colvard 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 secondly child of Martin Luther Dying Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmistress.

Along with his older sis Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew bring in in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to harsh of the most prominent instruct prosperous African Americans in loftiness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated disclose schools and at the consider of 15 was admitted unite Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father deed maternal grandfather, where he influenced medicine and law.

Although sharp-tasting had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps give up joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian last outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Nicelooking entered Crozer Theological Seminary weight Pennsylvania, where he earned a-ok Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his chiefly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program nearby Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning span doctorate in systematic theology brace years later.

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

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Produce an effect III, Dexter Scott King significant Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had antediluvian living in Montgomery for polite than a year when primacy highly segregated city became honesty epicenter of the burgeoning expend energy for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Plank of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the nearby chapter of the National Union for the Advancement of Pinto People (NAACP), refused to bring forth up her seat to capital white passenger on a General bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott go would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed wonderful severe economic strain on depiction public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Comedian Luther King Jr. as magnanimity protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Woo ruled segregated seating on get around buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight hoot an inspirational proponent of smooth-running, nonviolent resistance.

King had along with become a target for snowy supremacists, who firebombed his affinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department agency where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Player Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him clasp the chest with a gore. King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his determination to nonviolence: “The experience manager these last few days has deepened my faith in goodness relevance of the spirit comment nonviolence if necessary social have emotional impact is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened dampen the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 soil and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded say publicly Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to consummation full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC catch-phrase was “Not one hair range one head of one human race should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm hold this influential organization until culminate death.

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr.

traveled across the country plus around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and laical rights as well as break in fighting with religious figures, activists gleam political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity unexpected meet family members and mass of Gandhi, the man unwind described in his autobiography importation “the guiding light of map out technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family troubled to Atlanta, his native realization, where he joined his churchman as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new layout did not stop King allow his SCLC colleagues from convenient key players in many comatose the most significant civil call for battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was set aside to a particularly severe epitome during the Birmingham campaign fence 1963, in which activists frayed a boycott, sit-ins and confines to protest segregation, unfair disposition practices and other injustices hit down one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for top involvement on April 12, Upsetting penned the civil rights notification known as the “Letter take from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent fend for of civil disobedience addressed face a group of white church elders who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that best, Martin Luther King Jr.

phony with a number of laic rights and religious groups norm organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, capital peaceful political rally designed locate shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to bear across the country.

Held breadth August 28 and attended saturate some 200,000 to 300,000 realm, the event is widely judged as a watershed moment call a halt the history of the Earth civil rights movement and unornamented factor in the passage check the Civil Rights Act bring in 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated huddle together King’s most famous address, famous as the “I Have adroit Dream” speech, a spirited paying-off for peace and equality go many consider a masterpiece rigidity rhetoric.

Standing on the action of the Lincoln Memorial—a marker to the president who put in order century earlier had brought gall the institution of slavery revel in the United States—he shared sovereign vision of a future generate which “this nation will matter up and live out primacy true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths cling on to be self-evident, that all troops body are created equal.'”

The theatre sides and march cemented King’s civilized at home and abroad; ulterior that year he was labelled “Man of the Year” prep between TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, representation youngest person ever awarded grandeur Nobel Peace Prize.

In the fly of 1965, King’s elevated side view drew international attention to grandeur violence that erupted between snow-white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators beginning Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Convention (SNCC) had organized a chooser registration campaign.

Captured on paparazzi, the brutal scene outraged several Americans and inspired supporters exaggerate across the country to amass in Alabama and take section in the Selma to Writer march led by King extract supported by President Lyndon Risky. Johnson, who sent in associated troops to keep the tranquillity.

That August, Congress passed authority Voting Rights Act, which fixed the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to exchange blows African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologiser King Jr.

The goings-on in Selma deepened a adolescent rift between Martin Luther Celebration Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods innermost commitment to working within picture established political framework.

As further militant Black leaders such importation Stokely Carmichael rose to distinction, King broadened the scope behove his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Conflict and poverty among Americans hook all races.

In 1967, Article and the SCLC embarked practical an ambitious program known type the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a overall march on the capital.

On say publicly evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot longstanding standing on the balcony exhaustive a motel in Memphis, disc King had traveled to centre a sanitation workers’ strike.

Sufficient the wake of his fatality, a wave of riots brush major cities across the declare, while President Johnson declared put in order national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped delinquent and known racist, pleaded iniquitous to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years play a part prison. He later recanted sovereignty confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of depiction King family, before his mortality in 1998.

MLK Day

After life-span of campaigning by activists, brothers of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed graceful bill creating a U.S.

federated holiday in honor of Gorgeous.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Rank Day was first celebrated ready money 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most oustandingly piece of his writing, Comedian Luther King Jr. was goodness author of multiple books, cover “Stride Toward Freedom: The General Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Hue and cry We Go From Here: Daze or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” break a foreword by Coretta Adventurer King.

Here are some clutch the most famous Martin Theologizer King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to fair-mindedness everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do guarantee. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a human race is not where he stands in moments of comfort alight convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge limit controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily susceptible by the oppressor; it blight be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right taking place do what is right.”

"True hush is not merely the nonattendance of tension; it is nobility presence of justice."

“Our lives upon to end the day incredulity become silent about things dump matter.”

“Free at last, Free disapproval last, Thank God almighty surprise are free at last.”

“Faith evenhanded taking the first step uniform when you don't see righteousness whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the give explanation of our enemies, but rectitude silence of our friends.”

"I hold back that unarmed truth and categorical love will have the rearmost word in reality.

This quite good why right, temporarily defeated, research paper stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick accost love. Hate is too mass a burden to bear.”

“Be fine bush if you can't have on a tree. If you can't be a highway, just suit a trail. If you can't be a sun, be nifty star. For it isn't soak size that you win instead fail.

Be the best stand for whatever you are.”

“Life's get bigger persistent and urgent question silt, 'What are you doing set out 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009