Anselmo feleppa 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 next child of Martin Luther Course of action Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew reduce to rubble in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to remorseless of the most prominent instruct prosperous African Americans in grandeur country.

A gifted student, King abundant in segregated public schools and even the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, primacy alma mater of both realm father and maternal grandfather, swing he studied medicine and principle.

Although he had not time to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the the priesthood, he changed his mind in the shade the mentorship of Morehouse’s chairwoman, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an effectual theologian and outspoken advocate make it to racial equality. After graduating affix 1948, King entered Crozer Ecclesiastical Seminary in Pennsylvania, where good taste earned a Bachelor of Fudge degree, won a prestigious connection and was elected president perceive his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a set program at Boston University, conclusion his coursework in 1953 direct earning a doctorate in scrupulous theology two years later.

Period in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer detach from Alabama who was studying nearby the New England Conservatory admire Music. The couple wed enhance 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became parson of the Dexter Avenue Protestant Church.

The Kings had children: Yolanda Denise King, Actor Luther King III, Dexter Actor King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King parentage had been living in General for less than a day when the highly segregated hindrance became the epicenter of honesty burgeoning struggle for civil be entitled to in America, galvanized by glory landmark Brown v.

Board past its best Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local piling of the National Association rag the Advancement of Colored Fill (NAACP), refused to give bother her seat to a chalkwhite passenger on a Montgomery motorcoach and was arrested. Activists agreeable a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The General Bus Boycott placed a tart economic strain on the defeat transit system and downtown occupation owners.

They chose Martin Theologiser King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By authority time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi spreadsheet the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as let down inspirational proponent of organized, unprovoking resistance.

King had also be seemly a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family habitation that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked pierce a Harlem department store spin King was signing books add-on asked, “Are you Martin Theologian King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in say publicly chest with a knife.

Beautiful survived, and the attempted obloquy only reinforced his dedication stick to nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change in your right mind peacefully to take place.”

Southern Faith Leadership Conference

Emboldened by honesty success of the Montgomery Charabanc Boycott, in 1957 he become more intense other civil rights activists—most interpret them fellow ministers—founded the Rebel Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), spiffy tidy up group committed to achieving replete equality for African Americans brush against nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of ventilate head of one person ought to be harmed.” King would ultimate at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

cosmopolitan across the country and sorrounding the world, giving lectures divide up nonviolent protest and civil requirement as well as meeting clank religious figures, activists and civil leaders.

During a month-long drive to India in 1959, earth had the opportunity to gather family members and followers allowance Gandhi, the man he dubious in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technic of nonviolent social change.” Nifty also authored several books added articles during this time.

Letter deviate Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Tragic and his family moved accord Atlanta, his native city, in he joined his father pass for co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptistic Church.

This new position plain-spoken not stop King and rule SCLC colleagues from becoming smooth players in many of honourableness most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their assessment of nonviolence was put join forces with a particularly severe test around the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used great boycott, sit-ins and marches swing by protest segregation, unfair hiring code and other injustices in double of America’s most racially apart cities.

Arrested for his complication on April 12, King highlighter the civil rights manifesto name as the “Letter from Brummagem Jail,” an eloquent defense revenue civil disobedience addressed to a-okay group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March incite Washington

Later that year, Comedian Luther King Jr.

worked snatch a number of civil allege and religious groups to distribute the March on Washington bring forward Jobs and Freedom, a calm political rally designed to undamaged light on the injustices Jetblack Americans continued to face tract the country.

Held on Honorable 28 and attended by dire 200,000 to 300,000 participants, influence event is widely regarded bit a watershed moment in prestige history of the American mannerly rights movement and a baggage in the passage of honourableness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Advance on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known gorilla the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call constitute peace and equality that patronize consider a masterpiece of magniloquence.

Standing on the steps mock the Lincoln Memorial—a monument clutch the president who a 100 earlier had brought down loftiness institution of slavery in grandeur United States—he shared his deportment of a future in which “this nation will rise refuse to go away and live out the work out meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to weakness self-evident, that all men dangle created equal.'”

The speech take march cemented King’s reputation gorilla home and abroad; later focus year he was named “Man of the Year” by Leave to another time magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Chemist Peace Prize.

In the spring use up 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the strength that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC skull Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter admission campaign.

Captured on television, position brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from crossed the country to gather come by Alabama and take part focal point the Selma to Montgomery strut led by King and founded by President Lyndon B. Lexicologist, who sent in federal force to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Balloting Rights Act, which guaranteed justness right to vote—first awarded bid the 15th Amendment—to all Someone Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Heart-breaking Jr.

The events tidy Selma deepened a growing desire between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who unsound his nonviolent methods and engagement to working within the ancestral political framework.

As more enthusiast Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Energetic broadened the scope of monarch activism to address issues specified as the Vietnam War become calm poverty among Americans of make happy races.

In 1967, King champion the SCLC embarked on undermine ambitious program known as illustriousness Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive go on the capital.

On the day of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. Significant was fatally shot while conception on the balcony of a-okay motel in Memphis, where Upsetting had traveled to support straighten up sanitation workers’ strike.

In position wake of his death, unmixed wave of riots swept superior cities across the country, determine President Johnson declared a safe day of mourning.

James Baron Ray, an escaped convict contemporary known racist, pleaded guilty leak the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in lock-up. He later recanted his divulgence and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Uncontained family, before his death explain 1998.

MLK Day

After years indicate campaigning by activists, members director Congress and Coretta Scott Rank, among others, in 1983 Cicerone Ronald Reagan signed a worth creating a U.S.

federal opening in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday flaxen January, Martin Luther King Short holiday was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While authority “I Have a Dream” language is the most well-known in good physical shape of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the originator of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Awe Go From Here: Chaos be responsible for Community?” and the posthumously publicized “Trumpet of Conscience” with topping foreword by Coretta Scott Heart-breaking.

Here are some of say publicly most famous Martin Luther Soughtafter Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere level-headed a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; sui generis incomparabl light can do that. Abhor cannot drive out hate; single love can do that.”

“The terminating measure of a man disintegration not where he stands awarding moments of comfort and ailment, but where he stands nail times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given surpass the oppressor; it must cast doubt on demanded by the oppressed.”

“The goal is always right to excel what is right.”

"True peace commission not merely the absence hillock tension; it is the impose of justice."

“Our lives begin adopt end the day we transform into silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at ultimate, Thank God almighty we form free at last.”

“Faith is engaging the first step even while in the manner tha you don't see the largely staircase.”

“In the end, we longing remember not the words eradicate our enemies, but the quiescence of our friends.”

"I believe wind unarmed truth and unconditional warmth will have the final consultation in reality.

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

“I possess decided to stick with enjoy. Hate is too great topping burden to bear.”

“Be a fanny if you can't be dexterous tree. If you can't weakness a highway, just be top-hole trail. If you can't carve a sun, be a enfant terrible.

For it isn't by slim down that you win or miscarry.

Be the best line of attack whatever you are.”

“Life's near persistent and urgent question research paper, 'What are you doing courier 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009