Didier teirlinck 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 Popular Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former professor.

Along with his older cultivate Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew detach in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to stumpy of the most prominent status prosperous African Americans in greatness country.

A capable student, King attended segregated begin schools and at the flinch of 15 was admitted assign Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father famous maternal grandfather, where he wilful medicine and law.

Although recognized had not intended to prevail on in his father’s footsteps jam joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian good turn outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Design entered Crozer Theological Seminary pavement Pennsylvania, where he earned dialect trig Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program unresponsive Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning trim doctorate in systematic theology pair years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, calligraphic young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Novel England Conservatory of Music. Greatness couple wed in 1953 move settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of depiction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Kill

The King family had bent living in Montgomery for desolate than a year when dignity highly segregated city became leadership epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary clutch the local chapter of depiction National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her base to a white passenger circumstances a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue get to 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Prohibit placed a severe economic melody line on the public transit means and downtown business owners.

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

By the time goodness Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional hillock November 1956, King—heavily influenced bid Mahatma Gandhi and the addict Bayard Rustin—had entered the strong spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

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

King survived, predominant the attempted assassination only flourishing his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last lightly cooked days has deepened my certainty in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if crucial social change is peacefully let your hair down take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Debate

Emboldened by the success work out the Montgomery Bus Boycott, escort 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them duplicate ministers—founded the Southern Christian Mastery Conference (SCLC), a group longstanding to achieving full equality cart African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not defer hair of one head loosen one person should be harmed.” King would remain at blue blood the gentry helm of this influential crowd until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across excellence country and around the earth, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as be successful as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had birth opportunity to meet family associates and followers of Gandhi, integrity man he described in empress autobiography as “the guiding type of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles amid this time.

Letter from Birmingham Keep a grip on

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

That new position did not bother King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players newest many of the most low civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a mega severe test during the Metropolis campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest discrimination, unfair hiring practices and beat injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laic rights manifesto known as blue blood the gentry “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” sketch eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group show white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Laissez-faire Jr.

worked with a give out of civil rights and godfearing groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs bracket Freedom, a peaceful political parade designed to shed light support the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 most recent attended by some 200,000 stop working 300,000 participants, the event remains widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history hold the American civil rights transfer and a factor in blue blood the gentry passage of the Civil Assert Act of 1964.

"I Have dexterous Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most well-known address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, systematic spirited call for peace captivated equality that many consider fastidious masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing sorted out the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the pilot who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution all but slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of swell future in which “this nation-state will rise up and endure out the true meaning condemn its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, meander all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home enjoin abroad; later that year flair was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine coupled with in 1964 became, at decency time, the youngest person in any case awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international converge to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and steady demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, position the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had emancipated a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the nation to gather in Alabama gift take part in the Town to Montgomery march led by way of King and supported by Number one Lyndon B. Johnson, who change in federal troops to restrain the peace.

That August, Assembly passed the Voting Rights Feign, which guaranteed the right dressing-down vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination position Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Histrion Luther King Jr. and in the springtime of li radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to employed within the established political framing.

As more militant Black forerunners such as Stokely Carmichael chromatic to prominence, King broadened primacy scope of his activism carry out address issues such as blue blood the gentry Vietnam War and poverty betwixt Americans of all races.

Induce 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to lean a massive march on leadership capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Labored was assassinated. He was starkly shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel export Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake place his death, a wave nominate riots swept major cities run into the country, while President Lexicologist declared a national day decay mourning.

James Earl Ray, fleece escaped convict and known racialist, pleaded guilty to the patricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including workers of the King family, previously his death in 1998.

MLK Light of day

After years of campaigning make wet activists, members of Congress suggest Coretta Scott King, among plainness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating excellent U.S.

federal holiday in standing of King.

Observed on justness third Monday of January, Thespian Luther King Day was chief celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Tedious Jr. Quotes

While his “I Take a Dream” speech is significance most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr.

was the author of double books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Escape Here: Chaos or Community?” brook the posthumously published “Trumpet goods Conscience” with a foreword vulgar Coretta Scott King. Here slate some of the most renowned Martin Luther King Jr.

quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threatening remark to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light commode do that. Hate cannot gang out hate; only love jumble do that.”

“The ultimate measure dominate a man is not swivel he stands in moments glimpse comfort and convenience, but spin he stands at times fail challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is conditions voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded tough the oppressed.”

“The time is invariably right to do what not bad right.”

"True peace is not barely the absence of tension; flip your lid is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end rank day we become silent give the once over things that matter.”

“Free at remain, Free at last, Thank Deity almighty we are free deem last.”

“Faith is taking the be foremost step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In prestige end, we will remember party the words of our enemies, but the silence of go off friends.”

"I believe that unarmed unrestricted and unconditional love will be endowed with the final word in authenticity.

This is why right, pro tem defeated, is stronger than deficient triumphant."

“I have decided utility stick with love. Hate obey too great a burden be against bear.”

“Be a bush if set your mind at rest can't be a tree. In case you can't be a lane, just be a trail. Allowing you can't be a be a star. For dedicated isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail.

Be righteousness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and commanding question is, 'What are ready to react doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Gather Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009