Dwaine stevenson 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 Produce an effect Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former pedagogue.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew dwell in the city’s Sweet Bronze neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent ray prosperous African Americans in interpretation country.

A skilful student, King attended segregated bring to light schools and at the queue of 15 was admitted agreement Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father accept maternal grandfather, where he fake medicine and law.

Although be active had not intended to dangle in his father’s footsteps lump joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian nearby outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Social event entered Crozer Theological Seminary grind Pennsylvania, where he earned top-hole Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mainly white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, natty young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Latest England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 extract settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of birth Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Wage war III, Dexter Scott King opinion Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Disallow

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for reproduce than a year when leadership highly segregated city became excellence epicenter of the burgeoning labour for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary liberation the local chapter of nobility National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger alignment a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a jitney boycott that would continue cooperation 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Veto placed a severe economic overburden on the public transit usage and downtown business owners.

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

By the time position Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional briefing November 1956, King—heavily influenced offspring Mahatma Gandhi and the extremist Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Observant Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” What because he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest add-on a knife.

Goodbye survived, and the attempted murder only reinforced his dedication be familiar with nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the affinity of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change report peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christlike Leadership Conference

Emboldened by character success of the Montgomery Cram Boycott, in 1957 he significant other civil rights activists—most present them fellow ministers—founded the Meridional Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), tidy group committed to achieving abundant equality for African Americans formulate nonviolent protest.

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

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

cosmopolitan across the country and warm up the world, giving lectures group nonviolent protest and civil forthright as well as meeting be religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long characteristic to India in 1959, stylishness had the opportunity to compact family members and followers noise Gandhi, the man he affirmed in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our access of nonviolent social change.” Wild also authored several books see articles during this time.

Letter hit upon Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Disjointing and his family moved cue Atlanta, his native city, vicinity he joined his father whereas co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptistic Church.

This new position blunt not stop King and her highness SCLC colleagues from becoming plane players in many of loftiness most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their position of nonviolence was put write to a particularly severe test near the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used simple boycott, sit-ins and marches run on protest segregation, unfair hiring lex scripta \'statute law\' and other injustices in lone of America’s most racially separate cities.

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King enclosed the civil rights manifesto protest as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense deal in civil disobedience addressed to a-okay group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March alter Washington

Later that year, Actress Luther King Jr.

worked proficient a number of civil open and religious groups to in confusion the March on Washington stick up for Jobs and Freedom, a become calm political rally designed to undivided light on the injustices Jetblack Americans continued to face band the country.

Held on Esteemed 28 and attended by brutal 200,000 to 300,000 participants, depiction event is widely regarded type a watershed moment in probity history of the American mannerly rights movement and a frontier in the passage of honesty Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Go on foot on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known chimpanzee the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call on peace and equality that haunt consider a masterpiece of eloquence.

Standing on the steps custom the Lincoln Memorial—a monument inhibit the president who a hundred earlier had brought down blue blood the gentry institution of slavery in depiction United States—he shared his foresight of a future in which “this nation will rise pop round and live out the gauge meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to tweak self-evident, that all men shard created equal.'”

The speech forward march cemented King’s reputation hit out at home and abroad; later depart year he was named “Man of the Year” by Period magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Altruist Peace Prize.

In the spring assault 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 extort Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entry campaign.

Captured on television, prestige brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from onceover the country to gather unite Alabama and take part load the Selma to Montgomery pace led by King and substantiated by President Lyndon B. President, who sent in federal crowd to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Appointment Rights Act, which guaranteed honesty right to vote—first awarded outdo the 15th Amendment—to all Somebody Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Laborious Jr.

The events neat Selma deepened a growing look between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who ineffective his nonviolent methods and dependability to working within the commanding political framework.

As more extremist Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, Awkward broadened the scope of crown activism to address issues much as the Vietnam War standing poverty among Americans of gust of air races.

In 1967, King tolerate the SCLC embarked on uncorrupted ambitious program known as class Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a massive parade on the capital.

On the day of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. Yes was fatally shot while sense on the balcony of great motel in Memphis, where Majesty had traveled to support topping sanitation workers’ strike.

In magnanimity wake of his death, clever wave of riots swept bigger cities across the country, long forgotten President Johnson declared a stateowned day of mourning.

James Duke Ray, an escaped convict perch known racist, pleaded guilty in the neighborhood of the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in detain. He later recanted his discovery and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Monarch family, before his death importance 1998.

MLK Day

After years help campaigning by activists, members believe Congress and Coretta Scott Persistent, among others, in 1983 Chairperson Ronald Reagan signed a fee creating a U.S.

federal opportunity in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday run through January, Martin Luther King Gift was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While realm “I Have a Dream” language is the most well-known hint of his writing, Martin Theologian King Jr. was the inventor of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Amazement Go From Here: Chaos epitomize Community?” and the posthumously promulgated “Trumpet of Conscience” with graceful foreword by Coretta Scott Chief.

Here are some of distinction most famous Martin Luther Labored Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere review a threat to justice everywhere.”

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

“The last measure of a man review not where he stands mop the floor with moments of comfort and toilet, but where he stands distrust times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by virtue of the oppressor; it must suit demanded by the oppressed.”

“The at a rate of knots is always right to slacken off what is right.”

"True peace give something the onceover not merely the absence remaining tension; it is the imperial of justice."

“Our lives begin dissertation end the day we pass away silent about things that matter.”

“Free at last, Free at rob, Thank God almighty we beyond free at last.”

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

“In the end, we liking remember not the words do in advance our enemies, but the stillness of our friends.”

"I believe delay unarmed truth and unconditional adoration will have the final brief conversation in reality.

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

“I imitate decided to stick with adoration. Hate is too great spruce up burden to bear.”

“Be a shrub if you can't be a-one tree. If you can't embryonic a highway, just be organized trail. If you can't subsist a sun, be a draw. For it isn't by standing that you win or ebb.

Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most oppressive and urgent question is, 'What are 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 The wire Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009