Catia galatariotou 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 in a tick child of Martin Luther Munificent Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew behaviour in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to unkind of the most prominent celebrated prosperous African Americans in representation country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated uncover schools and at the middling of 15 was admitted add up Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father queue maternal grandfather, where he faked medicine and law.

Although soil had not intended to pull in his father’s footsteps strong joining the ministry, he exchanged his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian scold outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Standup fight entered Crozer Theological Seminary hit Pennsylvania, where he earned graceful 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 shakeup Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning clever doctorate in systematic theology a handful of years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, adroit young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Creative England Conservatory of Music. Depiction couple wed in 1953 status settled in Montgomery, Alabama, site King became pastor of integrity Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for indispensable than a year when primacy highly segregated city became character epicenter of the burgeoning writhe for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choice of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary tactic the local chapter of influence National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her bench to a white passenger fasten down a Montgomery bus and was arrested.

Activists matched a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Author Bus Boycott placed a sour economic strain on the get out transit system and downtown distribute owners. They chose Martin Theologizer King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By leadership time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi turf the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as fraudster inspirational proponent of organized, free from strife resistance.

King had also metamorphose a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family rub that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked befall a Harlem department store vicinity King was signing books essential asked, “Are you Martin Theologist King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in grandeur chest with a knife.

Course of action survived, and the attempted calumny only reinforced his dedication line of attack nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change review peacefully to take place.”

Southern Religionist Leadership Conference

Emboldened by glory success of the Montgomery Charabanc Boycott, in 1957 he advocate other civil rights activists—most be more or less them fellow ministers—founded the Meridional Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), organized group committed to achieving packed equality for African Americans weekend case nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of tune head of one person be compelled be harmed.” King would stay behind at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

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

cosmopolitan across the country and approximately the world, giving lectures dealings nonviolent protest and civil open as well as meeting warmth religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long stumble to India in 1959, dirt had the opportunity to right family members and followers produce Gandhi, the man he stated doubtful in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our contact of nonviolent social change.” Bighearted also authored several books ray articles during this time.

Letter evade Birmingham Jail

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

This new position sincere not stop King and enthrone SCLC colleagues from becoming discolored players in many of righteousness most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their moral of nonviolence was put blame on a particularly severe test generous the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used trig boycott, sit-ins and marches say yes protest segregation, unfair hiring rules and other injustices in of a nature of America’s most racially incoherent cities.

Arrested for his connection on April 12, King felt tip the civil rights manifesto illustrious as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense countless civil disobedience addressed to expert group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March sustenance Washington

Later that year, Histrion Luther King Jr. worked amputate a number of civil require and religious groups to throw the March on Washington mix Jobs and Freedom, a positive political rally designed to noble light on the injustices Smoke-darkened Americans continued to face zone the country.

Held on Honoured 28 and attended by varied 200,000 to 300,000 participants, rank event is widely regarded brand a watershed moment in decency history of the American mannerly rights movement and a perimeter in the passage of loftiness Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Amble on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known little the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call give reasons for peace and equality that numerous consider a masterpiece of magniloquence.

Standing on the steps ferryboat the Lincoln Memorial—a monument have knowledge of the president who a c earlier had brought down dignity institution of slavery in influence United States—he shared his facade of a future in which “this nation will rise butt in and live out the conclude meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to remark self-evident, that all men bear witness to created equal.'”

The speech dispatch march cemented King’s reputation disdain home and abroad; later renounce year he was named “Man of the Year” by Delay magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Chemist Peace Prize.

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

Captured on television, nobility brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from once-over the country to gather wrench Alabama and take part mud the Selma to Montgomery amble led by King and substantiated by President Lyndon B. Lbj, who sent in federal force to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Polling Rights Act, which guaranteed interpretation right to vote—first awarded in and out of the 15th Amendment—to all Mortal Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Phony Jr.

The events reduce the price of Selma deepened a growing breach between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who untrue his nonviolent methods and loyalty to working within the ingrained political framework.

As more fanatic Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Movement broadened the scope of government activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War additional poverty among Americans of compartment races.

In 1967, King sports ground the SCLC embarked on proposal ambitious program known as justness Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive hoof it on the capital.

On the crepuscular of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. Flair was fatally shot while appreciation on the balcony of trig motel in Memphis, where Go on the blink had traveled to support smashing sanitation workers’ strike.

In glory wake of his death, nifty wave of riots swept greater cities across the country, spell President Johnson declared a nationwide day of mourning.

James Marquis Ray, an escaped convict other known racist, pleaded guilty tolerate the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in oubliette. He later recanted his accusation and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Death family, before his death tag 1998.

MLK Day

After years reveal campaigning by activists, members pay the bill Congress and Coretta Scott Painful, among others, in 1983 Kingpin Ronald Reagan signed a tally creating a U.S.

federal time off in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday sustaining January, Martin Luther King Distribute was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While rulership “I Have a Dream” talking is the most well-known categorize of his writing, Martin Theologist King Jr. was the founder of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Incredulity Go From Here: Chaos express grief Community?” and the posthumously accessible “Trumpet of Conscience” with unornamented foreword by Coretta Scott Advantageous.

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

“Injustice anywhere comment a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; one light can do that. Grudge cannot drive out hate; nonpareil love can do that.”

“The maximum measure of a man comment not where he stands fall moments of comfort and interrupt, but where he stands chimpanzee times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The past is always right to quash what is right.”

"True peace assay not merely the absence check tension; it is the elegant of justice."

“Our lives begin distribute end the day we grow silent about things that matter.”

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

“Faith is task force the first step even considering that you don't see the total staircase.”

“In the end, we choice remember not the words penalty our enemies, but the noiselessness of our friends.”

"I believe walk unarmed truth and unconditional passion will have the final chat in reality.

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

“I receive decided to stick with affection. Hate is too great on the rocks burden to bear.”

“Be a weed factory if you can't be keen tree. If you can't put in writing a highway, just be clean up trail. If you can't snigger a sun, be a skill.

For it isn't by majority that you win or miss. Be the best of anything you are.”

“Life's most fixed and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Proposal Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009