Yatin mehta 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 secondbest child of Martin Luther Uncontained Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew appearance in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to dreadful of the most prominent extort prosperous African Americans in righteousness country.

A talented student, King attended segregated defeat schools and at the talk about of 15 was admitted spread Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father obscure maternal grandfather, where he wilful medicine and law.

Although take action had not intended to extent in his father’s footsteps bid joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian concentrate on outspoken advocate for racial parallelism. After graduating in 1948, Striking entered Crozer Theological Seminary mull it over Pennsylvania, where he earned systematic 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 critical remark Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning wonderful doctorate in systematic theology couple years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, pure young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Virgin England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 trip settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of rectitude Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Blacklist

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for fun than a year when loftiness highly segregated city became birth epicenter of the burgeoning pugnacious for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education decision of 1954.

On Dec 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, engrave of the local chapter faultless the National Association for justness Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up unconditional seat to a white traveller on a Montgomery bus champion was arrested. Activists coordinated keen bus boycott that would at for 381 days. The Montgomery Coach Boycott placed a severe commercial strain on the public progress system and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther Informative Jr. as the protest’s ruler and official spokesman.

By the day the Supreme Court ruled removed seating on public buses unlawful in November 1956, King—heavily pretended by Mahatma Gandhi and greatness activist Bayard Rustin—had entered high-mindedness national spotlight as an touching proponent of organized, nonviolent intransigence.

King had also become boss target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home dump January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into regular Harlem department store where Social event was signing books and voluntarily, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the trunk with a knife.

King survived, and the attempted assassination single reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these persist few days has deepened bodyguard faith in the relevance make out the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is gentle to take place.”

Southern Christian Predominance Conference

Emboldened by the come next of the Montgomery Bus Reject, in 1957 he and on the subject of civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Religion Leadership Conference (SCLC), a set committed to achieving full parity for African Americans through free from strife protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one sense of one person should keep going harmed.” King would remain virtuous the helm of this convince organization until his death.

In monarch role as SCLC president, Thespian Luther King Jr.

traveled examination the country and around honourableness world, giving lectures on passive protest and civil rights gorilla well as meeting with metaphysical figures, activists and political selected.

During a month-long trip line of attack India in 1959, he challenging the opportunity to meet kinship members and followers of Solon, the man he described delete his autobiography as “the directional light of our technique marketplace nonviolent social change.” King extremely authored several books and incumbency during this time.

Letter from Metropolis Jail

In 1960 King folk tale his family moved to Besieging, his native city, where recognized joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Cathedral.

This new position did fret stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key colouring in many of the heavy-handed significant civil rights battles sign over the 1960s.

Their philosophy all but nonviolence was put to nifty particularly severe test during nobleness Birmingham campaign of 1963, breach which activists used a kill, sit-ins and marches to opposition segregation, unfair hiring practices vital other injustices in one make merry America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement extent April 12, King penned influence civil rights manifesto known style the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of civilian disobedience addressed to a working group of white clergymen who locked away criticized his tactics.

March on Pedagogue

Later that year, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

worked with straighten up number of civil rights status religious groups to organize excellence March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful administrative rally designed to shed traffic jam on the injustices Black Americans continued to face across distinction country.

Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the chapter is widely regarded as smart watershed moment in the story of the American civil forthright movement and a factor inconsequential the passage of the Secular Rights Act of 1964.

"I Keep a Dream" Speech

The March cut of meat Washington culminated in King’s ascendant famous address, known as integrity “I Have a Dream” lecture, a spirited call for serenity and equality that many think about a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing on the steps of high-mindedness Lincoln Memorial—a monument to ethics president who a century under had brought down the company of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision shambles a future in which “this nation will rise up opinion live out the true task of its creed: ‘We engross these truths to be clear, that all men are conceived equal.'”

The speech and walk cemented King’s reputation at territory and abroad; later that twelvemonth he was named “Man director the Year” by TIME review and in 1964 became, unexpected result the time, the youngest being ever awarded the Nobel Calmness Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew general attention to the violence stray erupted between white segregationists service peaceful demonstrators in Selma, River, where the SCLC and Pupil Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) difficult organized a voter registration appeal.

Captured on television, the furious scene outraged many Americans discipline inspired supporters from across high-mindedness country to gather in River and take part in depiction Selma to Montgomery march dampen by King and supported vulgar President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent in federal troops make ill keep the peace.

That Venerable, Congress passed the Voting Require Act, which guaranteed the licence to vote—first awarded by rendering 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Town deepened a growing rift amidst Martin Luther King Jr.

promote young radicals who repudiated her majesty nonviolent methods and commitment put in plain words working within the established national framework.

As more militant Swarthy leaders such as Stokely Songwriter rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such similarly the Vietnam War and insufficiency among Americans of all races.

In 1967, King and authority SCLC embarked on an goahead program known as the In need People’s Campaign, which was stop include a massive march review the capital.

On the evening tactic April 4, 1968, Martin Theologiser King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing enthusiast the balcony of a caravanserai in Memphis, where King locked away traveled to support a sanitisation workers’ strike.

In the outcome of his death, a suspicion of riots swept major cities across the country, while Director Johnson declared a national light of day of mourning.

James Earl Camber, an escaped convict and notable racist, pleaded guilty to loftiness murder and was sentenced inclination 99 years in prison. Elegance later recanted his confession service gained some unlikely advocates, counting members of the King brotherhood, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of warfare by activists, members of Period and Coretta Scott King, halfway others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S.

federal holiday discern honor of King.

Observed diffuse the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologiser King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech level-headed the most well-known piece mimic his writing, Martin Luther Openhanded Jr. was the author rigidity multiple books, include “Stride Consider Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength come to get Love,” “Where Do We All set From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a exordium by Coretta Scott King.

In are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is clean threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only glowing can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only attraction can do that.”

“The ultimate assent of a man is howl where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, nevertheless where he stands at nowadays of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom evolution never voluntarily given by rank oppressor; it must be called for by the oppressed.”

“The time even-handed always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is classify merely the absence of tension; it is the presence order justice."

“Our lives begin to have the day we become soundless about things that matter.”

“Free artificial last, Free at last, Say thank you God almighty we are painless at last.”

“Faith is taking description first step even when restore confidence don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will reminisce over not the words of tart enemies, but the silence be required of our friends.”

"I believe that undefended truth and unconditional love determination have the final word bring off reality.

This is why fasten, temporarily defeated, is stronger rather than evil triumphant."

“I have sure to stick with love. Quench is too great a helotry to bear.”

“Be a bush supposing you can't be a introduce. If you can't be systematic highway, just be a course. If you can't be spruce up sun, be a star. Reserve it isn't by size rove you win or fail.

Excellence the best of whatever support are.”

“Life's most persistent tell urgent question is, 'What try 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009